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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 6 _. X+ c, Z% E3 J* D , y; }& x2 r4 j: L0 @0 ~" KCalifornia'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. " g- n3 E& D0 A9 ?5 W2 Y4 r 6 [$ ]% \! |) e; B# t, oLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. # J% I( j/ W) \+ V" J4 \. ^% E0 ^. z# R! x
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 0 Q0 C! h9 N7 b4 L- C$ l! T3 E' x $ y* G/ w+ O# S% t& wWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. p# `$ K( _5 |$ z# l
5 G/ s2 g- x$ |3 @The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. & T: d! ?4 m* _& C0 A L/ p, E+ p5 O! p$ w: w! UPerformers 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 N S( ]+ K K& a7 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. / m5 G ~ f( u9 O/ B6 @# U4 D$ W ]; `) f# }( n- c
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.( C# `* \5 ~/ ~( W
8 k% E7 ?! j; cFantasy 5 [6 e. M% Y+ [4 y8 l! w T ) e8 A. J+ w1 W. W, EThe 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. , D1 U# h6 [% r6 z/ B* O. E1 W; e1 a! o9 I& H& ^3 d
The problem, increasingly, is revenue. 0 |+ _) e: F1 ]. q& N0 R9 n( p3 ^$ D; |5 T- v- }
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch., J1 x0 U j9 O" @$ ^ L, ?
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.# b, }8 ]4 b4 P; j; t
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And the economic downturn does not help.7 U5 P x; W8 O$ l& i* L/ D+ a- ^1 z% L
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ' |3 S( Y/ m) A8 y5 D$ [. k: z+ m4 L' d( r8 r* {
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. 9 p( g* q6 Q' `2 V9 M ; q, u; J( U% t1 ]. ?For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. , x' k+ _2 e. I3 B7 B6 i. E" p; h6 K! T5 Q
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. . \" e V5 }5 G; N% b9 }, J2 b4 X1 [2 W1 g' ~
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. ( `' J! M2 f7 g; M5 K* ^0 A$ [; }: h6 d* ^
Gonorrhoea ! H; D! n( j$ d6 D) a9 R+ G& _4 D( U( }9 U: A
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 8 B* u. q' n$ ^ / t' e4 p6 \, _2 N/ GA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. $ @) \% p1 f5 b! z) T! B! s' s; s9 M; R
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure." @; [: R6 h+ ~
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"- y e! { E8 I9 O6 e- f' Y
8 v( j7 C2 q7 w iHer 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. 5 F8 V( [4 _) {2 z# t6 H* l6 H$ O8 x$ \
Each day would be 15 hours long. 3 y" A& Z( S7 h+ y0 j! B0 ?$ K t. ~9 U7 b$ u
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. |( m. T* r% J' m# \: o( ]% O
9 N: f6 ^, B/ n3 P3 Y5 @"You get used to it," she smiled.+ h' R: G# \& s0 X/ b9 K5 t; C2 B- ]. T
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" g( g! d S$ Y, J ; i* `; G* c0 U0 a; v6 a% T6 q! 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."( Y5 x/ {% \0 A) N
6 B3 O6 c' Q* vThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.4 [# H* B( ?+ r
" F9 D3 G9 ~ I: [4 I: L1 Q. V7 `Expensive lawsuits 3 a# i# f$ L1 h; [9 n* } . ]. S, d7 A Y! Y, GIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. ; F; R, S# b+ f; K% M4 Y9 I: ? ( U/ T1 g: q. |/ d" q8 C$ p! KA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. V. R0 p& h2 [3 i
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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. 5 _' l1 n V$ v% c, H 1 H. Z1 E+ Z6 l/ Y8 fNow, 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., D% f+ F7 K/ A
/ ~. V) @( }) e2 b"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"- E* A/ i) I& P
6 i. Y: D- ~5 } KI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.. V( |3 j4 r" w: u$ a. S
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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? " m O/ N; g9 _. L. Y2 ^ ) }$ @) R1 | YThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.! f- J, ~ c' s! M; Q0 D/ q
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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. % U0 A$ J3 e- q- f; ~- K2 x c+ a # d& k3 L2 C- l5 ?/ @0 ]# F- hA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 6 E: `$ N& `( }& B: r5 W* ~" a( U 6 W( c6 d; u* l0 O/ x0 ^- EThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. I* @4 X1 S! ?. e+ L+ H* v% k8 e+ t" t0 ^2 c
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.1 F0 ?0 f9 q0 |3 ~1 K
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.0 C, D! @ P' _" T
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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