% U4 Y, w0 z3 [/ j* k8 X$ i' gCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles # B: K' r7 {5 | h) |5 G
* S8 B }/ ]+ e5 E2 S% Z7 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. 4 ~( `8 y( F* d" _! W. I! a# J ! f2 K A6 q% [! FLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. ( D0 I( M. u& V9 j3 n O p9 m1 |' w8 ] e$ E" Z
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.: N2 Y3 _& u% G0 [% b' s6 ?
1 Y% e( Z' l$ R: q% r& d* ~. gWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. # F/ W q/ ]& e8 x: A$ M0 F3 I, V' h* d
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. 3 j/ K% K) p. M1 U) \ ! w; b- ~; ~8 y) F, ]0 N- jPerformers 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.( p% Y0 t4 Z; K3 W7 q6 f
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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.$ D/ y! d, D2 e
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. $ U# ~- M4 D* l0 Y/ [9 G0 ? ' w1 L, B1 w. l# r6 l) N- N6 }7 @2 XFantasy% z9 O8 N! c( }6 _3 o. @6 S
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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.4 A' C7 B9 {- c+ }
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue. 1 S! o, F( h. N9 x/ n / J8 J- d- D+ j0 ULike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.0 N5 z+ L" _- T% U
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.. H# `6 X6 v) U+ K l+ i; D; `9 d
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And the economic downturn does not help. 3 H) ^- C) T/ o5 b% U3 }" b0 L6 u( X, M% g, y9 d
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 1 ]9 _' J0 D3 _' T+ S; A( w; x* D" O, Y
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.5 x' C# ~: ^$ T8 S9 w& a4 b1 ]
1 j4 G3 Z. n5 v$ u3 N0 A3 D7 R2 lFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.% \- y# k$ a7 k& p* L
, i3 m3 w5 A4 s1 D ~7 IHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 6 |, }# |+ `0 ^; v$ T( c8 z; {6 w) {# B: a
But the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. ; s7 \6 E+ m- e7 l, Q% v& j$ p7 j$ X" R
Gonorrhoea 0 S/ L3 [' f1 W" R( R( d+ V 3 V( c2 j$ [3 V! q4 G! d( sBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 1 H. y/ |# e P9 c ; ?$ ?7 }$ _: ~8 M! C9 ]A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. i3 s3 [& L" L5 @# L y* E
# L! M; R* b- k3 m, \She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 1 Z( H6 n! E+ H, b$ u5 c, O" N; w2 s
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 7 D( N) ]2 X1 x: p4 Z# _+ C 2 c% t, L5 _ _1 J% e& Q/ EHer 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. / k( B1 E `: X1 R- T. {3 G* r 2 ?1 F8 [6 h% u3 X$ y1 z3 u1 wEach day would be 15 hours long.3 `4 q( c- R) d+ C
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. E! y/ n$ ^& l0 {" `' n, c" c1 B' Y) L5 _
"You get used to it," she smiled.2 J0 b& i; l/ t E: ?. r
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"8 q* p3 l$ H3 k, y4 `" V
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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." % U- Z# ], n+ p& s 6 b+ Q: c1 H( Y# zThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.' ?1 U, B" p0 `1 R& d$ G) |* H
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Expensive lawsuits ! Q- a9 g9 [2 B" @0 q' k& l6 }/ s$ g2 o/ m4 ?' J$ X
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. # t' B( e$ p U Y & o8 _% Z: s7 c6 w- |( ]* dA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.2 i0 \3 g0 k' }7 ?
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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. ) k' U+ x, r9 V! k # c7 x. j) K6 t; |, G bNow, 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.8 @( P- ~6 R' E
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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?" , V! J$ D( r- d 3 d, `8 `9 Y, ^# \. C' HI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.7 K# {. a6 d9 ]
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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?4 H0 s6 h/ m, Z) \" O
! O" c A- {1 u) dThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.! A9 @5 I4 T8 t W {
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It 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.* y+ h* f8 h+ |, I/ e# [- h
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.. F1 e7 y O& V& V% i
1 h! @+ @& [5 C6 V iThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants./ q$ D# P {5 P
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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. B( r( i% i5 L 9 r$ G2 V# L3 p/ I4 zI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.8 s% _( g/ D9 G: V, x {3 `6 @
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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