2 J; o+ t- A Q8 Q2 ]一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。7 |$ i0 k' ]( l9 S4 f, C
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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。" @, ?1 o. l# o% u$ }, Q8 y0 }
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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。+ C% @) a1 ~9 W
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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…….0 ~, [1 ~+ B0 T6 W
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/ k1 @8 {" C' d) MCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles * s% \, G, \4 ]/ L$ U5 s0 u
/ k% w6 h) a, Z* VCalifornia'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. 7 V% P7 q6 T8 q& {9 [8 q: C' ]; Y( H2 C( |9 M0 W! L) n( p, b3 e
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 2 |1 s. w G/ t1 w8 \- s: V6 I$ V5 _- B- r3 t& R
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. ; j/ {, I7 x5 p- S) ?4 n0 u! z$ S4 |" {% N
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.) ^, F8 r: L9 U. r
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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. , C2 d/ c6 O4 m$ w7 i F0 J 6 m% `! {+ g: w2 ^) K0 C9 C. vPerformers 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. 4 p: q" b' j( Q" q. v7 I5 O ; _1 q/ ~5 t/ O: z! `/ w OThis 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. & {' h( @# ]. B8 O: W% v& s Q, p8 ]3 j& C! C% v, n6 ~
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.$ K# q3 z3 f* n4 D, |
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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.( i6 E3 R6 f, S9 k6 w
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.9 h7 z8 a* c; @( z) [
1 \, D0 T$ s9 ?Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 3 A' Z1 }- m; c4 c; C$ z; w5 ?+ n
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.$ N# d- M% C# x! |
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And the economic downturn does not help. ?- ?& ]0 x# [
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 4 Z' c. _$ E4 `" [- ?5 t4 x: w) M
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.0 J0 A9 r9 f& C
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.% Q6 J3 n5 ^" s/ P( H% Z- P
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 2 F$ k4 H( u- j. _* U/ W! B" s( D9 q6 U# M/ V: l& _" M) @
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./ P( \* f9 n) h3 h: c% M
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Gonorrhoea* s7 f( z- ?$ i7 y+ _
7 {7 r, V: g- G; WBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. ) U& O9 @! X& W- R1 [: Z- t( |# s
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.6 Y+ w0 A5 p+ n9 H8 \( S
/ `1 S8 u6 w" p" c8 zShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure., e# n0 l. O/ @: O
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" - { T7 D8 ], a9 i) c1 z: m2 ^! L2 ^ 8 V ^/ i* }1 ^Her packed schedule today involved a couple of lines, then a four-hour sex scene. Then a costume fitting on Tuesday and she was off to have her monthly health test after that.2 q1 `, ~! W* {( y$ Z
5 D: {) Y4 z( I% N6 w; U1 O4 Z, EEach day would be 15 hours long. j$ b$ S1 ^( I* h. t
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. - B. J" ?0 f8 n) |' y6 u$ R0 f1 o# i. I+ y) D. P8 d6 s
"You get used to it," she smiled. 4 ?8 G3 d; Q. h8 |& n& I' c9 |* |( Y+ W5 U8 s, G( i( R
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"3 s7 M' z/ n0 Q; i0 l% y5 {
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"Well, just chlamydia a couple of times, gonorrhoea - nothing much. Anyway, we test each month so, when you're diagnosed, you just take your medication and you're good to go. No problem." 7 w7 M2 d$ j: l: v+ ? , e3 _/ o8 f' b8 O* P& VThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. * o7 j) M) l2 \) e0 d3 [) P0 s0 v! x) b6 [
Expensive lawsuits; ^1 h) p# e8 l# M
% M2 k ?. i" j" o9 L# w' iIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. - O3 ~& Y: F! f) c2 e' H. b: {& r8 e, l3 K
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it., y- _+ e3 `+ @1 O( v
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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./ x! c! I, O9 M# |/ B+ b( b5 `
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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.$ ^1 J h h* E+ N2 u7 A
* z8 @/ T, }. h5 a$ s"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 7 G" A2 y/ @4 Y+ `& Q5 f ' `% D0 \, U) H3 f8 W" l) wI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.8 T2 W6 C, k8 L+ \$ I
9 G$ o/ l! X1 r0 {5 I% z) G( J; gBut 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?/ q% P l( z. h6 P, n
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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. - [* y) ]! s7 k ( F3 I. E* ?3 C( d3 b3 m$ [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. " j2 I, _2 Q2 D2 \0 `. C1 f, n) E. t/ G" n. [5 W$ e. p
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. * B( U6 a! N9 D9 M , L3 r# t. Q0 h% I8 p( AThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. ; c. v3 N5 z% P6 Z - f8 G/ b( \9 N8 F6 KThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. + x2 k" {/ p' L# x* Z- s' I3 {9 w6 `! K' d- K
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.& _' Z8 I6 F1 D' g5 i# `0 E9 X
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004