7 w+ ?6 F1 q- U首先映入眼帘的一切,并没能满足我的预期值。但是说实话,我也不知道自己到底指望着能看到什么。* |: X( k5 L7 H$ U% Y8 n
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那天拍摄的是三级片《新一代星际迷航》。据说,这是描写太空探险的经典电视系列剧《星际迷航》的搞笑翻版。( n7 E& j2 R) p. u! E n* d
R, F! F' X% |# Q" N0 W z0 b+ H4 n演员们穿着紧身太空服,有些脸上还贴着外星人状的假鼻子。他们逛来逛去,满脸的无聊。一个疲惫的工作人员不停地摆弄着灯光。 4 P4 W s$ {% i2 X" w+ |7 ~' K6 q" ^+ N X! c3 ?
负责人告诉我,这天早晨,主要是要拍人物对话。颇有艺术修养的编剧兼导演山姆带着明显的遗憾解释说,影片当中其实没有多少人物对话。 & J7 E2 q6 Y. k/ O( R ) f5 L- ?* u! s$ b/ S他叹了口气,说,两个小时的电影,只有三十分钟有故事情节。 . ^, z- r- B t. X, o9 w6 t+ m& U2 T F扼杀观众的幻想 4 T; ]' |, ?& V! r: G( v' r) L. I9 f; q' D4 j* f
色情电影的特殊要求也许不会给山姆提供成为他长期渴望的、具有划时代意义的电影制片人的机会,但是至少,他还有电影可拍。 : J+ q$ ?7 V. K" H ( l6 V6 P$ q) @; R; Z; B# I越来越紧迫的一个问题是收入。和音乐界一样,色情电影工作者也在挣扎着说服观众掏钱看戏。 N1 F1 \, F$ ?& {. y: K- [9 I
+ J9 j; l/ B- N; {& H6 @DVD光盘的销售一落千丈。互联网上,可以免费收看的色情片多的是。# g; ?% t) e {2 ~+ [" n
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经济不景气,让色情电影业屋漏偏遭连夜雨。 * E4 S# |- n" f* I- p; `' g. Z) h! S L
一位很有名气的制片人明智地概括说,“萧条与盗版双管齐下,正是我们所说的完美的暴风雨”。& N# g1 G( B) y1 S& j7 [- F; z# M
0 T* S, q D2 ?; W. \" s6 q' \但是,我也很难想象,《星际迷航》的粉丝们排着长队去看皮克船长和“进取号”的船员们真刀真枪地“肉搏”。所以,我算老几呢?& Z5 ~% j0 ^' Z4 [
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但是,当局非常坚决。建筑工人必须戴头盔,矿工必须戴口罩,色情演员也必须有适当的保护。 / [1 Y, I! V7 D# J 4 E) F5 y7 i+ C# J8 k和加州的立法人对阵,色情电影业最终很有可能打败仗。除了罚款,色情电影业也面临着一些前任演员们提出的代价昂贵的法律诉讼。 " Y" n" m5 d/ J& O! h$ b$ @4 l/ r% [3 n W. r' H
一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 ! ^" U# W& O j* w+ h 5 }8 b' A; G' h. [ ]% R0 f6 C* d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。! o$ T8 H) `2 r
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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。4 C& {; Z" F0 W5 e- }9 d
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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……. ( ~6 n% k& t: q, b3 P% S3 i N2 H3 x; w
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles $ P- O/ R8 ]$ }+ c. k& `
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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.& ~9 o4 g6 O. A* Q' g8 Y+ y7 h! W1 s, E
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.0 Y5 [" ~( h8 Q5 E3 o
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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. P9 M/ }) a1 }$ Q. I2 h2 O% {' y: y/ K
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect." [# c/ l. i: n8 N
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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.% r9 y8 \( x; o/ P w" T
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Performers in body-hugging Star Trek outfits, some with prosthetic noses to resemble aliens, wandered around looking slightly bored as a weary crew worried over lighting arrangements. 9 d, W' `+ a. q2 l" \) T9 W 2 [' m9 J: k5 ~# }7 P$ M0 ^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.' e) ~- w3 V0 p2 I( x
! X1 Y& B1 Z6 f$ X* @Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.5 _1 w4 F/ O E, `
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Fantasy. u! B9 u+ [, Q0 x
% W- \" R+ b# z5 HThe 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.8 `: Q* G2 N6 E# y( n' [
, L1 A& u# l1 T. T5 PThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.5 z! J$ G% E' s: r% X) {
+ ]9 t% T$ p& G$ @Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 8 b3 y8 J9 ?) N2 ^0 b N2 T" F# X+ j& l7 M1 |
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 5 X7 X# E4 ^# W/ ?& F3 o5 a9 l- F ' w( |) r$ e: k! J9 b* [9 cAnd the economic downturn does not help.7 E! o8 ^" h! @2 `5 g- ~& ]" }
% U, D$ n; Q S' |4 I. n( I2 I. x"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 1 k' z/ j/ L& q/ }3 ^+ J/ m3 a! [1 ]- L- R( d+ j, \
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. + m7 N a' y+ P/ b1 G% _. c0 L9 ]1 t9 g! a3 x/ G
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.3 w# Z0 ^8 L$ {3 ?, |/ U! A. t
+ f5 A1 p9 i/ q# B3 iHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.& T `8 J, O4 ~, P- n
+ x$ K; P4 Q( J) n6 v+ rBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. 0 s. @1 h. u* v+ _ \7 s3 G& t+ v6 _, L7 f( s0 E9 B" f& i2 d7 S
Gonorrhoea! \- j; E8 r7 H* @
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.; ]: r0 x! M/ \/ C4 q3 h) @
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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. X$ r7 y s5 n2 L4 Z! G9 w$ C. y% V6 p( I; e
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.; [- i; H$ j( T K1 @
. b; c- E/ k2 i, X"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"* S( L2 _3 G3 H/ o" Y+ L
5 G1 B! G2 t4 j1 F: z5 |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.! ?+ w$ W4 \$ R( u% E( }
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Each day would be 15 hours long. . k( j4 R8 f7 I6 C! x. C6 x/ @. ~* l : L6 N. r+ C( |"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.# I& P- {- L8 C8 Y {. P# d l
6 `" m( N8 G& S& Y0 Q3 N"You get used to it," she smiled. # ^5 Q+ i( e9 z7 { * g* P* c- N! J- t2 Y"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" |1 c8 I8 Z# I( u T+ C0 c* Q" u) y% g! C1 T: u
"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."7 Z- {5 h9 m' |# d t |. U
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.8 S. u' }6 ]9 A: J- w: Q
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Expensive lawsuits/ h0 T1 u6 m# |* n5 }8 {
( Z* p X$ D) o+ {In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. & b! O8 Y6 O& a* Z# R8 A: x! [ * h4 G: i( f# ]/ w: T# g, v/ u2 g: fA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.- r# P9 p. M5 t* C9 q+ s9 h
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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.. g4 B# r3 g' I; w1 |0 h
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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.$ f3 r3 k5 |! a2 Q6 D+ U, |) q
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"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"/ \' |, }8 j: o* ]
; [$ t: H. \, e3 O( o" }2 @( {" nI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. * s# \- j. J5 Y, [9 o( O' ^0 H/ h: a! {" Y- {$ 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?- A! Y( [ J) M, C+ u' L
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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.2 b! Y# k9 v9 f; [" F+ 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. , L" J0 h k- s1 B0 T3 X! I ( d W' Z' T8 N+ \A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. ) _+ I# t$ i! p) R 7 ?0 e. ^% a. I2 _: ZThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.$ l$ F, N0 e& k& U# C* B6 i
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That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.! t/ r4 a- p' n- ], j
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. $ l2 D6 W6 E, k) g: E: t# _% B1 V I0 O , x' l- b' I$ B' Q1 l- O+ z4 Z) ]2 t; Z
7 c$ C" K" E; v* ~: T % l+ e; _) @3 D5 f7 s0 @3 T+ P ?Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004