' s6 Y0 T, B) n, g. b# i- z! h1 {3 m* W一名制片人告诉我，“如果你把我的演员都装在橡胶里面，作为艺术家，我还能怎样表述自我呢”？ 6 O, ]! V& a, B; h5 s* @8 ^+ |0 t# B
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。 6 ~( U* `1 m! ?- x6 g$ \+ a* F+ N, G& Q# N! V
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？ 9 W" E U* T1 r$ |+ ^. h 0 C0 }2 j$ e( F1 Q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。 , l, g5 s$ _. l6 @( z/ l+ w9 y 1 B, q+ Z$ v1 a' d) w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。 . y4 r! ?5 b2 \# b/ y4 ]1 A# Z$ \0 W
一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。 7 s+ D' W& j4 E- | : `0 C( b; X/ W" T3 B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。 7 C6 \. q0 X$ m! Y6 |0 ? 1 T4 H" V& l6 H1 m* w: o5 Q' q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。 ; d2 w& z$ a+ X8 d* D / c; [8 j% W& h" {# S) f5 A) ^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…….$ h$ K: h. K8 g: u8 _! {) U
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ; e7 T" P1 [7 l% x& z. k2 V" ` 9 L: o' L8 d6 x- {( ?% 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. ! G' Z, A6 [3 _ 5 W6 A* }4 G, b4 K1 a7 D% SLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. ) y8 C: p- j% c+ [5 Z! K% c" C- x! ?8 Q+ Z
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 2 Z! e: I1 q5 \; R4 j/ I , p- ^3 y% j% w; S; \2 {What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.! ]* s* V* ]' Z" U# R" s
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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., \' s8 q" c2 W# B8 ~- Q
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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. 0 l+ g% i! R' k * }7 r0 x. d% Y) SThis 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. ; d( z9 R3 m1 P+ |1 i( m% _) d ; G. t4 ?. L5 F3 ~, \4 a9 n/ lOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed./ b* I+ l% |* B* r
$ s& X( d \2 l- @2 hFantasy 8 ^4 }" z, m4 t+ g3 p / @* C7 f4 q1 Q l2 eThe 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. & K8 t) b( _0 _* D9 W- ^+ y; D' f* |
The problem, increasingly, is revenue. " Q, y! o* K8 T7 Z1 U/ D. }4 |* P. l& D" j8 M% r
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch." P3 |3 j# w; B8 B) d0 k/ D
* v) {6 M( \# s/ Q' P6 n- ?DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. & }; D8 G- _9 c* E2 N' ]/ u* u+ m* S% m" |% _( {% F+ G
And the economic downturn does not help. / [; h- v, x: R5 u0 i0 N 3 Y# ]& e! B1 J"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.3 T0 U7 U9 B2 H2 Z
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. ( V9 G. f4 D& ^! U 2 N" \+ M9 r# u! V2 c2 bFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms." o, B# m U/ g; C- M5 p
) c) a' [: f1 M8 PHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. E( C7 o9 M% \5 i( H6 A
, B3 [5 ?+ m% ^3 T' g8 OBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.' `! V/ g8 O6 c- X
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers., k" S8 x# J5 r2 Q' e
. B$ R& T$ n2 c/ bA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. $ r; ?1 I& b/ ?# o1 j* I1 l& _ V. K8 S( \) x- I {" n
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. , Y+ g: j, m3 V0 C( m 0 Z$ a: w( s6 i5 d! K! O! D! I"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"0 q' I4 U8 N, {
1 f& k- G$ z9 ZHer 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.# ~6 c1 P; _) V1 H* K2 {% _
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Each day would be 15 hours long. " L% m: J' M: I" z4 T2 Q4 F/ D& b0 K0 ~( }4 [# ^
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. " I, q# }/ R3 j, W4 p6 y+ K5 K9 z) [7 t
"You get used to it," she smiled.& R- m" b0 y: z6 ^
. f" k7 L2 b! H0 ^8 G"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"' x' ~' B0 U6 w; O
) G( o% |# P6 H% R4 {"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 t( g: O) w: f# Y/ Q$ b
" j" \0 i& W& [ w5 XThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.' l$ {& [- ^2 f9 `. ]
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Expensive lawsuits # y' D; c9 ^7 K' l& G& H+ W# {" S : Q U9 e( S; @, T2 h. ?7 T2 G: p2 U" CIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business." {8 N) S% H/ D* g$ `6 E
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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. / ~/ H) @8 x. o) y - q2 @8 d- N4 @5 n7 z0 d8 y QIt 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. % r, W$ V( O* M( \2 w ]1 ?- g( z+ z/ y+ P D' L7 l
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.+ ?3 K$ s" V& M6 J
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"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" + o& k" I9 z# R8 ^4 [ " X$ L: I# I2 |I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. % `9 f t' ?3 v" @# o! V, n8 m+ i! L6 s% S% I
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? ( O2 {( n6 n! r. L$ I) s6 F* R+ E" @5 ^. }$ R& q2 Q1 k8 u# i0 M4 |7 a
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection." R* r9 K% r2 ~/ H" U4 c
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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. " @6 O$ I% H7 O- l# w3 p0 y0 O1 v3 { M
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. ) Z/ g1 w, W, t5 ^5 l3 p) s2 ] $ n, y# J: w" Y, Y6 W6 |: ?The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.6 c- q% d Q T$ @% t+ C; Y! b
+ F* j/ ?% O! [5 d9 J- l$ y# TThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. 9 W5 D1 ]/ Q5 h: ?% t! e7 F b! R: x
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 6 i7 j a7 S& n5 _: G* n e0 D9 s* V! K M+ p2 n , P+ Z8 H0 s" t0 ?
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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