# f1 s5 q) ~( [& q( {- V. fCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ( @6 P& _4 b" n% N* _/ D+ m i) F: O5 N% ?; J5 o5 R) z
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. 0 W& |+ q7 S# D4 I0 v" q( k0 v8 s& `+ n) I$ \
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. : R+ i6 M- P7 `2 t; x! e " V4 d* _8 G! W+ i7 F8 V! x8 jI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.7 p, B, s& h/ M; A& n
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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.5 c2 Y% _. t) `6 D' u, Q
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The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. # J/ z% W( s0 R M4 G' K1 C- R7 i; ]# F1 Q' w; _# X5 l( [8 V: A
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. 2 [( Y. Z* f8 r J( K8 [5 j) E7 N+ k, P- _
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.! K! ]" ?/ b" S3 g* j; Y
% S$ m3 N2 s$ m4 J9 O) xOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. * Z$ D/ N: I% X% P$ n ! |: H& }; K0 b$ e# DFantasy 8 D; l1 c, q. A/ Z 0 z4 h; g' M4 Y) H5 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. + \5 l( |9 \- n, y$ C# ?! f& n# _7 r6 P7 U. m
The problem, increasingly, is revenue. 3 e$ X6 a+ g# A7 u7 g# d, [* _0 I K1 k8 j; N. {
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. " W4 ?* c2 W9 F9 V) z % |7 o. @. h/ ?* l9 A& x8 Y% ~3 ]! mDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 5 ^! x& Y {8 J7 g, Z8 Y( E6 u9 l: R
And the economic downturn does not help. : p. F# L: I4 e9 Q! b - F9 ^9 N3 s% r4 q" x# b8 n/ |/ n+ J"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 5 v, H1 _/ L% a. ~ 6 v" G; [: ~. }5 o- n+ VThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.: J) o' s! W! ]. t" J0 A
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. # k6 I, O) j; E ' V4 V& s/ D5 E2 r/ g5 F( ^Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 0 E3 u0 K& U7 ~8 Y* a3 T4 k " B. t# [1 {/ F5 \, J' A Y. G: T, ?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., w. V$ b9 _% q" z' R; L7 G
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. ; g2 F: G0 B8 J * i/ a7 o4 w4 c F) bA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.6 l9 W! E5 P% Q7 Z
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. # P6 V! b- i$ ] ]2 U* j+ s% N 0 U' {* G9 ]. C3 Q+ W"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 8 S9 u3 G. }% S) P. S: C; }% J1 J
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.6 N& A4 E% n5 a% K$ \: r5 M) n$ D- u0 b
" a) n/ k2 n( l0 `' ~6 VEach day would be 15 hours long.5 ` m# H$ c. I0 A" o
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. % \. t, @" }1 B0 X: P# ?1 M 6 h8 I; {# N! ?: e' x7 |" J"You get used to it," she smiled.3 O/ T- V5 H& L4 Z: K0 z1 O, R
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"- \" J, W% b3 q) s; `& U
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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."& e1 h5 ?/ J. N7 P7 |: q! Q5 a
. Q" s0 `/ y% r2 AThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. _2 e; } Q) p) F. n6 M
7 W" _. l- @' B# ?) @' J/ y6 dExpensive lawsuits # {: P- k/ z9 t/ R! A9 j1 p( H' Q* V6 u' _
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. . a% L7 o. `% @' a * l! O) _! H: l' _8 JA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 6 U Z, x; t$ ] ! C4 n0 S% Y9 c0 L5 OIt 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. 1 P+ r; k5 E/ U6 P* v; j: _# R( [7 Y
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 X3 n$ F
7 P, l$ M9 h% E4 T" Z5 ` ^% G"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 3 }, C v; ^# U4 R( d* B/ F+ L4 R5 W" K, m2 d2 Q K
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.: A0 D6 m8 i' d2 d* W5 H2 p. J
# ^: k$ g0 e9 CBut 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? . g- @: ^' _1 ?% v# t |; m% H" J0 o" m' o. V7 H6 p7 U% v& w1 B$ u
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.7 P9 m9 N# q9 B1 ^- F# w! c7 {
$ G v3 k* ^. R& W& R) aIt 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." g# z S- Q' p, p
; E% h6 r) n3 WA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.3 D) V8 N6 ], t- k" T7 Z; x
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The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.2 @/ J6 t6 y+ C4 q) r
' ]/ F. g. G) m4 T1 M2 D/ H8 V+ J+ J4 MThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.! ?7 `+ a; Y i7 ]5 F3 d2 J
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.2 V4 w4 d# c' C
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( U) d6 e# ?" T2 @2 p2 p, p 1 M7 T9 }( e6 a5 YCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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