2 [; k& ~9 r* ]- ]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. + J% {9 D" D) F& Z3 \7 k ' ?1 D- g3 y vLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. + u! f3 l0 H8 R% t1 Z; j2 q7 S6 w1 \7 [$ b6 M* P4 U
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. + G/ z9 {1 ~) [ B5 u+ y: W4 L1 b% U+ W( x" B1 ]! k/ v
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. : w6 i; m7 G9 z7 ^, k* ] - r, x2 J* N# @- Q) ?+ BThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. ; E9 t" s. Q4 B5 `# ]5 _( h) 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., Z1 V" @6 o1 S# O. q
- V0 x3 N3 x1 ~: m7 p' e1 \5 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.: J) S! E5 J' P4 `
: _ F" I4 W, Q6 {; C6 o2 ?- _
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. ) }0 R+ P! A( E2 F: `0 H+ V - {! V6 B9 `* `: Q' IFantasy9 l6 q- R0 h+ ~! Y
9 R) v6 s% y! T2 z7 mThe 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. 0 @! L; V2 a ~0 d& ^, M* v& J. i, l& G5 a7 S" N
The problem, increasingly, is revenue. % `% E& s7 h1 [7 X n4 t 4 ]& S9 L. T& j( K! r- DLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 6 g8 g1 l' G' ?- t4 i, E' }; _7 O/ C- b6 O. W
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. , x5 ^/ S* Q& ?2 B3 k6 L& j+ T9 |7 s$ z7 m% D
And the economic downturn does not help.1 R5 w+ e2 v9 f, i2 P4 T/ z
; m% ^, Y% r+ T) V, x"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.3 S. S$ E3 y. I' e6 X9 h
+ x5 H' s; z6 r8 j8 H: a
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.$ U; o0 a6 \& ~# [% v
6 u7 C7 z2 z+ O7 d; O; u4 J$ KFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.6 A4 V) }0 Z* s* |0 ?1 V
" m! Q: i1 }- e$ P5 c4 ~! wHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 0 q/ t& d! }5 a+ i+ V r - N9 [4 v* K" @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. & G* n6 F" ]& ?5 S/ Z% d9 ~. ?0 E4 V s$ u" f _
Gonorrhoea & P" W- J2 o {! Z2 q7 U5 K 7 q! z9 E3 R8 F2 U! k3 m( ]Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. ! p) p& [8 O" `% I, y% r$ [3 C8 j1 `2 E, _! u, O
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.8 g4 m/ B) g$ }- i2 n5 x5 H* D
5 p+ I# ^* W2 K8 j4 G# R7 M) b2 k
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.+ g% Q9 y# X1 u' {
8 I& v7 l* o: ^$ V0 I+ o"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" " L! V- V( S7 Z( b4 Z& M( ^ - ^& K+ [+ o4 o3 ^8 w1 iHer 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.3 [( p) Y: A7 U7 } ?
1 g& Z0 I5 P, o/ E
Each day would be 15 hours long. . j3 F3 l3 ]1 o9 w/ q/ Q+ @% E; C; q' e+ u: E$ y
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.- c; R! T" J1 R& ~! ~6 {4 m0 X
& g+ o4 |# _' T. `! `"You get used to it," she smiled. $ C9 g+ ~8 K; ^$ [- v4 K5 n5 `4 O [% T4 g5 s$ C& L; b
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 2 B& C+ B* `# u- \2 N7 r; N8 \0 \" k# M4 T
"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."2 `/ I) ?8 Z& O9 X: M6 v
3 U j' }1 S, @2 d
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. , {4 ]- e$ t0 I) g; K1 u/ Q* V. x9 h# @0 q' N
Expensive lawsuits# P3 o P3 V1 O& {' V1 Z$ n, ~
P( I5 x' p" N9 U# H- N3 ^ O
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 7 v/ z/ `% B- C/ F ; |6 b: L$ ?7 \A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. * j' b+ G6 O" H4 P, X1 t! V7 }# [( g5 F
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. & ]6 ?) W- w& V% V5 f9 P9 i$ }( p- i1 B
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. + e! c6 Y; }% U0 _3 F6 u : `# r B( e4 l"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" , N9 F7 R* M& Y8 p) W ) V3 K8 k. k! \' `$ W8 q: QI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.% h( }) H) \+ ^* d
4 b. m6 S: |0 A0 SBut 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?4 \& f' \. P: m$ y( s$ S5 |
3 s( ^: N: T. q& ^4 L! Z ]
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.; a& O, n7 b: K3 @3 Z- D" b
- z7 ?' x1 N# S5 R8 IIt 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.. }* }8 r( a4 \& ~5 X
% n( s* _/ l0 x+ R
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. # \6 a: H, v- }) c 1 ?: m ?. x/ x, n/ z- g& R9 HThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 7 V% l% U, d6 F" i# ?# f7 e4 g% C& X : z8 x! e2 T" L8 l* q$ V! [$ FThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. , F7 z7 M1 D* A8 {* F g : k, i' [9 l0 R. P0 C" vI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.+ H. W7 v0 ^1 c1 M# V N
: l+ v+ }' V; A) W0 b M8 a: h1 E, Y& l) Y
( ^ G% K6 k- X8 E + g& l6 g) F( }+ G' K
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
4 f0 s. t/ ?; [9 V) V4 e
: h1 E, Y& l) Y
+ g& l6 g) F( }+ G' K