' c% Z# d& t! B$ W* GCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles + L" K( g$ i! v3 G7 p! p
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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. # E/ G1 q0 q8 g$ u9 {4 f1 y$ W6 A7 Z. r8 ^ @' g) x
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 6 c( t; a' u: N2 U$ \ [6 f' { O' \# Z$ S$ @3 {, J2 v( v
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things." j/ E2 [2 m5 W% W" m H1 E
5 o X: A) D' y' P; i2 n X* G+ L; vWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. " Z w, X! G) X( Q1 d- f : a* u% f& Y7 ?9 u% l. {The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. ) W2 I: P x0 E* P# m6 g, e+ S 6 I) P. ~. m! o. kPerformers 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., U! c3 u$ y( z
0 n+ O5 r. a( {& dThis 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.: J8 D' ] d5 s+ Z" S5 g* n1 G
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. ' D$ `3 f; I" @- y$ n1 h) I. b1 [0 o8 @
Fantasy; C2 b& H0 r8 w" D, D, A
6 N; O6 ?! t' z0 o( lThe 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 A( T5 ] R9 w' M) S1 o0 q& O& G
The problem, increasingly, is revenue. d; @$ B( u, c _
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. E2 o" Z0 `- G4 G5 Z1 J+ _# B( a( x# J$ @+ S3 G: W3 x
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 8 i+ u: j9 n4 ~8 l- T r3 S5 K; ~# s6 ~; u3 Y
And the economic downturn does not help.) Y5 l4 p& j: `$ F
6 O! e2 C" M9 {. p"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.. Y' y; c0 B( P @
9 F9 I6 u7 o1 `1 ]& K; BThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. 4 f/ u7 y- Z6 `6 {3 u1 O, i; k$ ~ o
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 0 @. k' o1 ~" ]% K: _ ! V7 }* [' | UHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. + h2 ?: @+ k9 N/ x/ N9 v& R 7 `' M! H2 ~. Z( C [1 C2 I7 FBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. # e3 a' ], F* G / o6 n! o1 ^. p9 w0 I* xGonorrhoea- ~- G+ {/ _# C' E9 r# w9 h: _
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.2 S; r) Y9 v: Q; W
7 ~% }8 y/ g7 S. C, {7 N( rA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.* T ?: u, ]8 O3 k/ @! _# }
% k! C$ M$ c: ~' P% j8 @She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.2 q ~6 j& U& b. z
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 4 m1 G" b! x+ H3 u$ F , G" {+ f$ R! w) X1 wHer 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 ]4 I0 M) j- J' t0 V , H/ l; u+ B6 b) EEach day would be 15 hours long.% p% W% u w: n3 [8 {
* p D5 I2 }2 Z- H; }, D4 V" q- _"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. " n% I# z. W+ ~9 j; x) { # x q6 {: @0 X B4 k; a"You get used to it," she smiled. " M; ]4 {6 b# ]; e # t5 j4 s7 } p. G"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 3 H/ z9 O- p. I5 { 6 F3 T$ C, Q+ c6 N* A"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." , F6 R( O( _9 ?8 U 2 P9 N$ v7 V8 I* OThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. : Z6 }7 L# U! T& d" w# j5 u/ p4 H. W" ]$ `1 |3 f( z
Expensive lawsuits ; E) Q' `0 z/ v6 {8 A! K7 H 4 n- M8 L; @1 r6 p) f) OIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. F! a8 t8 T8 L/ }$ S" M
, d# g% p% {+ k7 S- K7 [A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. ) p5 ~! y* [5 K! d3 O l" p; `- e+ _3 i
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.* u" j/ |( S! r5 Z8 q; i
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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. 8 u1 a& J& J, U" |: m# T) T a, O( v6 u6 p
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 8 C$ z( S! l5 g! v2 |, }) [, [9 A8 j% ^9 ]
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. , {3 e% `' y* ^: G+ M , P9 H+ R; _6 u' VBut 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?+ U" I; o! ~+ u% G
! V: V. O! S: K; t$ U' S! WThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.* j O2 N9 z2 ?# g2 J' B
; X! U& ~4 a- J4 j0 UIt 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./ L" A B, H/ o' ]
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. & ?- Z5 f1 C- |; J/ W! m4 s# L7 B+ G8 [
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.' Q% @ @& M+ W b
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That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. X' |: A) Z- a: s3 [. e& _, i
/ |8 ]0 p% w6 p4 ?* SI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain./ t& m, q! S; t1 {" j" h
9 P! z( z x4 H' x, p s2 a+ a * A' J2 v- X- O1 z. e9 W. B4 Y+ A3 I6 h& H- H4 F" Z; \1 L) i ' |0 v7 R% Q8 M$ b& hCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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