FAQ

 

We’re happy to answer all your questions about Blue Artichoke Films and the movies we make. In this FAQ, you can find several categories of Frequently Asked Questions: About our special style of filmmaking, about the film format choices we offer, about all the purchasing options you have, and about how you can use use Virtual Reality. Plus we’ve included a Troubleshooting guide, to make sure everything stays easy.

 

Filmmaking FAQs

 

 

 

How do you make these films?

 

Glad you asked.

 

• You can find our principles, vision, and casting ethics on our About page
• You can find more on how our cast and crew work together on the Our Team page
• You can read in depth about our actor/actress process on our Ethics & Consent page.

How can I be part of what you do?

 

Check out the Our Team page and choose “Get in Touch”.

 

 

Format FAQs

 

What formats do you offer your films in?

 

Almost every film is offered in two versions: As a streaming rental, and as a download. All films work on Mac or PC, and on basically all mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.  The only exception is Second Date (VR), which is available in streaming or download only but to be used on a special VR headset. You can check out the available formats for each film in our Shop.

 

Does that mean that there are no memberships?

 

Yes, there are no memberships. We wanted you to have to make no long-term commitment. Just buy the individual films you like! If you want to buy them all, choose a Rental Pack or Download Pack. (Note: our VR film Second Date is sold separately.)

 

What format does Second Date come in?

 

Second Date (VR) is available in the same formats — Rental and Download. Second Date is a new format called “360 Virtual Reality” that you ideally watch while wearing a headset, either a fancy headset or an inexpensive cardboard headset you can buy for about $10. Depending on your technology, you can watch Second Date as a streaming rental viewable directly on the site (which you can do with even the most inexpensive of headsets), or you can download the full file and then upload it into your device in the way appropriate for your headset system.

 

 

What’s the differences between the formats? How do I choose?

 

• RENTAL: Good for mobile devices (tablet, phone) because they run instantly. The films “live” on our Blue Artichoke Films servers, and you access them by streaming from us. Good privacy because nothing is downloaded to your equipment. It’s like a limited-time Netflix experience. Very similar to renting a movie from iTunes or Amazon Prime Video, but even better because we allow you to watch from any/all of your devices with no restriction.
• DOWNLOAD: Downloaded films are stored on your laptop/desktop and are yours to keep. They are the highest possible quality. Good for watching on a bigger screen, such a widescreen TV.  You can transfer them to other devices you own, downgrading the size/quality yourself if you wish. NOTE: While you can certainly buy downloads from a mobile phone, it’s best NOT to actually download it on your mobile phone. Phones usually have too little storage. You can leave the downloadable film in your Library till you’re at your desktop/laptop/tablet.
• VIRTUAL REALITY: Good for a full-on immersive experience where you feel like you are literally in the room with the stars — for Second Date only. Good if you already own a VR headset, like a Google Cardboard, an HTC Vive, a Oculus Go, or a Samsung VR Gear. You can choose our VR movie, Second Date, in both a Rental and Download version. It is only available as a Virtual Reality movie, not as a “regular” movie.

 

 

I have an Apple iPhone or iPad. Can I buy a Download to use with these devices?

 

• To be clear, streaming (Rental) is extremely easy with these devices. If you prefer Downloads, you certainly can make it work with these devices — and many of our customers do.  But you’ll just need a desktop/laptop to help. Apple portable devices are “walled gardens” where they made it easy to download media directly through iTunes but a little harder to download from all other sites. Never fear, we can show you how to do it!
• You will need a desktop or laptop to “receive” your Download, and then you can  move it to iPhone/iPad from there.
• Instructions:

1. On your iPad, download the app VLC (or the player app of your choice).

2. Purchase your Download on the Blue Artichoke Films site.
3.  From your desktop, download the film from the Blue Artichoke Films site.

4. IMPORTANT: Check the size of the download, and make sure you have enough space for it on your iPhone/iPad. Downloads are high-quality, large files intended for bigger computers. If you need to reduce the size of the download, no problem — use a computer program like the free MPEG Streamclip app to reduce the size to what your device can handle.
5. On your iPad, open iTunes and attach to your desktop computer with a USB cord.
6. On your iPad, Scroll down to the File Sharing section of the iTunes window, and Click on the VLC icon.
7. Click Add.
8. Choose the Blue Artichoke Films file.
9. Wait for the process to complete, then disconnect the iPad.
10. On the iPad, open the VLC app.
11. Your Blue Artichoke Films movies may appear immediately, or you may need to re-start the iPad to see them.

12. Enjoy!

Something is wrong and I can’t play my film!

 

The #1 mistake our customers make is that they want to play the film on a phone or tablet, but accidentally choose the Download format. Downloads are too big to work directly on smaller devices without you processing them to make them smaller. See the section above for help.

 

Does it work on both Macs and PCs fine? Are there any tech requirements (operating system, connection speed, etc.)?

 

• Our films play on almost all systems, including Mac and Windows laptops and desktops, Mac and Windows tablets, and also almost all mobile devices (iPhones, Android, etc.) .
• The ideal set-up is a broadband connection, either via wi-fi or a direct connection.
• Chrome and Safari, the two most overwhelmingly popular browsers, are by far the best browsers for looking at our website and streaming our films. BE SURE NOT TO USE FIREFOX WITH THE VIRTUAL REALITY MOVIE — we have learned that some devices won’t stream VR properly with Firefox.
• If you are going to choose a Download option for any regular movie*, you’ll need a software video player on your computer/laptop. Most people use one already, like the popular, reliable and free VLC Player (Windows/Mac) and QuickTime Player (comes free pre-installed on Macs, but can be downloaded for free for Windows too). Those are the two video players that support our Downloads for sure, and there are many others that likely work depending on your setup. Note: Some video players will play the films just fine but will NOT show you the subtitles that came with your film. The PC video player called Window Media Player is one of those.  If you like subtitles, download VLC instead.
• If you are using a tablet, you may have to download the film first to your computer. Then you can move it into the player of your choice (we recommend VLC Player) according to the player instructions. This is particularly true with iPads, because Apple has created a closed system that cannot directly download other than through iTunes. But you can simply put the movie file on your computer first, which is what most iPad users do with video files.

 

(*not VR, which you watch on goggles – read further below for more info on VR!)

 

Does it matter if I live in America, Europe, or somewhere else in the world?

 

Anyone can watch our movies easily. The digital aspect works for all geographies. You can watch the films from anywhere.

 

What languages do your films come in?

 

We mostly shoot in spoken English, and we add as many other language options as possible in our subtitles. Possible languages include Dutch, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, and Turkish. Plus several films include English subtitles for the hearing-impaired. On each Film Detail page (like blueartichokefilms.com/films/adorn/) , you can see what languages your desired film comes in. On the streaming video player, there will be a pull-down menu (labeled “CC” for Closed Captions) so you can instantly switch to any language you like that’s offered. On the downloads, you will open the file on your own computer in your own software video player (we recommend VLC on PCs, and both VLC and QuickTime on Macs) and you can select from all the languages in the video player.

 

If I bought a Rental, do you recommend any particular browser to use to watch it on my device?

 

Regular movies: We optimized our video player for the two most popular browsers: Chrome and Safari. Both should work great. Firefox often works too, but depending on your device it may not. Virtual Reality movies (Second Date):  Chrome and Safari should work great on all phones. FIREFOX IS VERY UNRELIABLE WITH VIRTUAL REALITY FILMS, so best to avoid that. (Note: If you are going to use your VR rental only on a desktop, use Chrome because Safari is unreliable on desktop.)

 

 

Purchasing FAQs

 

 

Are these one-time purchases?

 

Yes, all formats – streaming rental and download – are all one-time purchases. Easy.

 

Can I skip around to watch my favorite parts again?

 

In all formats, you can skip forward or backwards as many times as you like.

 

How long is a streaming rental good for?

 

Our rentals work for 14 days (2 weeks), during which you can watch as much as you like. In your Library you’ll see the number of hours remaining, next to the poster of that film. 14 days is the maximum rental time possible on a film, but you can always rent it again later if you like. That film’s poster will stay in your Library with an easy-click “Rent Again” button.  If you rent a film again before the first rental is completely finished, your balance will top up to the maximum 14 days.

 

How long is a download good for?

 

You’ll download it to your own computer and have it forever. As a bonus, we’ll continue to leave the “download” link up in My Library so you can continue to access it in case you ever lose it.

 

How long will it take to download my movie?

 

This depends completely on the speed of your personal connection.  Our file sizes range from 298MB (Headshot) up through 1.79G (Second Date VR).  If your connection speed is 50mbps, that would mean about 49 seconds for Headshot, to 5 minutes for Second Date.  Your connection could be considerably faster or slower, like more than twice that or half that. Curious to make an exact calculation? Here’s a free download calculator.   Remember: Best not to download onto a mobile phone! You are welcome to buy it on your mobile phone, but perhaps wait until later to download it onto a laptop/desktop/tablet.

 

If I rent a movie (streaming), do I need to wait for anything?

 

Nope! You can watch right away. Maybe wait a few seconds for the film to start buffering, but you can basically start enjoying it immediately.

 

If I buy a film, can I watch it on all my devices?

 

Yes! RENTALS stream directly from your Library into whichever of your devices you feel like using at the moment. Feel free to use your mobile phone, laptop, desktop, and tablet. DOWNLOADS also work on multiple of your devices. Your download will work on as many of your PCs/tablets you personally install it on. (We suggest you NOT use a mobile phone for your downloads  – phones usually can’t handle our high-resolution big and juicy downloadable versions.)  Pretty please do not share downloads with others! Many erotic film companies won’t offer downloads for fear of piracy, but we trust you guys.

 

If I have a problem, what email address can I contact? How long will it take me to reach someone?

 

For technical problems, please email us at support@blueartichokefilms.com. We will get back to you as soon as possible and always within 24 hours.

 

What do I do if I’ve lost my password?

 

No problem! Go to My Library > My Account and there you will see a small coral link on the bottom right called “Lost your password?”

 

What payment types does the system accept?

 

Fortunately, we can accommodate most kinds of worldwide payment. Visa and Mastercard, bank transfers like iDeal and GiroPay (popular in Europe), and much more. And now, depending on your region, PayPal! It wuill show up as an option if our payment processor offers it in your region.

 

My credit card is being rejected. What can I do?

 

Usually this is no big deal – for example, it’s often caused by a small inconsistency between your name on the card and your name as typed into our system.  Here’s how to fix it. It usually requires less than 5 minutes of email/text/phone contact with our payment processor, CCBill.

 

How much can I buy in a single order?

 

You can buy up to $200 USD or €200 EUR in a single order. After that, just create a new order.

 

 

 

Virtual Reality FAQs

 

 

What is VR?

 

VR, also called “virtual reality,” is a computer-generated interactive movie experience that you can view with special goggles. It makes you feel as if you have entered another world. It’s interactive because this world completely surrounds you, and when you turn around, or look up and down, what you see exactly matches your movements. It’s surprisingly engaging.

 

Want to learn more about VR? Check out Jennifer’s 6-minute introduction to virtual reality, where she explains how it works and shows you some of the easiest VR systems to use.

 

 

What do I need in order to watch a film in VR?

 

You can use any VR system. That can be an all-in-one system like the Oculus Go, or a phone-plus-headset system like the simple Google Cardboard (which works with almost any mobile phone) or the fancier Samsung Gear VR (just check the Samsung Compatibility page for the correct Samsung phone model to use with it.)

 

Can I watch a VR film without a VR headset?

 

Yes, you sort of can, if you choose the Rental version (instead of the Download version). On a mobile phone you can wave your phone around in the air with the Rental streaming film running; it should respond to your movements by making you feel like you are in the room and looking around “through” your phone. This is called “magic window” mode. On a desktop, you can play the film and then use your mouse to “pull” the film to the left or right. You will feel as if you are looking around the room. These are still exciting, but the characters will feel physically a bit farther away from you than if you had a full headset on. (Note: Desktops need to use the browser Chrome for this.)

 

What format is Second Date available in?

 

The full download file of Second Date is an 4K immersive 360° 3-D (stereoscopic) movie with ambisonic sound (spatial audio). To make the film also available in streaming form, we offer the streaming version which is an immersive full-HD 1920×960 360° 2-D (monoscopic) movie with stereo audio.

 

What types of VR headsets work with Second Date?

 

Second Date will work on the cheap & cheerful Google Cardboard,  as well as on many fancier headsets such as the Oculus ones. If you are familiar with watching downloaded films on your headset, you should be fine. As with all streaming products, you will need a good strong wifi or cell connection. No matter what you choose, be sure to put on some nice earbuds/earphones for the best and sexiest experience!

 

 

How do you watch Second Date on a Google Cardboard or equivalent?

1. Purchase the Rental (14-day streaming version) of Second Date, on any kind of device.
2. Use your mobile phone and open the Safari or Chrome browser.
3. Navigate to Second Date on your My Library page.  You should see the Second Date poster and a button that says “Watch Now”. Press it!
4. You’ll see a player window pop up.
5. Wait approximately 20 seconds for the movie to load, and then press Play. It looks like an arrow.
6. Then, after pressing Play, look for the Headset-shaped button at the bottom left of the player. Press it. The button looks like this. 
7. It’s fine if you are holding the screen upright and it temporarily goes dark; that’s because the magic happens when you turn the phone on its side, in “landscape” mode!
8. Turn your phone on its side, in “landscape” mode. If all is well, the image will instantly split into to “halves”, one for each of your eyes.
9. Tuck the phone into the cardboard and close it securely.
10. Add headphones to your phone and then insert your phone into the headset. You are now ready to watch.
11. For maximum comfort, sit in the middle of a bed or on a swivel chair — you’ll definitely want the freedom to turn around. Enjoy!

 

How do you watch Second Date on an streaming headset such as Oculus?

 

This is just as easy as on the Google Cardboard. Charge up the Oculus device, put on the headset, and navigate to the Blue Artichoke Films website. You can buy a streaming rental film while wearing the headset, or, if you’ve already bought a streaming rental on Blue Artichoke Films via your mobile phone or computer, just go to My Library. Follow the above instructions to start the VR player and click the button to make the image pop into an immersive experience.

 

 

How do you watch Second Date on a high-end tethered headset?

 

You will want to choose the best-quality Sewcond Date – the 3D high resolution Download version.

 

1. On your computer, purchase Second Date as a Download. It will usually load to your Desktop.
2. Make sure all your firmware is updated
3. Transfer the file from your computer’s Desktop to your device’s appropriate film folder.
4. Put on your headset and navigate to the appropriate area.
5. Click and watch
6. If you ever misplace your file, you may download it again anytime from Blue Artichoke’s site.

 

 

Artichoke FAQ

 

Curious about how Blue Artichoke Films got its name?

 

• Artichokes are sexy! Artichokes have represented unbridled female sexuality and aphrodisiacs since the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Believe it or not, artichokes were forbidden to 16th century women because it was feared that they would become dangerously overwhelmed by sexual feelings! Catherine de Medici is rumored to have made artichokes “famous” by defying these cultural constraints and openly praising and eating (in great quantity) her beloved artichokes. And of course, like petals of roses, many people see in the petals of artichokes a similarity to women’s vulvas.
• Then there’s “blue”. The color “blue” alludes to the term “blue movie,” a nickname in English for a wide variety of early erotic films. Some of the world’s first films in the last few years of the 19th century were considered racy explorations of modern sexuality, although bare ankles and light petting seem awfully tame by today’s standards. But very quickly, by the first decade of the 1900’s, filmmakers were already creating explicit “blue movies” featuring people making love and exploring their sexuality in ways never before shown on film. Thus, as you probably already knew, sexuality and cinema have historically been intimately intertwined.

 

Troubleshooting

 

Having trouble? No problem. Check out these tips.

 

• I bought a film, but I don’t see it in My Library.

Refresh the screen. Sometimes the film takes 30 seconds for your payment to process, which means you don’t see it immediately. Wait 30 seconds, then try again.

 

• I’m trying to add multiple Gift Cards to my Cart for multiple friends, but they keep disappearing from the Cart before I can buy them.

When you added your personalized messages for your gift recipients, did you cut and paste one of the messages from an email or other document — and did it have emojis in it? Some emojis make the Card disappear from the Cart. Just remove the emoji.

 

• I bought a film, but it’s listed in My Orders as “On Hold”. What does that mean?

If after 5 minutes your order is still listed as On Hold, that means that something wasn’t quite right with your method of payment, and it was declined. Despite what it looks like, all On Hold orders are automatically annulled and will never come back to life!.  Let us help you fix the problem so you can make a fresh order. Our payment processors are very security-oriented (which is good!) and occasionally flags a purchase for something like a credit card address not matching the country the customer is currently shopping from. It is almost always fixable with a quick direct call/text to them. See CCBill billing support.

 

They will clear it up with you and then you can make a new successful payment. Again, all On Hold orders are automatically annulled and will never come back to life! Just create a new order when you are ready.

 

If you don’t feel like calling CCBill, try making an account using a different email address and method of payment.

 

 

• I signed up for the newsletter, but I’m not receiving it yet.

We’re extra careful on protecting your privacy, so follow these steps if our privacy plans are blocking your newsletters. 1) Make sure you check your Inbox and Junk mailbox for the confirmation email. We keep your signup on hold until you clink that link in the email and we are thus 100% sure you want to receive it. 2) Try creating a Filter in your email program, and/or a Whitelist on your server, that makes sure that emails with “Blue Artichoke Films” in them always get through safely. 3) Add our email address to your Address Book/Contacts.

 

• I bought a Rental, but it will not load.

Make sure you are using either Chrome or Safari as your browser. Others may not work – especially Firefox.

 

• I bought a Rental, but the playback is not smooth.

Make sure you are using either Chrome or Safari as your browser.  Also, make sure you have a strong Internet connection, via WiFi or cellular. Shared public wifi is sometimes weak.

 

• I’m watching your trailers or films, but after 30 seconds the screen goes black.

You probably have “battery saving mode” (also called “low power mode”) turned on in your phone’s Settings.  Your phone is shutting down videos to conserve battery. Simply disable this feature.

 

• I filled my shopping cart with items, but it won’t let me purchase.

At this time you can buy up to $200 USD/€200 EUR in one cart. You can always break it into multiple purchases. We have noticed this with folks trying to buy several Gift Cards at one time. Just keep an eye on the total.

 

• I bought a Download, but I accidentally deleted it from my Desktop (or Downloads folder).

No problem, just login to your account and go to My Library. Click “Download Now” next to the movie’s poster, which will download it again.

 

• I bought a Download, but I am not sure how to play it.

The file will download onto your Desktop or Downloads folder. Do you see two files with the movie name in it? (With one ending in the word “.part”?) That means it is still downloading! The same is true if you see an unfamiliar word after the correct suffix “.mp4”. It is still downloading. Be patient a couple more minutes. When the file is finished downloading, it will magically merge into one complete file ending in “.mp4”. Then you can play it in Quicktime or VLC.

 

• I wanted to see subtitles, but I don’t see them.

On a rental, simply click on the little “gear”-looking button on the video player. Or look for the word “CC”, which stands for Closed Captions. The dropdown menu will let you pick whichever subtitles you want. If you have any other trouble, “reloading” the page will almost always fix it. On a download, if your usual player software isn’t offering you a subtitle choice, try using VLC or Quicktime. The one player we don’t recommend is Windows Media Player, which won’t show subtitles correctly.  Do make sure you are using VLC or Quicktime!

 

• I’m not certain how to make the Second Date VR rental work on my phone.

First, make sure you’re using a Chrome or Safari browser on your phone – not Firefox! Then, wait 10-30 seconds for Second Date to load into the player. Finally, press the buttons in this order: 1) Play Icon 2) Headset Icon. Then turn the phone on its side into landscape format. Voilà! You should see a split screen. Insert the phone into the device of your choice and add headphones. If anything is not working, simply reload the page and try again.

 

• I have some other problem.

Re-loading the page has a magic effect. Many problems can be fixed this way. Re-starting your computer is even better. If you’ve bought rentals or downloads, don’t worry — when you log in, they’ll still be there waiting for you in My Library.

 

 

Still have a question? Write to us at support@blueartichokefilms.com with all the background info you can think of about your device model, operating system, and what you’d like to know.

 

 

 

 

Privacy (GDPR) FAQs

 

We value your privacy at Blue Artichoke Films! We are very careful with your data and we happily adhere to Europe’s new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) guidelines introduced in 2018. All the details on our privacy policy are here: Blue Artichoke Films privacy policy. You can manage your data in My Data within the section My Library.