' l0 G$ z4 n) C$ X* f' `! ^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. + x( X6 y0 r+ Z7 d* g# A& |$ i& i9 V8 P2 d& Z
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 7 A. e7 h0 f6 H$ y* G: _5 ] 7 {' U0 W S5 [' qI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 3 i, q8 A4 y5 f / X3 d8 }$ d# W* N9 i5 _What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. , b) C7 }. C, ^; {/ s( y" x$ V; @8 O7 |, a, n2 W( K
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.6 l' n3 W. N2 r
5 J. w) O+ `+ E+ l; ^ L2 g! G' g) lPerformers 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. ( N+ u! x) _3 c/ Z. H, k+ [& h& O, Z$ h) A' x
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." i5 S3 M2 P( v! ^
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.4 @/ z9 U9 M9 q0 J0 u
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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.! n+ t3 P' D$ C; D" a5 f
' {; G* i5 B4 a" k, B) z& tThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. |' k' T( g9 O$ E6 L- Z5 i$ n2 j, v
& i( M' W+ _' ]1 TLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.9 y1 O% Z$ L @
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 4 ~9 g6 j$ G1 X6 H# G1 E* _# [7 _! W/ H( D& w: ^$ k
And the economic downturn does not help.# M2 A4 G6 s$ y& a2 S+ ^
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 0 _& @5 }0 m# V& a5 ^ I- l* W3 f & [$ o, t+ Q7 x+ T" \6 R: ZThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.0 P/ B/ i% w, g1 `; m
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.& l' ?8 d8 }. ?& ~4 a& m y/ {
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 6 T4 t4 T1 q5 u3 a" o5 p9 ]: m' H" I& I* Y: ]9 o) x
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. 5 G' r: u. i f1 _ 5 S8 e' Z% z9 GGonorrhoea, M6 d, ^: n8 ?
& z( M2 c5 E& ~" W6 UBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.) u6 N1 [* f4 C, C; }$ \( i/ a
/ x! T6 k9 `2 m$ R2 cA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.9 r+ l0 K/ ?" p! u
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.) N( L% C: ~/ k* W0 d" U
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?", b+ |+ T3 K& i! X' e e4 Z; c
3 S( U4 `' `2 J$ h# mHer 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.8 \4 w; r4 v* G. u6 L
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Each day would be 15 hours long.' |4 @3 K+ g8 c; F* o& C; E
( I2 E1 A3 }+ _* w" b"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 2 i' W! B9 B6 ~9 L/ |9 k6 T - B, D' C7 d- A H1 ^$ p& j"You get used to it," she smiled. : L2 }" F8 C- `; j, k3 } ! R" e" A5 k1 R3 \9 B/ z: O"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 6 Y3 c4 q- y) Q% T I$ c - \' Z, G0 s& A1 ]) M& u"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 t; P# Y% l4 V' e/ D7 R) a" a; a& _+ n& Q
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 8 A% @7 V6 l9 B- a( i2 \! `7 \0 y1 T+ ]! y
Expensive lawsuits 2 l" K5 e! z4 i; ]1 {4 i, o7 D4 j+ l/ r2 _6 ~0 G
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. ? B# Y$ S4 X. f6 P
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A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.& v8 b' {9 G: H( k; n8 A7 u
- F5 u9 o) i* `+ }' C" XIt 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 y( L D+ v: _ h# ]
& F$ L6 \+ ?: @ g3 k( v: N* UNow, 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. # l# R# I. n: L$ i' s* v' _- h1 M3 e3 r% M* {
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"# e) n q3 W5 ]8 H+ W+ s4 h n
& s" Q. M8 t9 U# V! Z8 SI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.1 E# k) D( T' H6 f" l: ^5 E% G" v
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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?/ Y( R% S9 u" \' @
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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. 9 p! H8 \+ n! \1 F; i; e( S* R7 y* b+ v+ `, f
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 G' ^" r' u8 w: Q3 {% R) T9 z& k- j- O3 [9 q
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 5 g$ j6 a4 Z* W2 e 7 G5 D" ]8 u& GThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 8 k3 |5 a; l) m5 ^6 L, O4 M' n2 E2 y( _. h7 D& w9 e
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene./ o) Q) u( ^0 D( C! P9 z
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.- W7 ]2 [( r- A2 s
$ R7 ?& w7 E/ [' { 8 z3 k) g1 } I! _& r- r3 {) \4 G4 N. D; R/ S3 i- m2 [* ` & o4 \. v$ r& f# o5 Q) xCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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