# U2 n1 J: s$ L% }" Z1 HCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles / f! z. u7 e; K! W3 F0 r+ L* A$ D1 x7 t9 x$ [) J3 E. l9 \
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.! Y( Y' R" m4 C
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. : c4 s' {0 B0 j& M& ] 7 w& R$ _" C" ~4 b7 C7 T4 g4 oI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things./ Z; ]% G' D6 I0 e/ {- w
' S7 i- ?4 Y. b3 @9 N7 DWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.6 @+ K( o Q0 D$ o
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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.1 R) G8 O) l6 x6 @( A
( ~. [: v8 ?# i1 F! A( [7 w; mPerformers 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. $ R. d' e/ f( [. C1 H! f5 Q$ k, R ) L! W( X1 P: U0 R/ HThis 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.( b* k7 c2 u/ a
* F G ^1 O" Y- `4 V/ HOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. " Z5 [- `2 b( z7 y) F ; E6 p3 w; l' f! X8 Q6 B$ G7 JFantasy % x a7 p7 E" n - _0 Q$ g0 w7 ]4 e3 f6 X6 @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.1 @" `( r$ Z6 h- T( o, ^9 |
; ^" {! I. L8 Z' D! RThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.4 V8 c( z" k: ]9 Y' W
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.5 A9 b, w' L% X; t1 {
. }. \" \3 L* {& x& J4 kDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 8 j9 c& ]! J- h1 W/ K# Y# y: Q9 v; H) A8 b$ t3 b. ~1 I3 d
And the economic downturn does not help.( B6 Q4 V' s! d0 N% O8 `5 a4 `
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.5 J$ i9 _9 b' ~
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.+ ^$ G+ V0 u7 G4 G6 {$ N; R9 F' i: J
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 0 O1 Y$ u* W5 s. u , x- l+ @# l, Y! cHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.3 h) C; b( r1 A$ A
5 C+ g" K- A% Q$ K; H1 \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. , C- p# E5 V0 r: s7 r2 z9 [3 N+ l; `' W3 b6 K- L- v
Gonorrhoea. ~& S, n5 g' L, ^9 b: B* h
7 A' @6 `5 J& T3 D" GBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. : l$ r1 @3 o K+ M- H# a, E) Q2 ]( ~$ K0 @9 x
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. ( L, W) v. n$ Z1 z6 F, O ( D5 x) E8 |; V5 f" S& v9 _, dShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.6 u: Q; C; {; z" u+ p6 b
5 V' E( A+ j: [$ ?; v"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" : B2 c: @2 p6 z4 g1 F5 p! j* I7 F. V) f/ T( X5 t; I0 }8 T
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., _, A8 K% @3 N% z
' U) b8 M5 ~' K- n/ SEach day would be 15 hours long.3 U( d. \$ G& E9 k7 p& V8 C
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 6 F" K7 z. }; B& W ! K1 W* |' `* o/ [. U"You get used to it," she smiled.1 K; H1 T/ ^" b: l
3 g( X% p! O2 H' U"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"4 O0 H+ i7 ~$ a2 Y- X- X$ @+ U
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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."+ C m5 u! c- d+ u+ H6 [) r
; l0 N; n/ g! I4 E% }There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. x& b& O, ~! R6 Y$ w* K " V& y& [9 r$ K) h: kExpensive lawsuits 6 Q1 d+ V) ? {0 m. w$ l7 S% p3 b* v ^- d0 Y* z
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.2 A8 }% ?; e/ F& I ?1 m
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A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 0 ?! V! g& P" N o, A9 n m' E # p. F$ `! F0 t: p5 m8 ^, FIt 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. + e4 v; Q6 f( A2 t, R3 G! a ; Q5 j( g3 U. M& ~3 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. ! A' x! p8 f4 G; v: x& S& ?* E1 {0 b/ a. w: p3 p/ s
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"1 R$ W: v f: C5 E% a1 X
3 R( m Y: D- S9 oI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 3 O1 {/ C# d: i2 s) T0 M4 p* t ~. S8 y7 P5 Y
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?* L4 S5 p4 |+ y& _
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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. . e' Z# ~" h! j- Y8 [ 0 a, @" ] I& o: S6 n$ W2 ~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.0 @- O3 ]5 p- [" w2 L. X' \
; N6 \/ I4 C! tA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.; C# C# q0 w2 |$ h3 a4 f5 x
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The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 1 O. M2 N7 l" u0 t& k ) b- p7 L9 J9 MThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.; z! c. g( {. o6 v. e* J
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. ; i) s, w; [: c2 u9 A: @- A i3 p5 A u/ c" K. S7 w
6 w! a! J! L& g6 b6 q7 W# D- K 0 e9 h: ?+ V1 a- oCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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