; U. ]9 M; C" H7 a1 e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。* V0 S& Z8 C& a# h: l
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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。 9 R1 W5 L! `" x5 b: W( p% P4 L ) d7 S6 q; Y: a& s7 L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……. 4 A% Z, \+ A( i0 t) x C7 R1 A! L3 @: k$ t1 a9 o+ ^8 [$ |, {, R$ C
+ [$ F3 @4 A T: n1 [3 MCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles $ F2 r* L- Y2 f- J + k4 w: D w j" J1 Y% h7 oCalifornia'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.! K& q1 u9 C5 i0 L; k0 X
9 ^( A+ ?3 J1 l" h% }Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.' }- ?" [4 H' f$ O) U$ d5 F
/ F8 j$ W5 u4 _( H* n( @I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. / B9 M" h3 I; e0 u" ?! y( B% W9 Y 2 s$ q4 E6 X7 XWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.4 s. H( `! }1 m% g7 i
) m0 D+ Q' z9 T, N5 e! `' N6 V9 P5 yThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.6 ^8 Z1 l* x1 O
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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. 4 l4 x. M" Q' P5 r- @7 G3 Z7 {4 E1 y7 w$ L
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., Y+ N Z0 y+ E$ I* g9 R
0 K( j. J& @' G2 H* |. Z. E4 S& Y4 H& kOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.; y" L9 G, w9 y4 y2 [
! d% w2 X d1 ^" i: FFantasy' y3 _! Q1 G, K& g" r
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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. ! \5 f! A$ F% b" M7 w2 a3 x3 u! u8 D& m% t
The problem, increasingly, is revenue. ! U( \" \! F7 w* W; b4 g 4 x; z! k8 L" k/ F" v5 ~' yLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. [7 j7 U. r2 }, _7 M
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.' S1 f9 l W1 h4 H
- z% P7 N5 x3 N7 Y6 yAnd the economic downturn does not help.5 Q- E) z m; L
" _ w4 C" x }* p"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ' G0 m6 \0 P3 A. c. k3 M& J2 }4 [( ^6 a5 V
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. , u9 E1 C# Z1 f% @$ n I% R' M' |! Z5 e0 DFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.9 M+ v! S2 P8 l
4 a3 [( N+ E( W& F! G( \3 KHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 5 z( m9 C7 \7 n5 R" W4 }; t0 O' ~8 W 8 y0 H/ S% @1 b5 BBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.: ~0 G* O7 B* U A
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Gonorrhoea 8 h, A- K4 m8 X% M4 h * v# j( ^. r& b \Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. " J1 I9 j) j% O6 ~: m3 r: F9 g$ E0 S) t
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.) r9 P9 T' q1 _9 c. k
7 K8 Z$ E& F& [" D& H8 G: iShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. ( [( v7 D; F8 _1 X' t0 q. ~7 F2 M; K6 x, ~( v( n0 v
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" - ~- Y) C8 B5 q8 Z+ e/ Z g+ q4 ~ 0 g# W% @* {& [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. / @& i+ t/ @# D" X$ E * P+ q# w3 r0 C6 nEach day would be 15 hours long.2 b+ G( W4 |& n e9 O3 ~
' s5 s8 v# v9 D"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 1 f( O/ J. L2 F4 m4 b4 R; T9 k9 `& r0 M: O" _' }0 t
"You get used to it," she smiled.1 Y$ `$ f9 q4 F# X' z3 p
0 A2 P( h9 a5 J6 r"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"5 L8 W9 }$ R3 _( O5 q$ c" P
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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." + e) |4 I1 |$ R& M# s$ V6 L+ O( n' _ J/ y
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. / i) b; V4 ^: `" A9 `1 b9 U3 l/ Q2 ]
Expensive lawsuits' v; S1 Q/ |! z! F6 B
0 C3 b5 | f6 r- x2 U+ \3 _* [2 v7 nIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.; d( L' V3 u2 y6 I% M% C% f
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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. ( ?2 ]3 V% t q; \1 i0 [( H. s0 \, p5 A/ e( @; @2 m; t0 Q
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. ; e' K$ P( e- c, g) N& J( Y5 N% F$ Y) ?
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. , y/ p* O6 o0 a& c+ _8 @6 x 7 [% q4 F& [4 ~# k% x7 W"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" / n' m6 D C9 U7 V0 \8 h4 @* N2 ^5 T3 h
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. S7 R: B# ?! X# @% V4 D8 K6 p9 r' n3 a
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?! `. R5 b1 R* @9 s3 W9 c. N
) W: R, |2 X2 ]* d" \. CThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.8 ?' D9 {6 y2 y: a s; v, J% Q- z8 x
! J- f4 `1 I9 _1 k* R- XIt 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. ( L: i5 R5 G+ l# _6 e; b; r; ]& r. k* L) C' |" w' ~ p
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.9 D& R9 K7 u+ P( Y5 t
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The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 4 H" E {- r! L& G 9 a4 Q3 A8 e4 _( X7 V/ SThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.( I o6 k& ^6 V5 ?' H
7 L) q1 X/ ^1 F2 Y% F/ mI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.( h, z3 ?) z5 w" M0 _