: c3 m9 y& p! d7 r一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。 ! D ^' W* t1 C' U* D4 E. v1 Y * e" {$ ^, x( c3 h6 v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。1 b2 q+ d4 m+ o; n
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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。 3 A3 T! v8 V2 h% R 2 l6 V4 z* R7 e6 N0 N/ u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……. & Z. Q% t6 u. o7 b) H: M* K) @ J: L
& X+ F8 U0 \* O" W* T+ D, Q" u T" OCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles . v& i, J3 M& b6 L+ | 7 t/ R1 D, S) t1 ?2 RCalifornia'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.' p( d1 n6 b6 ^/ U4 |9 b2 P0 O
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles., ~& G1 {4 C' b- M2 t( i
, `* i6 {. [; ^/ N9 oI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. $ O8 X8 [& [2 h2 Y / p9 J: g" _- w2 _ E* l b7 DWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. ; `9 r' F% W0 O5 w5 d3 u! m; Y) g# b, e: h& F0 g, f$ s
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.4 U" v, T$ c/ u- P. v
; P* s+ c# ^) [3 Z* S* u" EPerformers 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. 0 s5 d7 k! A# ?" e T% M7 Y( _9 X& G; P, x5 ~$ a( x! J. `% i) L r. ]
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. / a! ~) U2 X+ P4 W* ^& d4 m% q' }- |( O: P; d
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. + G. Z- @" S) [7 L' z$ K; `8 Q$ f D" n- ^. b: \, M
Fantasy 6 h6 u5 r% o5 z9 c6 j% x - I3 X9 T" Y5 k9 K. H2 uThe 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( L" \) a6 V6 b
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.7 z( `0 X& @' h6 h
( t4 i9 m- s5 a3 P3 c8 X+ O3 eLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.( `: Y7 C4 k# O3 K
9 N9 p8 b0 S# [) aDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.! p$ D. N+ A a v. W( j" @, f8 {% S# T
4 |6 A+ Q: n3 Z [6 nAnd the economic downturn does not help. 6 Y* |! L7 D4 i- ?. q1 {1 I" b' s, C. f+ u' q% C @
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. / [; E. N% p! [$ u5 N& ` u/ @9 u9 Z/ v4 g4 Y# I/ }
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.7 g5 G9 h1 a1 d; p8 r2 v9 c7 m
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. * ?$ x3 H! L& g- N. [1 [# l2 z: O. B: h9 D9 z; `
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.. Q3 ]- C# ?% \4 c8 J
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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.% s9 I6 A) `7 G- i0 ]9 y
& I$ \5 |" `8 C6 MBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.4 O9 V( r3 U7 f' }, R$ [* C8 m2 }
. e; y" P) A* r6 XA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.) I& u' n- ?2 S; ^
+ ^; K, U1 @% YShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 0 ]; h1 Z- ]5 E* w1 H6 O% d& _- d% L+ }' T) _" s
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?") @& e) o3 U: k6 ]2 n
* b0 l+ I1 f: U g b: `9 ?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. 8 y/ x' r! A3 p: J" F: o$ k! X; o/ A8 W/ b3 w! E H
Each day would be 15 hours long. + S- n& Z6 [% `' ]+ J/ ? ' t; |1 @" `( S. P"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 1 e$ L; K& z" b; E 4 X8 p, W" T' i"You get used to it," she smiled.+ O4 E: j% P" t' I' X- q! `
4 S2 h+ ^' E) s5 A"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"* Q, @5 ?4 y( n$ _
: a0 E% t. G% R/ y"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 x& K) B) H9 G9 w8 |% L7 m2 U0 Y
; \, F; N: _7 ~; L5 n4 GThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.& I- l' g% \( R6 |
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Expensive lawsuits' R0 ~ Q& R' p- `
9 Y% S( K, r* h1 E- {7 W! TIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.# |& g/ C, u4 C. u, s- }- e
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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.9 i; y7 b+ g1 j$ u/ F
* _# k" g+ w6 a0 Y" E( ]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. i: N) F) T& S( Z; a % q/ [9 ] m( _0 g( b6 u4 GNow, 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. # I8 S% b' E% S* D+ p; s1 n. ]% b u5 n7 l( B" G1 M( a
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 7 r# o0 a+ b/ J D/ _ d# R2 ` / `4 R$ V. |6 q, M; H& ~I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.4 Q$ R% T9 S' ?6 u2 R
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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?9 Z+ p% `5 X( J9 t
1 i0 {+ Y7 T6 y1 k c1 a$ eThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.' l5 A. Z' M# C1 _. P. g" J1 o
: w: c" C$ e& ?5 zIt 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.+ v: `* C: m- q6 o G
) y9 m* v6 g3 w1 ]& L" O' p: i) U' iA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.# ?5 G9 ~2 R @
& ]5 v8 Q5 R3 m: v# L1 L3 VThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 8 Q+ L; x. i. `& g$ R5 C: H$ q, B9 Z0 L8 \
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. ) M1 L& n9 X; z2 V0 _ 8 y# k' E0 T1 `/ \I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. y0 b, a2 Z: W# f4 b$ T4 w' w$ g2 ~% J* ^. I+ n' h , E' ^/ f1 D w- K! w$ H1 v1 P2 @ k `" F" g & `/ n1 ^ n/ g) p! G1 o& YCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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