6 B- [ y+ |3 B" v* M : Z2 Q1 x' K- e8 OCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles + D7 K6 ` |- K9 A$ t 2 r6 W- y! b- l& ]/ @8 qCalifornia'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. % E5 C% l3 S: \: F ) ?* H: B8 }; E/ V0 l6 I- vLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 1 C; J9 S" g& F8 o ; @% g7 C. k4 s* | ^# _& K7 e' \I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.% l/ q: q' y; {8 u$ l" Y9 Y% z
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What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. 7 A% V% ?& j! x$ r$ s* h4 B$ A0 [: ?! j: F' X6 |
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. s" M! o% g6 R/ p3 Q0 _
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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 [, ~; X- k' c4 H7 g. A7 _
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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./ U R' F$ t- e2 h
! {7 f# d+ K+ i/ m j3 GOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. ; H. {/ T6 D8 R6 y! L1 l+ G$ X, ~6 T+ y- \4 g l
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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.5 ]: ?5 O2 `/ ^7 `5 y: O
) y3 d: [: M) f( {9 uThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. * i( I7 Q! [* N+ d' F/ ?$ r- J, L2 ]# i$ B6 R2 ` Z
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.: r4 P3 B5 w( F
; Z7 U4 d3 n2 R7 x3 J M- W" kDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. , `; q, Q! Y/ \3 Z5 f0 e 8 Q4 C' E$ C4 ?: w& a# `And the economic downturn does not help./ e* \3 g$ H; _# G m: g
& x- z* k" R0 N* a" A- Z"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.! p2 o- D9 _4 y- Z1 k, h& C2 {
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. + H3 o/ \& Z0 T! Y" M ! L3 n* d( t' f. I+ c: Y7 Q& [- JFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 5 I; M) s3 l. L/ F+ v7 V: I/ x C7 q4 t5 ^. K9 [9 |% Y* Z
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. ( U; g* _0 k" q, `+ g8 Y) P' f4 ]) p4 a% n
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. W# G) l. F' O) S 1 ~6 @' L, ^5 ]Gonorrhoea2 O! S6 H# `) g6 c! N3 E& ]* k
1 ]# k! v8 W$ a: WBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers." R+ o2 y; Z7 M b* l
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A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. , q, q+ @( M& t# F$ X0 b 2 a9 f6 e& q! e5 f, L4 `7 QShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 8 ?; G. G& n' Z . O; p' r/ M( I$ M+ S/ y1 {8 F"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?", m1 G+ I% k: A' C8 c
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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.8 Z* @/ v" M/ T$ S5 _
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Each day would be 15 hours long.9 Z2 o$ b$ L, y2 i6 [
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.& ~& R8 i1 O6 e9 M2 E
+ U" Y6 e) R8 X: g"You get used to it," she smiled.3 f; w# b" b0 Z5 [" b. E& w) f, L
4 H h+ {" @: t! A+ `"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"! `8 q$ J4 G: u& u7 y& ?
% J5 v) l3 o3 X# w"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."3 ?" Y; ? O4 t3 ]7 P- I' b2 Q
2 L0 l0 n, M p# X% y! @There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. $ q8 Y* F$ ^, s7 @5 f 1 e9 I$ @, W. q( ]% `+ uExpensive lawsuits& S* v& L0 a& u! p Z8 u+ D
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.4 k$ Z- Q; W I- A6 T9 x+ m
2 W$ z, @7 q* }4 j$ O5 U: ?; m* QA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. & [# U8 `2 E' G. ^( m4 j6 j 3 F! @: w3 ?, z" i9 K: OIt 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.7 V/ p* O6 r* z, H/ ~
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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. + a# J! W3 s* ]% r( O8 o0 R! x* [. d! K0 ~/ Y6 {6 K7 n
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 5 I6 T7 N" ~1 h, b( u9 X" v3 `5 P E) a3 q6 ~9 `' Z
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.+ G0 f4 z5 n( M! f9 h7 O$ @0 \
+ e& o S; A) Y: cBut 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? # G: k7 d+ V V3 \8 O3 M7 F( h ]7 @6 s
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 1 G) d6 U7 ^% b2 G8 w 3 l/ u0 w2 u9 R; {6 m' E8 F& n0 hIt 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- s. Y: k; j1 O* x" {- Y& p4 `
7 H% N( V( O+ k9 GA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.) S7 f* {2 o3 B$ t7 [
* r# N. c" b% l( W, VThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. # u e' w5 v: y6 V. h, U U 8 } `) R8 T5 Q3 x7 {That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene./ G9 k# X! b4 g8 b5 H
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.: P+ V, R, k0 f, M- B
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004