9 h$ t. V, i' B0 a! v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。 6 f0 a. n$ N! J* m/ R1 p: e, ~3 h6 k. K d3 ~) P
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。1 n/ V5 W: m, y3 D
( A: ~( u+ c3 d# Q- u一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。& }/ o4 L, b1 y- m2 f: D7 y% v, T- ^
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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。( o: H: U! v5 H$ a+ } ~7 Y. \
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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。# G* G# x# v7 ]1 u, N7 z. l
) _* i% B: T2 Q- L, N" _' e$ K: ~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……." s" P4 J/ q( O. e/ l
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$ v; z2 }( o' Z! F8 ~) ]! iCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 4 _" o: y3 W/ i" W& Z7 ], s
$ s- B* o* U% I6 a& i0 mCalifornia'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.* C4 R2 e$ F* T. h) `
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.9 G( J2 r: A6 b
( R4 k1 E2 }$ A/ ZI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. & ^ f* H7 I7 k6 R/ S6 r5 h, M" R1 `/ e* J# A# c; t6 Y5 X
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect./ s0 I1 }9 m8 o& d, h0 v! m
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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.( f, Z- j# {& ~3 L9 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. ( P; S0 f ?0 o! D4 t1 ]3 f- T! P! J; k
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.4 f0 `4 O1 [$ x1 w7 ~' j9 f2 r
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.4 g/ ?0 B% e2 y- s
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Fantasy 4 F3 D8 c/ k1 b/ \( o/ y* b/ q: [1 C: m* B! m
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. x' h8 {5 V, g: r$ y7 T8 @
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.5 Q$ ?: V0 b w! ~' F# S+ W
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch., [, U% ]" x% c$ r2 B
" o8 O r3 Y" C& h/ @DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 9 z- E# t0 Y p2 Y- F : }1 B; ~9 [. {- i/ m. _! [) X: FAnd the economic downturn does not help. \! s4 c7 m B' X( H0 a" ~: }8 }# U8 C
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. $ Q: ~( L) u' x6 X0 ]2 e# Q/ a6 W F+ R# ]9 g' r0 E8 z, X
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.. w, p$ u+ ^' {7 q- \
7 T) d: ~9 P* n' y/ V3 l: e6 G& T1 PFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 3 \( c2 X0 m$ t, g# C: B8 G, x) i- S) N! v4 C4 x6 w
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.# c" {& Q! [2 k t$ Y+ J) `
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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. 1 E3 [( F$ D0 i7 Q2 m- Z& U4 Q3 e) y% J8 `& V* N( e( ]
Gonorrhoea % ^$ c# O$ V: r2 I$ g % x# U, o" n4 H" VBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.: e+ I3 z- z2 J4 K9 h! _
5 v5 h2 o2 k" n$ q0 ?A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. - D- d% `% K( q: Z8 L( m1 s) E; W% \
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. $ Q& b' A, ^3 E9 @( W5 W # F3 C! x# u4 W! V- {3 U! e! e$ Z"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" . R. W( t! r5 @; ]$ U/ E+ n / \% Z9 L" I& Z+ pHer 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.& p5 ~8 _5 U8 ~4 n* L; I% {; I4 c
3 m8 g& N+ u8 ?% X3 XEach day would be 15 hours long. 1 m; G/ Z; D2 N 2 s% w; \- ^/ V! B7 V7 ^0 J"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.8 [7 |$ _) L) \# O, H! p/ y
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"You get used to it," she smiled. G; R s4 J c- U- E* u( f+ L' J 5 g8 w5 y. Q1 ]; o, |* o8 b6 i/ P"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"( R& f {6 x0 c4 E* N+ h8 h3 m
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"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."9 I4 P* y- v. Z! J
- k; a0 n2 O4 _3 K% NThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. , N. V& E: `1 m( C) W* C) u$ K+ o6 u' m5 {6 G
Expensive lawsuits % F+ W( I0 m$ k9 \& I& d. i& ?+ \8 I- a' W2 O6 m9 I. Q. k; ~: U: j
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.% b- f _7 x% P O x0 W5 c# F$ Q/ b! g
% N6 s) W* n5 {9 c0 o a9 ~A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.3 h9 e* M) n5 D' V
8 K% K& v6 x3 |' q. v, VIt 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. $ f- R' N, V& O9 G7 e7 F7 N( ^! a: w' Q. J- P- j
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. b# h& V. J% P8 Y% l% Z6 I3 Y& o# j" T6 j' |8 ^- r0 v9 ^
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" % a6 T5 A, @% \$ H8 ~' m# P ) z) g& J/ N3 i% |I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.' T$ L8 @$ M; R
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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?" o U; r& S1 x3 o/ W& K
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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.( l p. z0 U( k: k
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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. 9 ]; K; v& h6 g 4 Y8 X0 U- p: w; Z* aA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them./ g2 f/ }) A" U) j; z
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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. . }$ y, W; A1 v. ?1 V 4 ?' M# Y2 @$ N6 BThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.7 y1 R. \( j$ c$ p" q: D
; z$ W# w; l1 J x( @5 eI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. S: m8 W$ s% { 7 D7 D- H' \! e9 a& b, |8 z 8 c/ H+ D+ t+ {6 }$ I T. P" ~0 L7 K- j' v" v0 y6 I , H! [0 J- V: ] y% f; l' l$ h1 y
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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