6 L2 g# N G$ t, T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。/ ?2 t' U. T' S( Y. D
$ ? c0 u: E& U一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。 * p4 [- [0 j! S5 [( c7 _* r3 }( b8 @- d" D1 `: ]# D9 B
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。) x) l; R# ~, Y3 }) i. I
% ]. g$ Y4 `; e1 y w
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。 + n4 A$ n0 E. z' X: A6 u/ H- G# O+ e3 C! N# \- ^5 J
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…….+ u' T3 \4 V# _5 C; }( C( o
. k6 v7 s( t$ ]0 n- U( s" v% z" w" q* a1 ?4 |# x) o, E
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ( O7 N/ _$ j. [ 1 W% J6 l! w$ ICalifornia'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.: o) p$ f, G0 W% ]# }( i
8 ?/ M- I H) U) x4 Y2 N! w
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. ' Q3 o9 M1 E! O# ` y8 T" T( Y. ^ , c" r O# N3 O) v& i- VI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.6 }5 h" H. a: h% N
# z: m8 P. _* B1 K# J! CWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.; S* |( \% p& l
+ M5 p) ?: H$ `7 f" AThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.5 t3 ^4 L+ Z& [5 J! D
7 A& |" ~& G9 }- x U8 z' \6 f9 Q8 g
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. " f2 v" Y. d* M9 p1 }$ S7 f* y3 N0 q8 X( y' _9 E
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.& G8 P R9 U+ K7 y
+ Q) \0 {3 X/ j, g4 n4 L7 |. _4 ]Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. ; M: r7 S/ U; V8 K* g& U. K% O' y) T1 V# u9 O3 ~
Fantasy* V! \$ }& Q* `- z+ \
4 j5 _+ L& p: R; l, X% Z! y2 r( t9 f% R
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.2 i e4 J! x4 L H U/ ^
2 j+ _7 z, l' D, T" Z/ N6 g
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.% I5 \& H9 e. n( O6 \* q3 E
( w* N" v/ I! e5 V; W
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. / n2 C# q0 q: Y1 S+ C6 x6 n ) R) S# l7 x5 VDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.# b7 ]" M, C* x- k- j
' L9 M5 O) u! `2 t$ J8 SAnd the economic downturn does not help.0 D! ~5 v7 s5 \9 x# [1 O$ t
$ u9 B- ?! ~; e4 s, e
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ! n( K5 p" N" ` ; z& D/ L1 Z" X7 q% \The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.7 V; |0 I3 J3 ?1 t' y* c
1 ^# E+ [, z/ p% V9 E5 h3 m7 k3 _
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.! [5 `; r6 `+ h* R* |" }
' E4 Q! d9 h; v" ~2 ~
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.0 f6 u, _- Q v$ T5 v& U" D2 e
# r' {6 ?5 z5 q" ~; |7 }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.1 V; K# Z7 s6 I" d
: N; T+ A1 p5 y& T) j8 n- I) H6 v/ JGonorrhoea" o* D7 q/ k+ `6 G; S/ q0 T
# H, U+ d5 N; F+ w4 ]( w. O) q; u
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.$ R( e0 H. a- J6 D
# L1 ^8 X6 b) v" H- Q$ U3 b8 g& P
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 1 R, j0 X' Z2 b5 N# _3 `' g( {5 E " W" v( Y+ h0 S# b3 O* bShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.* _' G* y. i- w( b' g" r, s4 j
4 t8 n- E8 ~% R% b6 S8 A"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 7 p' W( s/ \( L9 c: Q" ?% E 1 h5 y) V/ O) J0 p; f9 mHer 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.' @* d: i6 Z S' Z% J
! y3 S m" H$ r# q% m9 y
Each day would be 15 hours long. - {/ `! B- M# e3 S0 p1 a: ^ ) {- f9 p- ]6 }9 f' J& j"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. * x% b1 v( q6 `+ a! [: K; K. u: D" F( d5 G3 }( ~$ @9 n8 Y4 K3 g _
"You get used to it," she smiled.% ?7 u2 H0 ^1 q$ z7 D3 v6 `
) i8 z8 T, V7 N9 o
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?": b- Z/ U% y1 O8 K/ M! Y; d7 V9 w8 n# a
" [4 z5 A+ L, ~! S
"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." # X8 h' C$ N G7 g; u8 G* L5 f' c1 c
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.2 g' f/ O& z: z, X' m
: {7 b# h% T4 u7 I; U0 v" `Expensive lawsuits $ C; H# l. J+ C% A, u. R # u) V, @/ `' X2 BIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. : ]: }0 g( y6 Z 7 L8 p) D6 j, G' o- i! ~A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.- L% h9 H6 y" K8 f1 I: l
+ I { t X8 b, S
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.8 b! l. p9 m; S' ?( R* a
8 g& ?6 G/ y( |6 i# a/ B5 W$ A
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. a7 L' c: x$ \5 g- o3 i4 e9 Y7 I: B n. @* z+ Z2 D
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" w$ ]' a, P+ i9 a8 w1 `- b
3 F0 N$ Y; z: I* \
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.) ~% M# y+ [1 W4 s" l8 Y( s3 _
6 C- x7 b. e. t8 ^2 p" M/ M+ z
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?# C! @. k3 g# M* }2 b
& c1 J, U4 F7 A: Z1 @The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 7 h Y, f( d } N: t1 K) T& i1 t' ^- o5 N
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. 6 L% h7 Z' V: i# L$ |* {' o+ P ) ^( ~+ U M' I: s0 L4 z$ y. fA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.- h0 {# b, K" m; V8 y
" s+ l6 R5 ]. S7 UThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants., W* a4 X; Z/ H4 w3 p2 v
4 ^8 M; {4 r* n. h0 PThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. : n+ K! a. A0 j$ Q8 H& y: p; N- h: Y8 y* o) z; V! Y
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 5 n- f. \0 L. a# X6 v6 n' I/ q 8 h P: g( O- D; C. U- C1 f % M/ @4 w5 S) X# k+ Z3 u: l3 s! [* G5 T. G$ m. g : J) {, w9 L4 Y& j5 o2 X) X n, R2 G5 iCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
& I+ a6 z# g& J! u7 l8 L Y( ]
