1 D6 q. p S: _8 U$ @; J我很难想象,法兰克林和杰弗逊起草《第一修正案》的时候,想到过戴不戴安全套的权利。3 D( J: q6 h( Q' y1 x
8 @$ e/ E' }- d. I8 N但是,我也很难想象,《星际迷航》的粉丝们排着长队去看皮克船长和“进取号”的船员们真刀真枪地“肉搏”。所以,我算老几呢?) n8 ^4 l& `5 R7 b$ S
2 Z/ Z: }. L- [6 n但是,当局非常坚决。建筑工人必须戴头盔,矿工必须戴口罩,色情演员也必须有适当的保护。 - ~# f! I, b' }6 q0 D% L2 k0 v9 q n3 z$ ~9 v- `( L+ N1 O1 g, P
和加州的立法人对阵,色情电影业最终很有可能打败仗。除了罚款,色情电影业也面临着一些前任演员们提出的代价昂贵的法律诉讼。# Q; _( `' N m6 C# \+ T) Q" q
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一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。! x& W4 J, T$ R- }
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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。( C* I n1 a% L$ L/ n) K# \5 t
* m' ?+ u6 \# i9 b" e4 O. m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。9 S3 F( J p' B2 R
1 K% j) E+ e! k3 Z: r3 G+ m" h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……. / \$ Q R4 E1 p( e. f 7 V8 ?5 {1 R0 {3 O5 o 6 r# ~3 b- q: h3 C5 q* s7 ZCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles $ O+ R2 r, R! v) ?' U , g. _8 K# {+ K) 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. : b \2 W! O' k# B( j' z$ ]2 ^- g' v0 K
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 5 T' E f* \/ W: z8 N & {5 b; I8 B/ j0 C- yI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.; N* C$ n2 ^: A9 z) W0 p
3 h% a' U' j( x0 E+ K4 cWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. ! Z, ~& F4 {7 R5 c: X* @2 L2 \ * K7 c; z# }2 l f3 r; b+ AThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. 9 V3 |5 w3 f% U* w$ b) @. W* B3 D" q6 }3 m( 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.* _8 z( ?# N' H# Y: U
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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.& q5 a) w. O! H% ^. N7 L8 w" b3 e
% P N- ^5 E3 q. I" Y- BOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.: Y; p1 w, T8 S, [) I8 o3 y4 `
* T: Y$ y: y6 S2 B# uFantasy ) Z+ K5 A2 X& l: W % S' O1 ~) V$ e; S& M7 tThe 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/ k" @- a4 V/ _6 o: Q0 Q8 \0 z
, [) m+ n# T+ w8 a3 V4 qThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.& l) U6 i* ~3 D, |$ W
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. $ z$ @) Y2 ]" A' V 2 ~1 l" k& S% }/ z$ NDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. N! o/ u9 _5 g" L* Q }: k3 \/ N) Z2 w+ _) T1 ?; E8 f& k, [
And the economic downturn does not help. r" Y; l5 ]7 Z. }/ F' N
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. % }) H6 A( ~# X+ U5 N3 j7 S" a 9 M/ v0 P8 E' S" w9 [+ w- EThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. 8 e' ]% j6 i1 t# j/ ?+ }9 M0 Z e7 I0 }! Z( Y2 _. g: \6 `
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. ) g" n8 F# I9 l; d: @" z- a+ H& X2 b6 L( J
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. / O* X o' A7 i+ t6 L7 m) P' u% G* [0 C
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. ( T# s, X1 g, C' P Z : t: T' N" c8 D: t1 w$ y0 u! h: pGonorrhoea/ l+ E5 i7 N6 j/ T1 ~6 z
! n! y: G3 c" U$ t' FBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. * D0 A% ?6 {. S ! r( e* K9 U* y5 A1 Z' y1 {A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. . Y9 g/ k8 n T: O 0 Y( z/ `3 {6 l3 B/ CShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 6 X/ E1 \' b# Y) N0 G! S4 G% Y L( ~, V3 G% j$ w% L" H( ^
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 0 o% B% @9 L8 m# J/ h, i! h) N" ]# @; F' v Z! K2 x/ d
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.- b4 L% c3 |% ?7 F- q9 l$ {
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Each day would be 15 hours long.- i M0 S/ |2 b
2 d; \8 j" k- Z5 o) }"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. - ^4 \* U r5 [! c( h ! X3 g3 x) K3 w G"You get used to it," she smiled.9 G! ]4 T5 _, D* [5 Y/ ^( C4 n. w
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" + c) l, G' L7 x. ` M0 A( J / r/ v% ?8 g7 D' [9 c 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." ) I, m- J7 M- p0 I+ b* ?' s* F$ Q: W! }
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.. J1 r' R+ R2 w: \
# F+ @+ d+ ~. | lExpensive lawsuits e: T0 Z' x' q0 J8 `0 z$ z 9 ?5 e" {! W. N1 i) x1 ^In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 7 i& }8 x# q) i+ E% N! d( l, X 8 \! X' F- {* a& L* P3 {' bA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. / E% R, A# a: i 2 t3 a; n# i& A/ A7 u* l& ~7 h" l, fIt 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. / m% h6 N8 M- X: P- |6 `( q' a9 Y) k7 b8 H% C) G5 j
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. * F- B" s9 k' P5 F6 M5 t. ~ - v% M. P9 ?4 a# Z7 B"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" # ]8 ?4 H& E: R1 a+ _, B8 [; n; v1 j8 \
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. ! F E% L7 Z8 p- }/ Z4 @( _5 \& ^ G& f, p/ ~" V( k
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? + {3 l. X4 H) z7 \0 U0 ~# J9 m0 n% h c. `4 O* `
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. $ D- a' _( _8 c e# {6 }- [7 f1 E/ l0 d2 z" 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. 1 d R/ d2 j! w4 h( G7 _! H 6 a$ P# i' b! j7 A% zA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.7 Q& g& x' N1 a& m( C+ {
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The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. & ^8 H% j& S- J ! L$ @- ^ ]# q1 |6 VThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. + Y/ q5 F: F6 Q2 Z" S1 Q2 y/ C0 o9 T& L% d' i% D8 w+ D3 c
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.0 e7 l9 U& `' d: F) d" k