+ a! Y; |4 F8 n4 ?! J一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。3 \/ y% z0 E# G2 w& E' Q0 U2 _
' P& u% a9 B8 l( q4 m7 q5 }" Y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。# n+ M; ~3 K/ j" U
, W! |( F f1 k; K! a) P; z% o: n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。 * x# Z) |; Z/ c ~4 @ O- T2 m7 T8 T9 A. ?1 t Z# \
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……. ! T- p. k; S S4 ?8 `, o% q4 j8 l4 @2 y& b/ g* S" s3 m
: y3 E0 X8 y" M0 y9 uCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 7 y" G# U! O4 W* p
3 g: ~" y" Z2 |% ~# f; @
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., u/ d! x( k" }7 ~
, u* p& I7 T ~8 ]2 DLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.! [1 R/ o/ p& e5 W
- ]# r; h* u# MI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. / F. ], S. o% _7 a ; S* B- E* ]8 V1 `- Y( |, IWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. # ~* B+ s/ @" h8 j # V4 t, h3 ?8 X, i4 A$ S0 R7 R* XThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. ! L. S. e* v3 Q1 `) ~; z# \ 1 G) ^8 Z7 \9 Y8 K" \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. 1 J- S T* I4 i S" X( Y % R" J+ ~5 V( a+ F JThis 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.2 y# R" P H; |' h( _+ t
# R. A6 R3 ?; c. y
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. ' u h6 z0 H+ O {9 U & V: k2 P# D/ I K& ]( y u7 OFantasy , g5 L7 u1 r+ _6 g. r0 ^ 2 Y; P6 v) d6 ?5 g; ~$ XThe 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. 0 W8 |% w* j% I# i$ Y8 f5 \$ s, n9 [% ~. I0 S0 z
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.0 R1 x% W1 _' X/ t5 t9 E; N( n- I
+ U$ M$ g4 \" N$ MLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. - b' T, c/ k3 R) O* x' [! z8 e$ M $ U5 r! a2 z9 |* f3 v8 ?1 a: zDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.# F! I! {3 s" k
& o+ [: s7 _" m+ a
And the economic downturn does not help.. I! W9 n8 t4 k4 f1 @& E/ M1 J
3 ]( [3 P, G: Z8 w4 \"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. - j; X5 g! V. U# m- } ^' }/ T: Y; }3 F" t! k0 X
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. ( q4 }# a! f0 I o0 p - e1 I* Q) q" S( \For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.. O6 Y1 U! w( ~; }# @! I2 M2 s
# i* k5 S8 X, o$ \* VHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. * |! o$ E1 w* t8 z# U 4 r: F m1 H7 g1 M( ]& X1 f2 eBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.9 L5 p: B( @2 K' I1 _. C. O
! y( p- `0 N9 ^& L" g1 CGonorrhoea9 p* f; U. j# w+ S6 @+ }0 y
6 {! I4 z! Q* ]' N2 a* JBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 8 ^. S' j3 p& @* S, O" ]; i* T! w7 m3 T+ e
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.0 l+ f; ~! Z4 k, n) s
* `8 N5 z9 o6 Y5 Z/ E2 V9 ?
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. ) f7 q& |7 r5 h$ Y# U ' \0 w1 n, D/ Q: R"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 3 D* i$ W: s' f$ A/ C- g . y4 w$ n# f( Q d. G0 bHer 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.9 S c6 M. `% V) ~
/ Z7 ]; f& M* Z( jEach day would be 15 hours long.# P6 m8 u' K3 `
B; U% {" _; m"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. + V6 n# z; b$ h9 x; D1 d / n! j# a8 {" V"You get used to it," she smiled.3 p1 d. C8 S9 {" j. }
- T9 q3 [$ l3 M
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"+ k, a0 M0 P6 l
" |) i( X9 r, m Z1 X+ k) v, N& 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."$ o8 R0 z* }4 E- T1 v: x; ^* o
! N$ R! T% h. P4 tThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.. w* A6 O% V1 Q( o
/ @. A6 N+ R% f. w0 H# }9 I' i
Expensive lawsuits, \* n9 O# ?1 d8 M2 ?
4 H% {. U) `# y% C
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. # k0 N0 l( S8 t- f9 g- v V4 k/ i/ `# L: a2 ]$ gA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. , H* b+ W+ R( \: q R ' o7 P; V% F b5 j/ cIt 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. ( Q& l+ N+ `9 L- h( Q3 X/ I2 Q2 |6 n. H" \* G0 I
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.3 l2 x1 w& v, U& R% j! x
K+ u. h: ]! h. n* X"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" . k9 z& U- ^1 K% e* f5 f- i0 C6 ?4 j" S C" |* o
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. ) c3 ]# @1 l% N$ G9 p" \- G( A4 s2 k' K
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?3 _: p) }% p4 Y6 a7 t
o* }4 W: Z( m! w: }6 f
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.. s" l; R& J k/ z9 [( J
' u0 M2 d; {- }5 I2 I- Y0 kIt 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.4 Q( k6 e6 @% i4 N' |, \- I
* _" g' ]* d( G n) L$ s& zA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.2 w6 o! i+ R+ ]% G" f
D" }- n" [) w. R. x
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. $ ]; O* W( C* I' N% Y. A0 Y% K & E* m7 n: P+ q3 tThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.$ ]# p7 a. g* o/ e, J
2 B( S6 R+ e- _1 g6 x. B" P" x2 B0 h; ZI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.- g( v; Y% ?5 r6 a/ G6 A
( N9 ~- h* Z" j5 Y: W; ~% L o0 |: S1 V/ c0 D" `9 g- X/ p5 o% a3 m2 q y. g& C* e! @ ( a2 n( P$ y$ J9 L0 f
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
0 C8 D% O2 t) @
( a2 n( P$ y$ J9 L0 f