* u( t1 I" V4 _5 s( R' I1 g) H& U2 |6 |$ t2 l
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles # c) d8 V: h. i& j* Q) V1 N: J7 Z
! _) t) D4 M: k
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. . k- W$ b# b7 f8 o' \6 u. ^, H9 D J* |; C$ }8 R( b
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.% ]" R. Z! K. ?
- L- b4 v8 |- Z4 }- } o6 EI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. . H" {& L% }# K . p, w3 A9 \! {1 s% l' bWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. " k% d8 d, ?& m2 p2 D$ p* G/ b( E4 j9 h% C
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. 5 B2 P) ~9 Q- D0 i' D % u5 G, X% f: d+ b, T9 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. ; J0 m! Z* M) E) o * o4 C; s. d/ h8 ?1 lThis 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.: X$ z9 w8 Z0 j; p8 a
* l( q$ k9 l. t6 w3 DOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. 2 k& r& s& B# Z2 U" N& Z5 z * L! O; t+ s+ x3 ~Fantasy' o- {' R" M2 y ]) C# q, ^6 p
- j6 r+ }! U7 `0 w! J
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.' I9 U, t6 j0 Q# \9 N
8 H2 s8 y3 A1 H9 f
The problem, increasingly, is revenue. 7 Y4 R( n2 l9 C( ~$ ^8 g" {1 L- t+ S+ _% j
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.0 c3 _6 J3 z& `; b# N* \
6 L- U3 S9 A% |0 P1 _1 H$ TDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.) p1 x: E* T2 B1 f, t* T
( f. z& D/ z" A" o/ rAnd the economic downturn does not help. ! I3 w4 M6 X X6 i y [5 X8 M! K3 {* t* z: t: t8 C) J, V; L
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 6 ^8 B* [( z& G7 g/ \* } : o& l4 e' |* J+ i( \8 Z8 `The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. 3 Q) G4 z6 i1 q7 N! F! Z* n ! _' S8 w! R' ^# j7 F( JFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. ) h9 i1 @ s0 |6 Q9 E \3 S3 L. i8 K) R/ B$ H8 U3 y
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. + Y8 ~. u, a# X# } ! B" K. @4 j& Q1 qBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. , q0 ~1 l$ G' g" u0 n 4 M" i2 Z% o4 E4 r+ q) R A$ HGonorrhoea# }8 U; A; E' k
/ r& m, v7 S( S+ |1 {# u0 `4 fBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 7 I$ F1 [$ ~& j8 N7 \3 R( G! `1 G1 u1 ^4 _& b# D
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 8 |4 x( u' Y7 }. _# |0 s# j: {0 [0 d! M/ N$ y6 l
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.) P9 o; l% a8 X" x( V7 @; r
' i( N( b! i5 z1 y, q% _"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" ' A) u/ W3 Z6 v' c0 Y2 _$ \! r! @: R1 O
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.1 g- b& C6 j5 X, e' {7 s2 B
* [: }- U. A& ^! l+ Z
Each day would be 15 hours long. & T& k s$ _' i# {$ } % {( y" i& }) l- w7 Z: t1 j2 H"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested./ K6 Z/ N- v% w0 {2 Q H# ?5 h
' W3 K# f: i: a: A# F
"You get used to it," she smiled./ X' o$ @% e. ]8 T+ j
: Q) c! ~% u2 g& r3 J
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"/ i9 q5 Z* ]5 e
$ A' `! f' ?( [; O( a6 m. y
"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.". b! h+ q$ F% e" M
0 ]& A k v4 F* j
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.' W4 K7 ?1 S/ i) ?. i% T
9 ]+ j( |: t! \4 qExpensive lawsuits 5 M5 x, t; M" l9 Y x% O' e$ o# u4 Y! _7 U& ~In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. # Q( h" W& [6 V& z- e1 d4 M4 y ' e1 i3 a5 E1 _" e" TA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it./ \0 M0 |, V! w* e, s9 U
4 H- ]( L; d+ W7 D0 T1 Z
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.4 \ U9 B+ l- D+ d3 o
, q( u& ]2 d. T. m8 q& [
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.$ y! D: O; V, b0 }( H6 P$ x
+ O/ B% P0 n; u' u- S1 Z, b& N0 U
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"' g7 N9 c, M: M, @- q
& ]* s+ z0 V( N/ H# MI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.- u% H9 e8 }2 N
2 _7 G% _5 E c1 m
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? * b7 @3 l7 @1 A; ]7 P* r 3 G2 I; o4 S5 j, X$ M& gThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. " h3 m; a$ S! I/ n3 ?) N1 e; M $ h7 g) l0 B+ w( l5 L ~1 {* Z6 qIt 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. / R1 v9 O4 T6 u! F b+ {0 w7 J+ W$ x2 K$ b- D" d8 q
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. ( c7 ?3 T" ~/ Y& U3 }0 `1 V6 X6 A4 f2 Y3 _" L
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. - u6 M2 c- m; A1 g H9 Z 0 B* S# \* q+ d5 m& ?; F( zThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.& J- b! C3 d2 Z f0 ?8 z! b' `
, E' p# F% q2 I8 f, {
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 9 q5 Z/ T4 W2 F- W5 V- w; ~0 H# l" O4 m$ L2 u; G6 B : u+ e5 A- `" B" t9 D- R
5 Y+ Y& s$ J& h1 a : h* U. z- h' P$ x# c( b, GCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
# X Y% H7 C) R
: u+ e5 A- `" B" t9 D- R