8 x; ^/ U- r" ]! T$ {5 N8 aCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles % p. v- P7 l$ q: K1 m" L1 y ]$ r4 b1 c5 n9 O
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. 8 f: o1 i; q( A- n! L1 G ' B k& o; L$ T, lLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.2 ?! f' g: K- R5 J
7 i" u/ L! `% E5 ~2 B7 T! iI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.2 z8 L. M& C6 B6 I8 I
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What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. 9 S8 j& y/ g% C2 c( r& T! [* l f0 ~2 v. L7 ]7 ^' h
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. $ @+ C' [5 x7 m0 Q. `6 b7 r - }2 L3 c# n4 \2 H/ e& i4 V8 `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. : a1 q5 T6 ^: W) H' W7 z8 ^7 U. z0 f1 ?& J
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. ; ]6 ^2 G3 o+ Q U 6 p- L; y8 a1 C3 k1 lOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. , u+ b+ I3 p; t2 T4 s' X6 b4 D1 C0 t( o0 E
Fantasy ; v3 j& U" _- N5 L* Y$ s0 B! H3 I7 p/ ]
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 t1 L9 Y6 ~/ M7 D# F, |7 i! c2 {) ]% E) ^
The problem, increasingly, is revenue. ' b3 n* t7 c4 q% X( ~; E 8 y! ]8 ~# b3 [' w! |' aLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.' Q2 X' z" _2 `' y
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.9 l2 `9 F. u, `# ]
; z. n# p0 ^ {. CAnd the economic downturn does not help. $ k: j& ]) G: m/ J ; J( V" i' l5 N" c$ n2 S"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 0 Z! ^- \7 H6 J0 g# [8 J9 s 8 T" n) n7 ?4 z; \The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. - q: g4 z4 |/ b1 k* k& `" |' M) v k0 G/ j. D; a; D% {4 S
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.; c, H& p" o- i1 G* V' t
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. $ K3 k3 ?" Z) N! g 7 Y! e. d& a6 b; i& OBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.' B1 [; p2 v, M# \4 `7 m& s
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Gonorrhoea: r& u T6 @$ w8 R: N- F
# m$ _, ]# m! xBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. ) i& f& _. {( r: \1 N( K' q: U3 K( @5 }% d# i; f5 c
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 1 }! X0 H4 r: J: Z- b+ q 8 q, F) H" h( r4 U) ] E9 L/ n8 Q) ~- cShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 6 E+ D& v9 v. m1 K' a' F2 s( g , K$ H9 s3 `; {! L. d$ k"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" : |7 X, C+ R( Q: o$ Y* P: U2 U$ W( \ & W. Z- {. E+ n7 f/ YHer 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. ; h/ F. s' p/ u7 z8 b# S0 I9 j2 f* N
Each day would be 15 hours long.9 A- m3 Z8 y" Q/ X. p" R: q+ d
" _# t+ C9 k! ^- K7 ["Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 1 _) u8 B* R2 }* W" G+ h5 G' U+ Z# u1 m; u5 Q8 p. a! D8 T
"You get used to it," she smiled., t) A& D( `: k& q+ g* p+ l
! i% }& F( h( O. i9 s5 G" e% J"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" O0 l2 a3 E) o' M- _: v5 n
' W) c; x/ B! d' `1 s" M- V. p7 C- P"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."2 ~& X4 K, b4 {% k
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.# \- Z8 V. G5 s- V# m
) A7 u( {) ~/ d6 SExpensive lawsuits& z& B3 f. Z# C3 f" N
4 l$ s0 b R! p! |; a, L/ UIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.7 {& D2 c5 q7 g. t6 V I2 F& M
: r3 M7 Z8 v R3 B* I/ R, b4 LA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.% L/ R4 {. O+ \8 q
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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." w' q# Z% w( T+ T6 a6 c" r
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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.7 u1 V7 d, `. ?; D
0 v$ V9 M' A! z8 d/ Y8 F"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"; {& N% `! i! [* I- v5 ^% c
Z" [, K/ W6 `: F, G1 S! L: _I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.; [6 s, }$ \, ]+ \7 }) d
2 G& D8 ~/ t3 t+ }9 E( D% H Y4 u9 SBut 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?, |- S3 ~4 V9 Y3 @. v
$ W! O. x$ M: w- K: KThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. $ c. J& F1 Q. D / X8 _; F# z% e5 y& j' J- @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.; R+ f* V: J2 z* t: `
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. ; |2 h$ M' f [( r: M 9 V6 P" a, y# k7 U9 G+ W" s4 o$ v# xThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. j" O q8 r" }3 u) u, z; S; _! M ) w- z1 `. d( u# [9 z6 u% b# LThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.8 d9 f5 z, b; G& ~- K
/ R( `5 ~- h& ~ nI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 3 j( S1 }1 t' P8 {& ~ y+ [3 |$ ? . X" R) q2 D6 t7 [! }6 T9 G# a& l" d
* \* i) j' r( U0 M0 k& D ) C0 j1 f# }/ t8 A" dCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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