1 B; F' h! c" \3 b* CCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ; f4 ~; b U3 Q( D
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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. 6 D* ~8 L" N) A4 }% I2 \ 6 j( O/ F- Y; w, B9 B( r4 cLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.* }. B$ w; m) G( H
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I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 3 k9 [1 L/ W7 h J T* y [. m . A0 K, ^& K% |( GWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.& F. M* U% D$ n/ q6 U l% g# ?& X7 O
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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.4 I$ q; D, U4 H! Q& |
7 t& w8 {* \ }& n; [) ]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. 1 ]) G. e E* `" D( D( T$ b. s8 E2 B4 E. m5 e
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.* K0 p/ X5 c d" u+ C' w! l
8 C9 N( V- G6 Q1 N& S, P: m' qOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. 2 b5 q) z, N* x e; k # {1 p* h; s$ j2 ]3 U3 C3 o* KFantasy( k1 j4 q8 d: Z
; w) M7 M2 ?' S: 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.8 y' ^# r7 R' [* N+ d* z% n
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.7 w3 T) e7 d6 j
8 \8 L% |% T7 a: ]% R3 TLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 6 a$ P" |0 _. M8 Q: ]# t" S " U' h" {0 Y% F4 L5 q6 {1 g3 d$ lDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. : o" V# ]. e) |+ d9 Q 7 S( l) |! D/ OAnd the economic downturn does not help.4 h3 z+ R/ m7 P5 U
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ]6 ]6 _: h% j
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.& H5 T4 W( T& h. F
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. ( m6 o1 l2 V* |4 o, n5 T , S2 O3 l; d8 T+ T$ I! q! wHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. " ^' _& h, X& `7 j5 p; C6 _; P N$ _0 U5 }) a- K. D3 u/ l- z
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.8 U' ]+ |' X6 j4 p
5 y7 }6 M) T+ g8 f' XGonorrhoea 3 A2 v3 Y, l) C, C# s" J, k' G9 `5 F% p' A7 b' |4 a* f
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.3 G5 P4 d" X, Z, H
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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.6 a4 E* C% ~% u6 J/ F' R$ N0 O
- e. U* J8 C0 j& N7 u7 ?$ ^7 Q# y+ `She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. / P7 \6 J0 y% q) e+ @% @2 ?) g2 R, U9 P4 N! q+ ]$ J, k
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" * Z8 K7 n/ I6 w& Z1 T, c% s# P. g, m" P* }7 ]2 P
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. N4 e. T, X) ` e) l { ]
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Each day would be 15 hours long. 9 y1 I0 R/ {) {! L3 R7 B. t: w& R6 k [8 I8 `/ ?! M& o
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 1 P) ]; ?- ?! ^: d* e" `& j( g$ k- _ N) j
"You get used to it," she smiled.- \8 E7 U( M6 L
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"8 a- T$ l, `" t( H5 W
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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." # c4 a k/ n2 x2 C , h6 x/ b0 ]" n9 @' z! m% N# {There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.% g/ L5 ?* H _* ~! }+ g( L
& l! \7 I' m9 v1 L- @; T, w) nIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. ( d% T0 B. j3 l( t; g! x# w! }2 S. L" ?& c/ M W7 \" I% ^# {
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. & L% H: x7 V1 F" X$ N( l, J# o! X( g0 y1 D" b9 n" m+ I
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. ) d+ z5 x5 g/ {) N w. I5 c - b% h+ F. D' u; B" zNow, 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. " R' M- I# t+ s; _% i- h$ d8 x0 G0 r3 F! ^( Z$ l- ^
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" / V v; P/ ]8 e! ~ 2 v' k$ |# H) j: B' jI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.7 q7 h3 X( x; x+ O$ V$ s( X# N
( `' `5 J- Z2 ^5 Q" uBut 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?5 M2 c/ n8 W, S5 t4 q# c0 ?
$ A' X1 H2 h% [The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. : b% x! f, `+ j2 n# g) i V0 J* y( H- [
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. 3 l1 f& _* Y8 O( u7 }$ D$ c; x4 D5 |( \5 s; U
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 4 K1 o# e5 s5 @3 W$ e& b3 ]" C, M' U Y3 e. u; [7 S: m) @ K" v
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 0 ]3 ?6 }$ a" `/ _3 K 8 {2 ~0 o) `0 @5 xThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.' S8 C8 C4 C+ x4 F! A+ X4 Q) }
8 K) T d1 x& UI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.8 V# M' _% K! r7 q% e$ Q! f" I. P
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