+ l0 S; G- {' N- r! @, {Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 0 N/ W: Y6 p8 D; @' a0 f' v9 @; d
# d3 T! a+ _0 J |3 M: E: g+ J% Y$ a/ cCalifornia's adult movie business is under pressure - internet piracy and the economic downturn have slashed revenues, while state regulators seem set to win their long battle to make actors wear condoms.8 \( ?- u* Q; U0 r% c9 I+ {
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. ! |2 G9 }! r* e4 T, }. o) V7 m0 V0 P$ Z1 }4 o9 l: H
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.: p: F: j, ]7 y. J$ D+ z- O
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What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. {1 u0 T, ^# l+ c: e( t
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The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. . k% F- `, g2 W( x( A4 C) i$ \3 |* \: G7 s
Performers in body-hugging Star Trek outfits, some with prosthetic noses to resemble aliens, wandered around looking slightly bored as a weary crew worried over lighting arrangements. 2 e0 l- i- e" h ; ?* H) _' R5 z; L& ]6 z+ }; @. ?This morning was devoted to dialogue, I was told, although - as Sam, the film's artistically minded writer-director, explained to me with clear regret - there was not too much of that to be had. 1 d' r7 B f) T 1 U# y% T/ t% g% C7 c' R3 p3 VOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.' r! k, @/ ^2 ?4 U0 Z1 A
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; K S9 b: {+ S- UThe demands of porn may not allow Sam to be the groundbreaking film-maker he clearly aspires to be, but at least there are films to be made.( i( N0 M7 ?2 N3 s
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.2 ~; D# T3 u+ M2 E& X W
* u+ }. j4 y% Y! s6 |5 ?Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.' _+ q1 H5 _: r" U: @
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.- ?& Z9 J) c- T6 g
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And the economic downturn does not help.5 b( \* S" A. g1 x
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully., g9 a x, v! O) u
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. * w% v' T a4 G6 s- ?$ t& ^ # }8 e; F0 k2 q/ ^9 ]9 [For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. # C/ @' I4 m$ K' I" u4 P ) f1 k0 X2 G, UHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.7 _4 V% G& r o2 d9 e+ a
; L2 H* b3 j% b# Z. f4 k% ~/ h* j( ABut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.9 I; ]( \$ S" h5 x: n/ t
5 I2 E, u/ m6 v/ e1 ^+ tGonorrhoea : M8 d2 `( O$ t. E: p% K, ` * d- _8 d6 K6 {1 o, y, x8 q# oBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 2 n1 i. O. M- v+ O/ x! R; B' t3 \' x$ f" t; L& K! w7 M5 I7 n4 H& G
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. . t* b8 ^6 F9 p! t) }+ G# B ! M1 F4 y/ c% n$ K: xShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. : X# M( C2 f0 ~* m, u8 t) \# t0 ?! U7 \) }/ c1 |$ l; f4 r V1 u# b& A
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"0 t7 {6 l$ s0 Y: ]# I
/ W. `5 ~0 K# p0 K& p% c& v. N' |Her packed schedule today involved a couple of lines, then a four-hour sex scene. Then a costume fitting on Tuesday and she was off to have her monthly health test after that. 1 H% }3 n5 h1 n8 A' n7 R2 s' B 8 K& i& P" M2 W# t+ BEach day would be 15 hours long.& U4 P" F" x7 y0 k
% s; ?1 Y& |4 i L# q"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.5 U X, y0 G, U+ Y
- v8 \+ q; h# r) P* p"You get used to it," she smiled. & {# F( N' i5 P) x8 X$ J- v X: c9 e# ]) k5 ^/ \+ o
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"% b9 i7 G# G4 w" L
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"Well, just chlamydia a couple of times, gonorrhoea - nothing much. Anyway, we test each month so, when you're diagnosed, you just take your medication and you're good to go. No problem."$ g8 Z: G( ]' p4 p, T* Q6 J$ \6 ~; I
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. ) a8 I* e5 W- |! J7 o R* g. P
Expensive lawsuits) q- n6 J/ z8 w& {
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. ! Z: D- ^6 L! d. s/ A5 Z% B! K7 o) ?3 S3 u6 l V& @: e
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. & K& V# J& O2 I w9 D9 H; Y! K2 p8 B2 N2 a0 V
It had taken a Supreme Court battle back in the 1980s to make porn legal in California in the first place, formally distinguishing it from common-or-garden prostitution. : ?" ?/ J, q' o5 _- U4 J1 n. I9 j+ z
Now, many I met spoke of the right not to wear condoms as a key aspect of their constitutional right to free speech, as set out by the Founding Fathers.9 c% o; H, p( f; ]
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"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"0 g2 t# C) M6 V
# I7 @: N/ H7 a/ H- V YI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. ! P9 {( g0 [' h1 e% k' @! J5 H! w% r! R2 _7 z8 a
But then I also struggled to picture hordes of Star Trek fans queuing up to see Captain Jean-Luc Picard going hard-core with the crew of the Star Trek Enterprise. So what did I know? 1 q$ W! |, M- A. k- C3 |+ q" J3 l; e
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 3 K4 H9 X" |& u ' |4 B! F% K9 k; I U# DIt seems likely that porn will eventually lose its battle against the California regulators, not least because - as well as state penalties - the industry could be about to face some very expensive lawsuits brought by former performers. ! V2 e. i+ R, E, ] ( @/ M. T5 T @1 h& v0 V$ _% EA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 2 [6 @3 a- m- l x& g f& D8 @+ _" p
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.$ Z. t4 D* B" Y2 l9 f( F
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That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.: J# |# w: }# V. C
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. ' r4 _# \: |9 a0 \# Q5 v% D- d3 M( W1 |$ ^$ A 8 q; g6 x7 M+ R6 L% r$ b: ^
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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