, ?, M: U0 S" i& L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。 - H) ~1 I" I4 Z, ~; G X, L2 A& P8 e% m, M
一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。 1 ?' V+ {3 V3 R: c" m0 k 8 a, O4 w- p3 c6 d. {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。6 z1 n$ U3 B( ?: l& {, L
8 ~% v5 ^. G* X6 S5 e
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。 ' I- Z- `5 b1 l) t4 e. l5 X ) w: _) b6 p- E9 x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……. 0 ?1 n# |* L8 L/ f% f3 F; ?1 @ ( L# `( k3 N/ S- [6 u- M$ q" ?1 n$ F3 f2 K% H
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 2 t6 }7 Y5 N. {, b0 L9 d; A
1 s4 r8 Y% Y9 E9 m% x
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. 9 O0 ?$ a2 M5 h; d, ^3 q" h! w8 n5 o& @5 F: k* T0 F7 A
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 8 z9 }6 |/ _0 s. I * Q+ \8 r. o' [( HI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. ! j9 C, ]6 b @& q% Z: s" B ) N+ z' H$ L5 I1 W1 t0 n4 G5 U6 nWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. ) t; t4 \8 Y8 |6 @! ]! v9 f E- Q6 }9 X- f4 L( x' bThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.6 N7 X( V4 P0 _. H/ w
8 D5 h7 T8 b6 [# I+ F5 i
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. . c: V/ C/ _/ M) [! T & H1 o9 m" Y% ?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. 1 b' B0 E1 k4 g: S$ y9 [& J# ]5 p! w9 f
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.& l. Q- B1 t8 U; S K* m6 W
9 `% R9 y( \, w) j! ]( u
Fantasy6 U0 r0 ]" ?# a( Q4 b
% |: X# O5 K( S0 z, t
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.7 |) u% s! Y7 K; F3 E- o( H8 b
, a( x$ Q, C8 R" u. J. j
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.: M) q8 q# v( j, q) s1 h& i1 b0 W3 I
2 b7 k5 a0 O) yLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. ; n5 h8 E& l1 B8 }2 X ' h: L6 ~/ `' C! xDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 2 e' v2 P$ Q4 L7 O5 c* b 2 n0 X' h" i- i0 V; k0 @And the economic downturn does not help. ( n1 D6 i) X; g7 Q/ s+ @4 J1 `( i9 v6 R5 s7 {( m9 E
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. : E4 p0 s5 F% ^. t0 v 7 K8 ]* [% s3 |1 zThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.* ?9 _' g q6 P: o- \
& H. n' n# Z" j
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.- ?. H4 }1 ?+ E [, i+ W
. B' S7 p- t; G s
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.# j' C) f) t3 n' ]
7 o# r$ d7 e( @% A6 `
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.5 z! t0 P& r2 @4 f
3 P4 n+ }) |' f4 Y
Gonorrhoea - L% L4 A4 L. K* f$ w" x" L3 ]7 M0 T; v5 R
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. ' s! ~. J' p/ O1 Z1 ^' @. D 1 [5 r$ ~$ [. W% \A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.# K" G! ^; K8 H% s
3 f- {: E# x# w1 _3 B
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 3 t$ ~5 z) l( F9 o9 c/ N+ c7 S6 `5 w& x6 R5 ? f
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 4 R, v) t! r+ x% T; p( O4 W$ P/ Q `2 O2 B: {$ P1 ?
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.' B* O/ \. A! u
' i/ C% Z- ?/ t- T! ]+ I/ e# \Each day would be 15 hours long.& c. o' s" v* b/ C& X
5 ?! B3 [) j z6 h% g. ^) X! B8 p
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. , P9 w& T6 a! N) t0 e % P" Y% R' w+ @" u/ h"You get used to it," she smiled.2 i0 Z, q; f6 v4 x. W' x
) ~8 X, J m, {6 {: m. K
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" ) ?' T0 C) t k" i3 u* Q& c8 h; P* o& ~; u- ]& ]# I/ n6 X
"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 s" ^3 V$ x. J: f9 k m2 q2 m* t G y6 i" Y
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided./ f, k/ Z9 F+ u0 x0 G% L H
, R' Y6 Q* U( e8 F" A# G
Expensive lawsuits+ r- A4 @, w& v% E# I/ x
; a! c; }. v8 VIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. [! x3 N2 l u: N' M
2 l4 \2 r- y( t# C& r
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. * S. F. @" m/ q W2 H, B; W& ?9 d. A( {9 [! \
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. ! N, |1 D/ ^- N) z1 B o6 ~ * S. f( U3 Z6 ]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. - I2 [$ C; E2 w! Q . h. ?' i& a/ x& f( ?) ~: t8 O! Z"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" + e, C- I- b. [: p7 r2 x* z3 U) n! q6 w9 I
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.3 y( U/ Z# S" L
: Q0 l. K6 K4 c( X# u
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? 0 F" {; R# z- q& u+ g3 Z+ ^) e! b1 T- S4 @6 i9 o( m
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. # T+ l- P$ \9 E. h. F1 @6 p% \# h! x \2 a0 }
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 p- {" H& z$ p- c" ]( z6 `
% u e0 c# ^% z" {* \, m: N+ R
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.; ]- N: v' E* a* L6 R1 u, @- t0 d
) L3 l( h. n& n- [" H
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.! A5 w# T. w# y* L
, e) E6 V: }; x2 T. j! I
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.% B) _# i y2 ?% }: I* v6 F
& _4 v0 Q3 h1 C. \0 C
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.& \: {% H6 b; u0 ?1 Q) \" p
* e2 {: F$ f- C. `, F$ E4 s0 u6 H6 U. M8 W: M
. n7 A/ n' c/ P! y P. c/ R3 [. f5 z
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
% Q6 g6 f1 ?' A4 E W# f6 Q, N
4 s0 u6 H6 U. M8 W: M
P. c/ R3 [. f5 z