3 q- V, k1 ~6 ?, p* j 3 [' t# G! d* Z+ }' C% BCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 2 n) H! ]! u5 Z# B8 }! ]# V) N% F, S9 X* U1 L# T, }$ N' n% q
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.- C" ^9 P* K$ p; ]
, \. b" h+ d5 Y% }Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 4 M3 X( D( C& I2 ]8 b1 F+ Q" x ) @2 G4 w4 b' J3 zI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.6 K+ u- f$ J2 C( h
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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. 4 y, z7 t: {" ]3 z. U" E J& o+ v8 m4 r* O
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. , l2 x- `; w8 [. F) f+ M* R& e0 a: O% n# E* G: i
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.% v. [) T; K4 j) _
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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. & z! w5 r. ^) i* U" ^$ t3 G! k8 y3 U4 i( K/ j F
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.1 @# Y9 E$ `2 j) \3 S
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: _0 p. ?, r/ CThe 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. ]. m/ t- g6 h9 l U P: K6 g 6 i, z; ~3 O/ P4 oThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. # P8 r9 P+ k Q# E$ Y% i9 q4 a% u 1 F- E. y$ V2 [% |7 q; |% iLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.! K! r3 B) @5 u
! T: N+ h# L. o, t& vDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. # t4 c4 K- i4 M % R* l4 {, k ~& c; tAnd the economic downturn does not help. 7 Y& h* J x5 g+ P/ [- x# f 4 R# z3 X$ k' a' z* _% n8 K"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.& e& |+ l7 {7 M' g
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.* ~- Q3 {% i; @" m
3 _6 O5 B: }" q6 H: ~5 G2 G3 u6 AFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. ) `: B* o# t$ R- j2 ^- u% _+ D ( [ d+ d% \$ d6 ]' w7 u, N7 ]Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.( a: `: I; b) I0 C- F/ {: S
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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. : a& l c- `) @( G$ {5 Z+ J2 d! K& l4 q0 a- F% i9 l2 c
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' m" Y, ?1 r& r" t) _- V1 _% {Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.8 G. v& x5 [5 P) U! ^5 g' D0 b
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A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. , @; k$ @& i2 ~; \/ [# H 1 g; ~& A7 G& FShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. ) Q, Y. K2 m4 [9 S# }# ]- n) `4 @5 {* R; x+ g- R
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"% |- p j7 b3 v* \
9 Q% U6 Z6 r8 b1 f# DHer 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.* b5 ~* O8 J% Z ~: w8 p
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Each day would be 15 hours long. 8 ^1 _5 A& L' t: ?& o4 P: M; p( K ; h" k/ [9 }5 L8 h* r5 |9 q9 L"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.- J3 X! H, F4 N1 @, q2 Y+ a2 m
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"You get used to it," she smiled.7 k+ Q. ~1 Z7 l" ]) P% x+ x
8 x+ u0 r: N, v0 a"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" . w, l3 Y' u# o: l7 \8 g. ` p# h4 B$ H/ R* `3 Y1 ]; c. B
"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." V7 v! w* h% x4 J, g+ i0 l( |
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.: z$ D+ T+ R# w- D
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Expensive lawsuits , R: F; H) t; l; D% D3 J3 _) z4 B9 }2 e# f( u( L, i0 r* e
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. $ [$ c: c% k4 e# c$ i* r ) v( V+ K: r2 u2 \A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.6 J7 ^1 C$ Y/ O7 \/ w
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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.! Y3 f" W# A9 `5 J7 G( Y9 e
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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. ; j/ z. c% ]4 H; b8 r 0 v6 T/ D- r& @5 M% ]"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 4 _* Q3 n. D6 G3 h1 y0 D " ?3 E# U$ f3 YI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment., {; M$ _( w) ]1 Y5 |" v8 T2 e
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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?! R5 v% |7 M; }2 s4 u% @
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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.: V/ e1 r& r0 G. L5 q( ?6 ~
. D3 d+ d$ Q- x5 }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., o1 m. k9 s, Y' |% }
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them." Q( w3 V$ i& Y7 ^+ v3 c& ~
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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. " R L" `. V4 I# Y1 t0 L3 m7 D" |* W: o$ |, H
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.% O/ F& w. i o2 e0 F
0 _3 W! h' ]* k3 FI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 2 F- F- `6 Z; t! I ) ]. |* w9 q1 p. y5 K: a9 {, I1 d5 G# f
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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