) N- z0 e' |6 m1 S- _% a一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。9 F6 ~/ z5 U9 G
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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。7 l& j( D2 ^8 n
1 ]3 j, Y* `' ^, x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。 $ H! @3 }* ]" X* S; y, {, W5 B+ A % S. s! I M. j, U& m. O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……./ [ C& H0 j" H- Z) ]
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% s8 N: Y) M) x7 u' G' zCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles , \( H4 s9 I/ W% P0 q3 I4 M6 p1 b% s1 N- V4 q0 j' x
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. + _3 ] B! W) r4 v* N0 f3 o; r4 g, R& \
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.& b# y; G5 Y5 x3 `* }
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I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. ' ~7 v/ T8 D4 `7 s8 b" d5 L; c ; \' i2 K" n' z3 T2 UWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. + i% ?9 r' V; D0 m* o; i: e+ z& M' }5 Z- L( H; g/ [
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga., s% D) N ~+ k3 R: {
7 a; H. h) R; a. ]3 t- D6 U( l+ wPerformers 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. 7 x* X4 M& I) [) [9 e) d% f; ]5 {" t
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. % H7 k. \7 J& S. y j: S# o ! b- V A# |$ P( Y" BOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.* {) F7 \- c4 _% z4 ^2 H
. A$ w; f" [) i. @ |+ hFantasy& ]: k2 J: W' m% C5 @- j
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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. ; j5 ? k: v' `6 x: m! u& Y 4 I5 _ ]- M4 LThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.0 p7 M, d; ^$ ~# b9 o c' |$ A
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.5 M$ ?6 p% C: s+ X; Q
- R; Z; {$ `, DDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.2 e: H% y6 r! z4 e' ^
h: n4 u: v/ n$ zAnd the economic downturn does not help. . P$ w5 x8 I/ f. e6 \' Y9 B: ^1 _1 ^0 X) J& e( b4 g
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. + r1 O: \" ~$ x! f/ @/ A# @5 t+ o, C0 M0 D+ h8 `+ L! ^) m+ C
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.9 `) _* c( E) D0 o |" L
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.# _ Q- G. v T2 c2 }0 S' o
2 G. F6 h& j8 v* n& c4 y3 ?) t4 OHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.) ?6 V; |, o5 J& {0 C3 q L& }
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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. & W; Y8 R0 [2 w2 _5 J/ ^% ?0 e; H
Gonorrhoea . O1 W+ o1 l i# j1 Q2 i; I! @1 ~& f( a3 E0 [0 z' h
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 6 e! P5 g1 m. a0 t& z1 P1 s# H7 h( U' p# e% P8 {' D4 m2 C7 \
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. & y# B$ d- Z) M# P9 G. I+ p / n" f- w- [7 Y, {+ e6 JShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.* a5 O) F1 G' J4 i; b: I; \$ x- j2 I- l
' E" _2 P3 E1 e: N% ^3 _! u"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?") n" G% E1 i) J3 I9 X+ \
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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 ?4 e) v; H) t3 V% k5 Y5 c" }: G2 L# v+ O. h: L3 J: R( s( _
Each day would be 15 hours long.* ]0 E& G# b$ E7 L- r; M6 V
( C3 L Z# f9 p+ a( R4 O"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested." V7 w9 ?- Q# n1 B2 r q- m+ E
0 @/ N9 \3 B3 B( h7 q) p2 Y"You get used to it," she smiled. % ]% d) S- r' s" B5 Y# V$ [5 c' ~9 b/ Q* f8 q# S
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 7 b$ [* F+ s/ P0 ~1 F; T- x1 d9 ^
"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." - R8 |/ c% p3 g3 O $ f7 w0 O, r' `* G( pThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. % L/ @; ]5 c7 s; C; Y9 E4 {! x* O. ]
Expensive lawsuits1 [! G7 e/ b9 I. N/ S, g
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.* c, t; Q. } u6 _) x+ A- q
8 W: W; q1 K6 L, y% F) y6 y8 TA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.) W& ^! P* Q! e$ g. T
* O6 M& F# v$ b9 V' h- lIt 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. 7 a0 X+ q" ]" G5 T A5 Y/ F1 U8 t/ }: T . o$ R. c6 a$ u, y5 XNow, 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. * G, U3 n' ]% H$ H- S. O( g" F6 Z% k0 M5 [1 X
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 3 P& F$ G+ K- C; b ] 4 K- E0 u+ Q( rI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.! \2 G: h9 K. H; K: p I4 ~; B7 _
. [/ K4 s4 K- B: x* y8 eBut 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 n6 x) T$ i* H1 j: Q9 a0 @1 @7 S- ]: o2 [# t( I
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. - ~7 G/ m+ h6 D. }9 H- D/ L. ? 5 N1 U" E% _ w: V6 YIt 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.6 [) b7 K+ ?1 E2 K0 F& {. v7 x
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.$ ~+ {! `/ x3 \+ X$ n
Q) l- D7 S9 Z A, oThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.- f# i9 l9 `/ J* }9 [* w
% C+ ^0 d% n( N- E$ T4 o) k) yThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.4 N8 Q1 S$ {+ B6 U: \& k
9 x. D& F, k! W% dI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.1 M5 J- K% Y# a% P
2 s* d! I+ c2 R : N; u) ?4 Y4 `, z# h7 q1 O9 W , T2 ?, w& O( d: L9 b ' `2 b' r% }6 F- Z5 E! R2 XCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
