4 M8 b% `4 i: H& d ]" }6 C加州色情电影业压力重重 BBC中文网 记者艾德•巴特勒 Ed Butler - L9 `5 {: J/ [. z4 D - t2 I( V% `" v0 C Z. q: v说到加州电影业,好莱坞并不是一枝独秀,这里也是世界色情电影之都。但是,BBC记者巴特勒说,色情电影业现在也面临重重压力:经济萧条的冲击、网上盗版的泛滥,和立法人对阵最终很有可能打败仗…… : g; e1 P. |, B A: f! H* k3 B6 Q* M" E
小雨淅淅沥沥。洛杉矶北部,在一间位于低层仓库内的制片厂的大门外,我停下车来。 / I0 t1 o: U8 v v' c / {1 R; p7 y7 z9 r, m' r2 ^9 w他们告诉我,直接来就行了,“看看我们是怎们办事儿的,很好玩。” . r) I x6 W1 B2 w0 A2 d7 s % l+ b5 M7 @0 T" B9 } + l4 I+ |6 S* f3 ^ p, p- ]4 y% h( ~2 K
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d2 x1 L0 V T5 A$ d; G1 j6 | . V$ e- k4 _0 l+ Q8 ]9 G首先映入眼帘的一切,并没能满足我的预期值。但是说实话,我也不知道自己到底指望着能看到什么。 6 Y% t# y# S7 @ : S& m2 j0 }; o/ m7 z& h那天拍摄的是三级片《新一代星际迷航》。据说,这是描写太空探险的经典电视系列剧《星际迷航》的搞笑翻版。 1 D& v! ]: f3 {6 Z ^; h7 }: i! I
演员们穿着紧身太空服,有些脸上还贴着外星人状的假鼻子。他们逛来逛去,满脸的无聊。一个疲惫的工作人员不停地摆弄着灯光。 $ E7 M# y6 Y! _+ ?- N$ p( b: N' l. l7 {) A+ U8 v
负责人告诉我,这天早晨,主要是要拍人物对话。颇有艺术修养的编剧兼导演山姆带着明显的遗憾解释说,影片当中其实没有多少人物对话。 0 M3 I1 i& i# J* G- `2 @. m- [5 Q }/ R- U8 e6 c' a
他叹了口气,说,两个小时的电影,只有三十分钟有故事情节。- \9 }; {, o3 s6 X0 D4 R
扼杀观众的幻想5 a* ^9 C2 f6 w1 F4 N' @5 E1 ^. }
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色情电影的特殊要求也许不会给山姆提供成为他长期渴望的、具有划时代意义的电影制片人的机会,但是至少,他还有电影可拍。" W' D4 O5 {: [9 M" S$ b
( v! \6 j! t, T) o3 e越来越紧迫的一个问题是收入。和音乐界一样,色情电影工作者也在挣扎着说服观众掏钱看戏。 , U$ O$ n% u+ }7 e/ j' c v) G- P: G+ ^' K9 g
DVD光盘的销售一落千丈。互联网上,可以免费收看的色情片多的是。3 C) t" I X+ E: E, y, d
. s& Q; o8 U1 U& K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。 8 _! w$ j3 y8 `( I* _4 R3 \5 W$ y, R. G. A! x4 L& }# o
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。 ( z# L/ G* n+ O( B( @! @* X( Q+ t, \& V/ d' @$ ]$ E
一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 ~- T3 B# F+ T! y: ^) \% X* W$ `( g
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。+ G6 g0 `; V9 f7 ^3 H9 r
' R- ^2 ]/ h! {- Q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。) O Z5 h7 K( {# A& U( i0 J2 J
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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……. ! t) V1 N q+ I4 l) q" H, I) @) n0 d/ J( t! z
& q) m0 |+ A) q( t+ c; mCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 5 ~6 D( `" j. D, M
, [& x* I5 P6 A+ t5 {2 U, C* BCalifornia'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. % E! x" G; D2 d& x1 }2 p: N# | O) b! M8 o- M6 P P1 d1 Q
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.7 q* c3 s+ P+ ~! y2 j
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I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things." A& H+ N8 {3 A* O
( z+ Q0 a$ ^- ]" l2 B' d$ OWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. & b- v2 Z# a# B w; D; h& A* Z3 y; S8 [, _
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. $ n4 w# G. d' W5 Z' [* M8 ^- N& ]& F4 k9 f
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.7 w/ c: O7 T( a6 H' r- B+ }; S
( T8 d' E. f3 d n- F* q4 j( AThis 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.9 O7 P. [1 G2 H# E/ F
- q! g0 a2 l7 }. k- B! nOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. 5 z4 B; J* a8 L1 g) \4 o $ A/ L2 `, T Q; [- Z5 J5 q% O/ a- TFantasy* q) t) C4 U D' D. Z- h
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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. 5 Q) Y2 y* I! F4 g j K) D' J3 x1 W Y0 ]The problem, increasingly, is revenue. K" }: K- V7 [* e$ |0 O
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. ; Y* \4 Y3 }) z% N: X" G4 `% T 6 v7 a$ U: p1 |# P; TDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. ) r! f J% x+ u; Y0 M) Y / ?! S3 h) U2 Y* q3 A/ h5 \And the economic downturn does not help.6 @) C- u! M$ w) Z# A, J
' [( p1 T( B! Y P: O"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 0 Y! B$ [+ z. f3 k1 E3 ^ 0 z5 j2 k0 q! v' f# XThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. # p( x5 z5 t' b8 [4 q h% c8 F9 v G: I( w
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. + b1 s, d* v/ B# H + H9 d# B) U/ [Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. ! y( d( t6 B6 M- m % J2 T7 q2 C' v3 {) LBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.2 `) l# N" M, v9 a# @& r) {
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Gonorrhoea ! q2 r! {7 D7 _ 4 D& @+ `8 R2 l# m& XBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. , D4 r W+ ^ K3 `6 }4 q! O: |' X3 w4 H5 s0 |2 ]
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. ( {+ f5 n! N: l) `7 M& e+ N9 R+ I" t * q5 S8 Z; ^2 f$ _2 h9 iShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 5 T% u: l& \0 ?/ F$ T9 _ # L \. G$ d/ w3 S0 |1 {"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"( `% f+ q9 D, [, Z% c
Y2 ~1 X' N$ q7 ~) ~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.( [+ p% w3 G# P& I3 ]
8 P m! @$ A) x( D3 x% R; W! sEach day would be 15 hours long. / E: T" {' w) ?. V + }) _- V: v/ o& o/ l S1 |"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 1 _3 x, @" e$ B6 J! l H' F# p' R t4 @; z# D2 }
"You get used to it," she smiled. * y' D1 b# t- L: s, P; b% K& L; k R C, x9 e1 H4 |; ~"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" . L8 x& J. v$ a4 W/ C ' i* ^7 W4 A# M2 v"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. g5 g6 ~, J Y j6 U3 @* P& s" ~" H
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. , C# {! y5 q% p/ H7 ^4 L 7 N5 `8 ~& H, hExpensive lawsuits 8 }4 F1 x* P i# |9 `! U6 E& Z( H# K' m" E5 P
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 7 t1 H+ w" R) N1 W ! W1 C+ `0 j j! q# u4 T5 ~ WA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 7 B0 ?$ L( D8 c# H# j% S) ?8 \ . ^5 h: G( y5 BIt 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. : D4 f2 V: L, T- P6 } $ M) v; s) F( K' t/ mNow, 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. n9 ]7 g1 J* ^! _8 U# q$ c8 G9 L
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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?"6 X( N% x% J+ i+ X. a1 d- U
7 O* H0 |3 I; |5 Q4 mI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.. ~5 g% q; D1 q$ Q2 L
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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?/ x4 I' I# B- a; @$ x6 T
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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.) a% O' Z: }& e' r4 I S% [
9 G! D) S+ U/ l. z% M, |/ CIt 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.+ W1 W" L Q8 X3 B. r# z
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them./ t" L3 I2 @8 ]' c
) D1 c) [6 T* u$ ^The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. % e. N _5 n$ v. Q ( ]! V0 w4 x9 \1 z! ]" w7 o$ V, XThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. ; ]6 P& x t* b3 H \# ?# u' v' t/ U0 v6 f8 C( c! g! J
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 9 b0 v2 _1 X1 ` 6 @; X* @+ S/ n% |8 P# G# P2 q! N; P
* b: l0 ^/ }$ b5 C " `! c/ h* z8 b, p# H! N9 s X& vCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004