5 Q# j6 K" h T. j$ {+ bCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles / F. H8 w3 J! h
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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. : h8 W$ ?2 j- @9 l$ c, z- `0 @% `4 |# v J
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. , p- E- d8 k, ` O* f( f4 j' d/ G) m! s8 T( x
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. % I" h3 \; Z6 S. f. q0 `+ o) z3 P# _& a) `, ?5 s
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. I6 t' _& u) Z* `; p# A: @
: c5 ]2 v/ A% R1 g) c9 ^The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. , Q7 l7 k, c( }5 f1 O+ |- U% o' I" j) {0 h9 I' O+ ?
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. ) y. Z9 L! Q" m# h2 E' X4 c N9 L- h" z( 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. * ?3 @% q$ Q: s. B: J: C1 y4 E
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. 2 Y9 x: o6 u2 j4 n7 B% x* P+ F$ a" ^5 M
Fantasy7 `( R Y# A: u- J) B
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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.' F' K# r" c6 X6 l
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue. ' H* x# I3 S- H" F8 a0 L2 W. t# `! k" G3 T$ w% [
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 6 M3 P4 D; t8 e 5 U8 C. ~8 B" f. ]- eDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. $ R' _. t0 {% A2 c+ w( }& r* m: S |) E) u4 Z9 X
And the economic downturn does not help.9 i( i9 C8 y, H3 e; S$ J( p
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ) I% E* D% E8 ~5 k: Q# C* Y9 H; w( Q) x
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.$ j. w# Q1 h9 r4 Y% S
0 G7 p3 L8 O( E( I& z2 v7 }For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. - A2 b$ M( K- \' k4 N/ v4 P' J3 s9 n
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 1 a& Q$ c: T" r. o7 N1 \& N/ t* E2 q& J: ^- z4 ?
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.+ j* ?% M' T# v& r; y4 H" s
2 Z3 R% \# z5 nGonorrhoea! m" s% |% k6 n7 E5 {
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.- k* ^9 c5 v6 |& g% x+ y
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A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years." f6 Z5 s! F3 P
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure./ L8 z( Z | p' M0 ~3 \- Y3 C
6 J" _$ l K1 N1 n% H7 a"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"! B; R# o# G3 v2 P/ x2 P
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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. ' H- e* w9 b( f* O- }& W+ a T3 e: s5 r9 O' i, b; e. ~
Each day would be 15 hours long.5 H$ ~/ _# K% H
2 B$ J; O0 o% l6 ^& u$ u- y" l9 L"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. - J- y" z1 c4 y& c! O, C# [+ e 7 ? L Q) e! O( t; o"You get used to it," she smiled. % W3 l0 i1 Q9 d, E8 a. l$ X( g1 U
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?") Z- t1 P2 y, E/ o3 X
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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."1 C5 G9 e$ u9 M; y* ^3 e. A
8 i( } V K2 O$ A7 ]7 SThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. . p( M" Q/ `8 Y1 | + k2 G3 k3 U/ OExpensive lawsuits ) v5 a5 ^8 p/ \2 m# ?" S9 n0 T7 m2 B1 h; g4 [/ G" c: @7 A
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.( ?! R2 m6 |& I7 c! p; o1 R3 {; q
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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 r/ z6 y6 b: \+ }: q7 Y 6 ~+ b& ]6 U, x( A5 t/ ?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.) Q8 u5 f5 w! _1 A+ G
4 T+ |' U1 C' W0 h$ Q- HNow, 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.$ n% U! W: E0 [; |3 \' l6 V
2 M6 u1 ]) V( a; N% t# |"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"8 z! u+ s6 b7 t1 R* b* x7 J
: n8 ^0 c' F4 M: e' l6 JI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment./ H# j' r. ~( V1 S/ W
9 c+ H p& ~8 a, 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? . p. Y! G# k/ i- J l+ |( y : k) G, D0 s! y6 z% p6 h& K" }% T9 gThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.+ O9 F, w' A3 t- ^7 x, B/ {
B' Y8 u# c. w7 yIt 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. $ Q% I5 K$ A: {' C: } 3 C2 i" n& F* N% B7 V$ aA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.5 L6 F) D* }% d3 x( f1 Z% G
! d4 x' [( w+ X' P+ b ^& U4 CThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 2 I( P! U8 c7 v/ J8 @: G0 r% u- R8 ~5 D4 r1 I# @2 S b5 X! F4 r5 Z- |
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.3 d+ G0 F, F* \* ?
7 O: ?! M% p4 X9 c2 r7 z; G3 mI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 3 _* r# n i. w8 K( ?6 ? * \+ Z6 F: K2 ]8 o$ Z - Z' [) S' w9 y, P+ Y ; f, v! d) |( ?$ V; l- {6 ~9 l, i+ C6 r+ k( ~0 F
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004