; v& T! ?! H2 e. }7 B6 ]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。 & O1 ?9 B. B; L* U, k' t( U5 E. h" ?1 h3 N0 q+ u/ z, x
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…….0 Y' `5 P8 ~2 w1 N+ p$ f/ c& f. f* h
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles , ~. h3 v; X% S) A8 s [' m! v
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 W9 U( _% W/ ~' i/ ?
+ a. B0 t1 m, p, Q( j9 TLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. / X8 q, v( Z+ v4 t, O1 |9 V! A7 I! B4 [: t' X
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 1 ]& _4 E9 D' Q5 w 4 q# b- S+ D' F7 U, K/ IWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.6 H5 T6 Z) h! H8 Y( t
8 @7 e- [& }2 `; \- M: K( R9 k7 I JThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga., l: e2 K% b! l) m, C% ~' |
# ^. u6 D- ?2 j, M0 t! Z& 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.( p5 |4 v, t( a; ~1 G
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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. ' Q1 Q& Y6 K9 h( ^) O+ k# y& `9 |& ?, n! G5 E3 `0 c' T
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. v2 g) L1 O; r) ~" c
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Fantasy 3 Y+ y# F, r, S) i3 p. D. \# K3 _' \+ j' _& g
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.: V) h' \$ r2 U1 P; G% Y) f8 p# D
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue. % p; `7 B4 E! p* t% g6 d6 O7 L % d; r- \3 h% f' d {! |0 ZLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 8 f" Y: z7 i3 r; k. x- ^ 8 J" z9 v# O& ~DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.& I0 A3 \4 E8 ~* s% Z6 \
/ E4 @2 I9 Q8 qAnd the economic downturn does not help. / L2 l u: E" V3 g# y# J& _/ I |- O3 A& i; A
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.: l) U- R6 G" |/ ~7 d
8 p( f, R: u3 K; M% M+ OThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. z1 f/ I/ n! j5 X r' J( E7 h
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. : a: G0 k3 q; i3 `% y+ {/ S& R + _ z) p4 \* U( g% VHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.( n& V9 \# E3 z6 E/ ~& Q) \" ]
7 B. b; R, f. m u; MBut 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 ]! R8 t3 V" J' X7 J4 }; ?& e
" |% H- C) ?6 CGonorrhoea + S7 d! n3 N. L" [9 k3 c% g 0 x1 l1 Y$ s# x5 UBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. ! p2 T8 k J) o$ Y, `& o; p: v* c: ^- m' U: Q. a; T
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. S" L2 w c% Y+ S: ~( m, i
1 T% o8 c! B4 ]- e% C$ yShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.% v" p3 y! ~3 M) ]. z. h
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" & E$ X! o$ X) M8 C 5 T% v) k& E: ]3 o8 T: C0 E4 G9 FHer 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. ' {/ {2 R3 B8 {! ? 7 d2 e* ~5 [% cEach day would be 15 hours long.7 b1 {& j, K8 g+ G9 X3 F3 k
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. ! B% Q$ r6 H0 R3 n! h+ e F; _. e' A2 o1 y1 c& p* q
"You get used to it," she smiled. . `8 [7 _5 E8 C t9 |" H$ s1 ]' f8 G0 v; \8 f6 x; I. o
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"8 \, z, ]3 G$ b
5 w# `4 O6 z. w) v4 |"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.") z) N% l6 G8 x9 Z1 C
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.$ H V3 v$ K: t; @
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Expensive lawsuits" `5 N8 t! O, n6 k# G
* Y# {( U! S, jIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business./ U4 K4 d7 M4 i7 N3 Q4 G
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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.8 }: z& r$ P! ~9 r2 c9 V; T
0 k9 o/ [1 f( j, U! ]9 x& A: kIt 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.- d' U+ H, W4 S. t2 D6 F, B
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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. " X' ]8 L, u6 l0 D$ C8 ~8 {1 Y7 m E/ G
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" / J: t: q& Q' f J- h5 b9 M. j8 @: I9 U3 R) p3 ~
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 5 _! y; L s: \9 d' Q 1 M8 O: e( ?% m; u3 h" C5 w% DBut 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?+ E$ \8 p; e" l ~
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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. " U ?5 U) H8 {, d6 }- o 2 i, p- `6 ^, R. \+ `6 |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.( M, a( F$ j% k/ G; R
' n* P8 I, K' ^4 O H$ IA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. ! H! m; b; |0 z' h3 _' f2 u: }0 H$ p0 V* w# B
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.8 L9 V/ B/ R& e# y F; ?0 \# `
9 J& ^2 f E5 W2 N( EThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. 9 Z$ s; G+ e7 B) b. T1 O( [' [) T' H0 i& j
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. b) i! Q. ?/ } ) a8 O, N% e- x& I! [* c % U9 h) I9 \8 H8 l& d; q6 u# W3 y# D 6 Y( }7 `5 [8 Y- Q0 `Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004