8 d5 V6 T* F/ x- B) Y7 O) j, x: nCalifornia'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. + s! a8 T- t8 Q: V. S6 h5 ~ 1 k& f, A6 J& g- GLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. $ E5 J3 r' d7 d+ r* C) q" p y4 S) D$ E3 O, N4 ^1 s
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. ! p; q1 k! e2 E: V, h# ? ' C2 @- M1 \! C( e: w* z# n' ~6 fWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.. j7 O4 O6 d$ k( ^! ? `: J/ f
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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.5 r- Q( @3 ^. v! C) t# @8 K1 c
3 g) w! j2 ]3 v, W$ w 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.) @- z. [6 ?' h' }: q8 V
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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.0 C. B5 O# Z) W T1 E( W$ x/ s
3 R" _6 k" f3 K5 q' JOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.% ^; ^7 b2 D, b% e% D: W( U9 U- ?
1 f5 s4 a L& ?* p E- VFantasy * p7 C" q7 P# Z! ]1 a- f ?. _$ j5 \) [3 |
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. 9 J# o; y5 K. c& y ) B# a- x* D' b+ H6 {, }- lThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. & r$ K9 N$ d8 C, Y- } ( w" c! f, a, K% f4 }Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.0 c, a* |4 \, T: s) l) h
& Q5 P. D% I' u0 v9 S% sDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.7 h3 S/ g7 d3 O+ p4 K
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And the economic downturn does not help. 1 K; s& h/ l a+ N" v6 s& _( P7 H ( t: E( z) {2 U3 G. B"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully./ E/ F7 c: S9 ?: K$ D
' t8 }4 c2 U" K# W8 WThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. 3 T; P0 H) ]! x( ]/ g1 w% H `# V; ~ r5 m1 Z6 D
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.+ R# p/ t4 v; a) A: h* N
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. % K/ C, k' a4 N& t+ T+ w& f* q- U {* g! d, }8 X0 t- m# K! `0 Y8 x
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.3 t5 r* s- z! f0 V- Z; @
+ N$ k1 j! d6 b* O/ l6 `* bGonorrhoea 0 q. ?" r0 Y, D+ l, j& U" M" v: r2 U ?& ~6 r
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.' [' v% M. l/ Y$ b
# D) u* \3 T* v7 U. D, n) _A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 7 `6 o) \4 s7 t3 {: {# i + i8 ~& {# k7 w, L y0 L- OShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure./ y) l. m: v6 J+ `. |
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" % d# j+ [0 n+ n/ P: q- R1 x7 d# q# C1 A- C0 ^0 H O8 k+ E" x
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.3 L. |# ~* I9 Q8 y- t$ }7 {; {
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Each day would be 15 hours long.$ P. p1 E0 a f1 f' c/ v/ L
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.3 f% `' J( Z8 _
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"You get used to it," she smiled.% N) h# y$ Z5 b$ h! F
) d3 x4 t6 S( Q! N! K" N8 Y; L"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 1 R" g; P0 I0 u& o9 r; o4 h8 I9 B8 i, T8 v' X
"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.". F* W J, K0 h# q' i9 N* o6 O
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 4 ^% S/ F& X, T' s( V# A, P, h$ U, D
Expensive lawsuits% i; {2 a# x0 R9 X
( k5 s, H& _$ V# XIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 6 }7 a1 Z, Y. c( Y# X- j) ` z! B/ j) y9 X6 D/ R( _# g
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. - g' t! C9 ?/ } c- f2 ^5 r$ z! \; c4 z, }4 b- s
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. 6 q @, L. N" Z$ a 6 J4 G( a; w7 L0 p9 M- i7 F2 l) dNow, 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. . o. n1 j! \* i& p& n `% V' \: n# z! O
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"' d; G( C, Q. c
0 T# r6 t! K4 r- ?! C- G: KI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. ! H! K ~9 v9 J$ ?. n& c/ C5 G: R& `; G
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?0 H+ ~/ l9 {' h
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The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.! T, g; B( j2 E! P
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It 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.# O, d+ s! g* C
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 1 W6 [$ Y) A: y% L+ ]; g1 X: M) N' Z) ~4 I
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. % a& i7 y; j# h 3 i+ p/ n! X7 [8 F5 {3 Q7 VThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. : I8 F, c" p+ b$ I! Q& A- v; L $ Q# w- @; [8 Z0 V; h! nI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.. C7 M0 N3 j5 J5 t. h$ k
7 x, p7 O4 |& S' U/ b+ ?" `6 { " M& w+ z4 ^2 q- f$ `" I9 c4 Y& F. b$ @& l: a$ n. b 0 [' D! ^$ [2 u9 PCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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