- `) k# g* V8 D# O3 z4 I3 @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。 * \( T, r* {7 ~; Z. U8 b: F. j9 V- R7 G* Y
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……. {; F+ @. R' S" u" j5 C7 b+ R0 o% H
, I) |3 g- H1 w: w2 [) f
& U' d' m' z1 j' l' k- ~" V
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles - ]; V7 @9 ^) G6 n
- j; R- i0 U7 K2 fCalifornia'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.- z- K/ I% Y- j
+ ], e. u( m, [
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. n; {. U4 Q( a. U* {% ]. L1 J3 o$ g
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things./ R& v4 T; J' V2 F5 A+ ?3 v- e
) S) w8 w0 W" u( O/ {7 O# `- G" zWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.! |1 i1 ^/ \5 e/ F& ?* ^8 ^$ f9 ~
8 G- _. h n o
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.# {- x- X" l$ Q+ D$ I
( ?% Y& ^ I5 z4 I5 a: ^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. 8 y+ L: f w- { `' p; a. d5 f) @! q8 o# M: X/ U
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 B8 D! _' L1 p ; n+ ^) [0 t9 |7 F# j* IOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.! X) b" Z; Q! n( n: ]) H
9 v4 t& L8 t* M7 a, J- j' z9 s
Fantasy$ N6 i. |, `0 c5 q' _
- z: N, ]+ R1 T6 pThe 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! s. k2 ?% e; b" A" l
: y0 u4 z4 F" [' f2 OThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. + l5 u) d3 l% S$ g; P& d; p & H# Q( R( S! @5 jLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 2 V# q ~& f; ?, J- G% _ 3 g3 @1 R* G }! @1 tDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.: u! U3 S7 O4 ]4 \& @
. y s/ ~1 J4 x
And the economic downturn does not help.! V6 x$ I0 Y8 y8 z- b. m o% o; Y
$ s( V* |2 q3 N- e h# O
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.! A; h9 L, S4 o
; [- w% w8 `( Z" g+ v
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. 3 \) U0 M% h6 z6 I - p2 Y% G3 Y; F ~$ T; lFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. . A1 U0 @3 n$ J6 {; w9 I0 f . a; G5 _( V% Y" ?) q) hHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.* I1 o; ~1 \2 h4 N, k
& E; d- z) G( ~$ L% f/ Y2 v- r2 a
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.! U9 v) w Z, x
& o2 {8 ]' L# ^
Gonorrhoea 5 W: ^% J+ ]' _ # s/ C! [' F$ A6 UBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.& |3 d" j5 t" M4 `) G V
) b3 S: d4 o0 X5 @: E7 U$ b, NA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. c3 t) a! }1 R* X, ]+ G9 y" w3 P9 {
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure., }9 i% A; k: o! n, P
' x" c1 C) N0 {3 x# [$ y4 [
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" g; L0 I( g# O4 x& x; m' K
. f# _! @* ?# l1 I8 z8 C% m( W
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. * k1 P+ G. F8 V: k) C; K6 e ( Z5 l; t4 _* Y% q2 [) S( qEach day would be 15 hours long. 4 q( r5 B/ J% o) A7 z/ ]9 V 3 h' z; W2 Z# p$ T$ N"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.# }& Z/ } {; P7 S# t/ ]# u8 |
0 {: n6 v' q% y/ T8 t; }& t"You get used to it," she smiled. 7 q* k3 w0 D, o' H0 g, G6 k/ w& M K8 v N7 h
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?". x+ A$ W( Z5 B5 ]/ x- j
- r9 z9 B0 E7 }0 V; e8 b( 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."4 ]2 N! M4 P U" n8 R& S+ d
5 }$ \1 a* q& \, c1 FThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.7 v$ z& M4 b( L, r3 b
/ J: w! |. t% }3 {7 o/ Y/ q+ OExpensive lawsuits % j7 N. v" |/ z + I4 }3 W% z `- H4 t8 gIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.( ]+ Z' P2 X9 p) S; i
- F( B# n+ U6 q6 I8 \% J# t3 u$ dA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.# ~. w: o; H! z8 S/ t" H5 {, J! @
r9 W/ E Y+ O2 DIt 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. ?, b+ u5 [0 l& D! o" c ^: \
5 @3 { d2 V3 \6 N
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.( D9 ]( s7 b" V# ?: P2 o
8 g* }5 r' U; O- P: q0 @"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" # j" c, S7 m4 @" x' K8 T7 b2 c' ^9 y2 ^% u9 S
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment." r: C# ], \ Z$ R
# U" g. ^ g+ D$ y: q. s5 X4 iBut 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? 3 F" C T: I$ m* U, ] [3 D9 `& B" O. F1 K
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.0 F9 A0 N4 e2 N" \& V! u5 E
8 V# A( b4 o. E) G% V- C" F. p
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. + F+ I7 t, T: A5 r P + ^9 l6 F% P: q6 D! q6 z9 EA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.+ N) `8 m' V$ ]3 i/ n4 f- f
% x; a; b- k9 g n/ F# x' rThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.4 `8 c: I1 g4 B6 O
, X @: M& w+ ]- N- OThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. , o" ], O" R' V * G) F5 p( b5 S# @( d7 A' U) M1 YI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. , b7 {8 x$ o/ E7 |7 ^ # ]7 |' B4 ?/ G' k$ p& Q+ A$ g6 Q9 ] : j. }7 H2 ?( E' j8 i# y* a" f! v" Z 7 f4 x( H8 H4 V' X( H' l+ b' D0 ^4 ? r! T/ h
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
' X( H' l+ b' D0 ^4 ? r! T/ h