8 v9 P: V' h! R+ sCalifornia'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. : s! Y5 g" m, s4 y- G g5 t9 z: t9 x' _
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 0 y* y4 E, o6 q# K8 q( Y {" w & `9 V3 ^6 s. F" X: D% y1 _) t, @I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things., o% i& B- c; B5 C9 A
7 M0 k8 f4 q7 N/ O" pWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.6 B2 u' Y# A3 h* f7 ~
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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. $ E. N5 C t! _- P# N3 b * t1 D0 f/ E1 S& A* e0 v0 D+ ZPerformers 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., A$ g7 G/ @: r* B/ H( G
$ A6 i0 d' e" Z) l0 ~7 u6 r) @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. & _( q# u4 K9 z# x" l, h8 i9 t- p$ f4 D
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. / M, s R/ _* D& [6 @% F( Q2 K M$ E2 d" ?1 D% Y: K
Fantasy ; \8 { L1 r4 o V E7 t # d, [8 p8 n r9 ]6 JThe 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.& o1 `# _$ K1 n
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.0 V7 {' X; s& \ ^" ^" u# W
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.9 m: d3 K9 M! ^% r5 i9 k
6 {$ @' p; l9 [. e1 iDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.2 ~8 b$ M* T6 `: u1 T8 s! U) I. E
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And the economic downturn does not help. : w; C4 c3 _" ]$ N+ L# |" ? I0 M3 V4 M, x2 z( M
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 1 d' g, g5 T' j& \4 r1 v4 ^ + U8 y; l: P9 NThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.; B. t T) e, t" J
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. ' ?8 S8 m. X4 J0 X; `+ O) L; R - g7 X+ p9 k, E& j6 j, EHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.9 W6 M% `9 z, \% _/ @) @; k
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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.+ L6 p6 u! S. ~- @4 f: T: k
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.2 v( J1 E1 W/ f$ d. G9 x( E/ C8 ^
; \5 d- v6 {6 f" s$ h) gA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.0 l1 t2 ^ n9 I( L: ^2 W; G
3 g) n3 H, `5 uShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.. B$ R, `; U0 U. |4 ^* e
& E7 C8 B/ D; k" k"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 7 H/ Y9 J, X5 \) f: q3 s( n5 E6 g6 d8 G) v9 m$ P6 T8 C, T
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. ; g# l' s) c4 ^6 N3 |+ s0 f& [, R# G
Each day would be 15 hours long.9 S& H' V# z7 K! @/ n
W0 @$ u: j& O- s$ W" U"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 2 f3 p" ~5 F- Z; J' F# M ; B" p" o1 d( a0 d/ L' O"You get used to it," she smiled.! L& {) p* I- w+ [ F7 F& q
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" $ W( S2 Q9 m( [- f7 s 9 e) |; l" L8 M4 p( Q- G: 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."/ M4 a0 @+ [2 ?( o: g6 t* B4 X
# @( l6 S0 ? J7 P. ]There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 7 b; H3 w1 T8 e5 A( U0 ^- n1 h$ `3 `$ d3 b
Expensive lawsuits * u% P( s/ l' \9 R/ p' R/ ?: m 3 {9 q2 W6 x- W3 DIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 1 v1 B) i# i0 q. |' y! V + N0 d( f- q! G( S# wA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.2 @4 r4 ~6 Q( C2 X: `
8 O0 [ Z) e1 G2 n# RIt 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.4 U8 x. R$ J, }
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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." [1 }2 U2 A1 O, i7 k
$ \8 K+ K$ a* |- p7 k& }5 x"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 4 E# Q5 c* D* r6 z% Q 7 |1 v- o- S0 CI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 4 }% _7 l& I& A/ X* k, K* t2 m / D( r% \/ z1 [, ^. {: DBut 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?+ c" w4 ^' v. Z: H2 ^
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The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. " e. @1 i$ T' e, I5 j' @# c! w* h/ \; b3 S" i2 T4 b0 W
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. ; Z- ~& d7 p) `+ X7 I/ B9 p 3 H0 {' l( t% B/ m8 Y; E8 IA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 2 R/ s1 W4 T# Z5 H- ~ & l1 a+ n' N* v/ DThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. & Y. n8 B& Z9 H. e7 z3 g! |# w- X) Z3 T3 b5 q
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. " o* I; n2 ?, X/ ]) w5 H0 G& _5 l# [* g: n9 f' R2 {+ \
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. , N: U- L( d8 A& `9 C3 b. b/ F7 V5 D/ `8 k 3 @$ L0 k0 d; N7 V" y3 ?
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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