$ s: [, Z6 S3 i+ E! o! T! j! F ) L. ^) L7 e2 ~# `% \# \7 fCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 0 v! r# k) m6 {, ]7 q* E5 d3 H
- |' H- [# o- 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.: Z) b- H! U* `% @8 \- E
/ T) q1 ?* [; e' {7 [, PLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. / C! _& ]7 |9 @( n/ t9 U5 T I5 O! s* g" n% y& |9 m+ x! jI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.1 m* E( u! a4 s( Y7 W" K% Z
1 O' j( l! r( M) tWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. / K4 P u- x. h9 y6 ] $ d. r- F d6 s* AThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.( o: A" d9 N6 B: i! \( x
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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. # X6 f3 J* q( D6 s% s/ C2 N" A! W7 s, m! R2 n8 V$ h
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.( R) g9 U$ P/ S; E
- _/ V" T3 K# z8 QOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed." k6 H4 ^3 V1 B
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The 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. 1 }1 b7 Z; y- A0 V# G0 \( q5 W+ \" x; d/ I9 \" ], ?
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.' ^ Y( x! `6 c# |
0 ], v4 v Y1 J, }$ _* }- ?Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.- e, C6 _7 V6 H1 X
9 K8 Z4 z! t( I3 l& hDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. : ~1 `+ Q+ }; r7 R( D5 o , J3 A/ S- Q6 |: h6 L& }. |And the economic downturn does not help. ) _% Z' K9 t: A. F4 u) A" r$ k1 I2 B" o% n
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ) ]" r. L8 Q4 `5 }1 J 3 M8 n# {% b9 W& y* uThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.% y9 U) }( {0 _, r
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.5 Z( b6 |' `8 T1 J) w! h0 m
2 w/ d7 _) b1 v; B# D! D- iHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 9 j: c9 v% U( I! { : k% V3 U! z2 m- \0 p9 P. vBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. 2 T0 |+ F9 S$ h+ X! ?/ Y' a# N. i) P' L7 o! y8 f6 q
Gonorrhoea ) j+ D7 ^3 S, K- L1 B; C . d* I. u2 y0 V$ pBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.! p6 [5 ~& Q5 Y
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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. ! h) v/ h& L" l* b# w% d2 ], t8 A7 r! `& z5 {6 ]
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 9 N* T6 ?7 D/ [) d ' p" G" f* o0 ]$ ?+ x- z"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 0 o8 M9 L6 V8 s7 D4 e % R2 k/ w3 ~+ x( GHer 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./ A7 x8 W$ g0 i* q+ X- }, a
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Each day would be 15 hours long.: H+ J# F2 y5 z# s+ y# I7 d* U; b
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested./ S: N" k8 G/ k/ W" n9 P
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"You get used to it," she smiled.% n% P* g% j( ~1 v5 `
2 }: m5 J/ M: p* U"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"9 D$ h: h' I- A0 Z9 x: T! y% U
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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."1 c8 g/ h" } F
2 M" j4 q* C9 w4 @3 ^There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.3 X1 s. A; P j; [* v4 e
3 Z7 `& [( p. f0 m4 M' d' ]Expensive lawsuits 3 O8 m+ y7 s3 e2 v b3 B I - p9 ?0 I5 \3 J2 P; ZIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. & V7 D$ u3 v: B' d L& W2 J2 `3 {4 W9 Q$ P$ r
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 5 N5 X; |6 B* Q* M+ g/ C $ g" k7 x @# z" o3 mIt 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., x6 I: q+ p+ y% O! N3 `3 e( W
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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.* b) n: {# U( n8 Y' A
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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?"7 R4 ]( ^& H/ x, W9 U) }
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.. ^& U3 q, `) p C. j
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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? / z. _ Z% b( x% y + @+ U9 b4 x$ f' k6 XThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. ( A8 b& R: _5 _- `+ B: v 2 D. G L9 d" y; lIt 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. # j- d- v3 w9 y9 L; u: z9 M$ V" I& y1 G6 k) ]% |1 F2 A( ?
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. ) b9 k0 t# N( l 9 V9 d. [& G# g3 OThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.9 ]. X7 E% |2 e# {/ x6 E; a
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That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. 6 v& h' ?% F" |! r7 I1 J: ^5 B
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.: ?- a; D& j# f0 k; o
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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