+ W+ O1 r2 Y. q) x; Y一名制片人告诉我，“如果你把我的演员都装在橡胶里面，作为艺术家，我还能怎样表述自我呢”？9 v) y; o0 d b6 k( _$ f
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我很难想象，法兰克林和杰弗逊起草《第一修正案》的时候，想到过戴不戴安全套的权利。 `9 Z3 H z5 t: I5 d
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但是，我也很难想象，《星际迷航》的粉丝们排着长队去看皮克船长和“进取号”的船员们真刀真枪地“肉搏”。所以，我算老几呢？! z! a% \: ]! Y" @9 W# [& m
. Y I1 l2 Y1 |) w; T但是，当局非常坚决。建筑工人必须戴头盔，矿工必须戴口罩，色情演员也必须有适当的保护。% Y! g# Y2 l* K* o
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和加州的立法人对阵，色情电影业最终很有可能打败仗。除了罚款，色情电影业也面临着一些前任演员们提出的代价昂贵的法律诉讼。 # Q1 ?7 ?: Q/ j3 T; O, M& i 2 M9 p8 [; g0 n& F7 A" O9 `一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。 6 @- P* p8 ], V: u# z& M2 @% R: q' j7 N0 C1 K2 a/ r3 N
制片人说，这对雇员没有任何好处，只会迫使制片公司搬到海外、或者转移到地下去拍片。观众想看的，就一定能看得到。% ~% B1 L0 T5 W, {( c- X! z8 Y
/ G. S4 z `3 V$ ~% z0 P宝碧也有同感。事实上，这也正是她开始脱衣服、准备开拍性爱场面之前说的告别词。 % c/ p: r" o$ @- B/ b! W+ o) }. D+ d X+ W' Q7 H# H
我想，我看的已经够多了。我悄悄地离开拍摄现场，重新回到淅淅沥沥的小雨中…….6 M( q& Q" m' X. @1 f, K# e# K
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles : G- n5 }: T8 J2 w6 k- v8 {' S* T7 D9 |2 a9 Z. N2 U8 g
California'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.% ^6 D) y, \( P5 y
V8 ~1 S! Z; i' U( {! B$ yLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. : r: _+ r- V4 Q3 X- B- w+ D * w4 l: n: ~, B0 k- H2 nI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. " r7 G6 W8 |4 S0 i! b) U1 B9 S0 ~7 j # H/ L" k5 ]. q' Q5 }& _3 JWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.) n! p) W9 G, `& P# {
+ P6 F0 f3 C) S' bThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. , @8 m% Z' D! i: j. Q & j0 ^3 x Q$ o( y$ h% ] GPerformers 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.+ Z2 R; j& y& t
+ j4 b- y/ J8 l( T" ?8 |+ k3 ]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. 6 t, s* n7 P- q# B' H7 w1 e9 k 6 ~ c& L, H9 j0 g" a6 Z# TOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. ; x. [! V u' _7 V) z6 m4 Y' k& H
Fantasy - y1 f1 T9 f& {. \0 d/ _: a5 P i' ?
The 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. y( M+ l2 T# V8 A( u! p- O+ F1 ? r" y
The problem, increasingly, is revenue. * B. p. e% b% H4 l1 d " y. T# K: a, K( Y3 O& jLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.; [& k% R o4 d+ u
" }9 j; W7 P( s+ v9 ^- R$ pDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. * C' i+ P$ W2 N/ f% L% E3 m" k1 C! i: n6 c. p) `+ U/ x
And the economic downturn does not help.. |8 ]5 |+ Q& j& T) n; N; ]
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 0 i& N3 ]7 Y3 Z/ q) ?1 t; _; f8 D/ n4 V2 O; [# N* @! H+ V7 S
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.' d% {) t* ]3 G
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.# g- M9 @: | x5 z) S
' `$ R: `5 S0 ]& \" e$ aHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. & i1 ^4 ]: K5 p5 i $ v- y) x& C* Y% G. m T& WBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. 6 m0 @% c* l3 J$ c3 J! [1 p + [( x: e0 v, j& p. uGonorrhoea/ M' h% a8 m: o) ~( L) a7 {
+ i: Z- }- y$ I; Z7 hBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. ! z4 m4 k" {: Q$ O7 G+ ~6 ~8 n2 r, B: x, Y
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. * F$ k' \. H' \8 ]" L5 ~$ r5 B& N& t* q7 h, T D) [: J8 o# w
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. : s- q) E; M4 b2 ^- v; ? d " w. q! F' l% O! }" E"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"$ q6 _- _; W+ I4 I. y1 M; Y" g
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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. + D9 k8 [# L5 r* M" m5 j% G5 A6 A, Z2 z& S% U2 c# D/ r7 m
Each day would be 15 hours long. 8 w6 v. [; o* p/ k7 y5 ^ N& B* {4 t; B9 r* W
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. ! q( V. W& e/ E6 k9 b3 E 7 y3 ?+ p+ |) ^. `2 D: c9 E7 R V"You get used to it," she smiled.& t/ i. d8 r# s1 A9 r/ ]8 G) x7 C3 e+ |
1 G* [3 s9 l. K0 K"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" * _3 z) I( p" U, C2 z) W% J3 J! D, R; s {, F9 C
"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."" E7 [" c, ^: X3 K& p/ S. t. O
, P2 I7 x& P% D- g3 Z4 d/ }5 J" [There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.: V. X( p$ N+ y$ i, I
0 a2 c/ m3 ]$ C8 h6 i2 _3 BExpensive lawsuits& W$ z: P- E0 i0 X
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. + A# \ ]" t) d) w, T* j( E& e9 D6 z1 r a
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it." G' W0 h6 l3 s" b0 T3 u2 K
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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. " x0 @: z$ W: Q. y% Z3 V0 K 2 [* J ^8 l m9 n/ nNow, 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. / L8 @$ A9 ^: m4 l _$ t7 H2 g9 ?2 |$ f+ H3 s8 N"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"( W& @9 {7 B6 C7 F* V; L
+ q* n5 h' }1 m' @8 LI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 7 r8 T4 j$ T1 D/ g$ R6 L6 Q8 j5 B4 S7 n
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? k* g( B3 Y, w t+ q1 d1 j
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The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 9 E8 H( J2 m9 c* R5 |9 ~ 7 b+ k2 O. h2 [; w, MIt 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. 1 x1 S; u/ J0 L: V+ Q* S X # [0 V+ i2 k' M! XA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 1 L# E+ ]+ Y/ T" m) U ' a( [) c- o$ a9 s9 l& KThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. U4 j, D( R% K/ Z& n 7 K- b0 x, D+ i6 eThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.& J6 w2 R0 ?% t. G$ G, [4 e
3 p, D- \5 j) iI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain." K- v. [9 Y0 q8 y
N. Q+ l) H5 U* j% M5 D ] ! Z5 a9 ^2 |) |+ `+ i8 _4 n) ? % J8 K+ b0 C' A2 g4 w) u/ k & v3 C$ T, @9 m4 G4 b% @9 u9 pCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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