/ }! c8 D+ Z0 Q. ~3 s1 K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。 & O$ L3 K, z4 \8 o7 x$ Q 2 U I/ w8 g( m- u w ?2 T9 Z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……. * M6 v% s6 j- f. _' J+ i1 ]7 m, [& F! O& H- U# o# k: J* |
% h# b J4 Y+ \9 a3 I- n
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 6 A1 ]: B' w6 C2 G5 e+ k# Q
! b; e5 c( V* W; R. CCalifornia'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.6 t9 ?1 y8 B! ?/ @: c
9 s* {5 ~, Q+ b8 H) |# _Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.; e( |7 X3 L" Q: S0 h9 `$ m
0 U9 j6 @8 B8 D. o0 s% }' YI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. : @1 ` x* P( P; z5 |. Y5 I5 @- [$ N- l# p! J
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect." G; s7 c, X% Z" j
7 ~, G* e* }, rThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.0 M* Z* c7 U0 H
A6 W9 V. E5 Z$ U s
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 S' B% `# {# k% W R
, |( R j& I5 q, w8 l% s
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.. g5 l4 N9 g9 h0 R$ `4 M& M
' a: h* ]( F) |- H
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.5 x. M2 g$ x1 U! n: V, u# A
. v$ Y+ x4 S) ~1 E- V( CFantasy 8 t' {2 N5 p( n7 f4 ^! a1 X : L5 v2 t/ |4 Z U7 V& ?* V- `' x) bThe 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. / P. P# ?$ C' S7 M6 M4 \9 ?' c2 j) g" A9 j8 k
The problem, increasingly, is revenue. 8 x7 l7 X, z' Q/ k : x. z" s/ l! P; E9 d5 f. ELike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.* {$ p# V$ R* ?7 ?* |
- G6 ?9 c8 ?5 p% uDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 2 L6 a$ a( u+ Q' n , B# q# N, ^5 t& `3 r% EAnd the economic downturn does not help.9 G1 ?" _3 |" i& e. }' e
$ W; n- h$ a, B( P( @/ C# ~: D"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. @- C/ I" ~# d H
6 L: v7 D1 a% L" ?" IThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.% H4 r$ ?) w% Y
! a6 F' F" C9 G& G+ A% p
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. ) A+ ?$ w8 V5 q/ M5 Q$ t7 T, p 6 o7 f, [5 N+ k; C) D6 lHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. " y" j) l' O: s % @4 ~6 C/ S5 FBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. , R( `" e5 X# Z( u . ]' q$ {1 B# \8 n) D9 f; rGonorrhoea8 k8 C2 c/ L4 f; G6 N5 Z+ [
w" l7 s+ i m) |
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 1 a" F+ c* a2 i, ^( H. L: S6 B! h8 T5 R2 |' d- r
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.$ P$ s3 d9 t8 n7 t. p7 m
, l3 T+ @6 }$ ^# b
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 4 e; Z& G- g5 U& y [* ` 6 ^! f' ~% N0 R4 o; l `"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"7 u9 ^6 t0 u5 F5 }
. O1 V/ @1 O, f& RHer 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.4 r4 P4 K: E7 W+ P4 e9 @# K5 z3 i# O$ _
0 O$ Q' @" G7 }8 f: T+ {" M2 ?9 J
Each day would be 15 hours long. ! f; Q O1 d1 \9 a2 l( q: {9 ?7 d7 W, E. g3 ]
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. , m1 \8 K5 {# n1 Z' S / J5 m! `+ l0 _6 j( e2 R"You get used to it," she smiled." k0 p7 P% b: H* M" G
6 f; {2 t. B0 ]8 m* c9 n* \"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" , {+ \: D: `1 e8 b, C' }+ Y. z8 f& n9 |( t
"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." 2 C& k/ ]5 i6 q3 g" j 3 [3 R9 G; O% ~; E- xThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 5 t$ G/ }0 n) i5 g 8 V% [: g$ g8 M x; SExpensive lawsuits1 O- }# n% W7 z4 c
% \% b* O3 \ {) b" vIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.5 H/ J9 n- v4 q8 s. L; T
7 V% [& O1 R2 E, I
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.1 K% l& L& i$ ?0 V/ Y, w0 x: ^3 n: y
0 B" x6 ` G% w" G8 R7 H) {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.- a& Q( A( Y2 y3 \
# h" j5 Q& {/ SNow, 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. # D6 h5 D9 H. I# X$ S ( y y Z. F2 [- T"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"" B7 I3 k+ b6 p$ c: S9 N! ]+ }
" e* G% S0 B, }7 o' ?, ]I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. ! o Z9 j ~/ h; y- P" w! ^ * P; }% E2 w I- S5 R5 WBut 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?; K0 c$ ]3 T2 ^) r
5 k" X& K! `3 XThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.- z/ @ T5 |- e
[9 _ M: {2 X# i/ u1 U
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+ Y( H# k8 i6 k3 ~4 m. f; K9 ?. a$ k6 d5 m" s. ~
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. ?' K4 a/ k* N0 l" p0 C
' e( U) T5 F: C# dThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.. N0 T9 |& Z4 u
* Z9 }$ {+ N( E$ j& Q; _That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. 3 O& W: ]; J# w7 [8 A) n% t# ?6 K- E5 D x0 B1 \" u( b7 A
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. / V/ O3 ]' Q- ~. h4 t " d8 H5 J' d/ R+ g2 s7 |, S * E5 Z; z/ w7 o0 |8 V2 Y S5 u! |) P0 r ~4 V 9 _7 e# R9 W9 h# mCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
