) v2 ^. D- ?( C' C1 r9 g2 uCalifornia'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. 5 w& q- u' a2 |, D! n( K' C8 z/ c% j; ^, u1 l! n, H& O" J
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. " X4 z+ h6 @& }. F o# t6 [. \6 S' ]7 _8 ^8 J
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. . {! R, W" Z1 h3 s; i% d8 ]2 e( x# c. G* }
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. $ R6 _% x- k }1 \ & v& ~. e3 U/ R2 ?4 R, j9 uThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.8 H* o. ]& ^" z. l0 d/ B2 I
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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. / o! {- r# r5 u9 z$ V% y1 Q7 w$ B2 z% Q* K- m5 w/ \6 U
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. + g' {+ M. k) V9 ?: z+ G# i" U- A" l; ~7 ~+ ~
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed." ^. t) Q: X" J$ c
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Fantasy: \7 Y7 K, b. N( z) P2 Z
9 f7 y/ J( X# j3 {' @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.; S7 P5 ?) b& ]% T
* O, y+ x: \1 `( j hThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.$ X' N1 H0 g+ m$ Z; }: ^
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch., \0 b: R; Q! u
9 |% P) \( P; J6 ~' WDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.* D& E* j2 X6 y: h8 m" g6 v
9 `# d8 l+ C# f( H/ N. TAnd the economic downturn does not help. ! j2 g% L4 W0 h+ x! g- F. N- ^% C1 w! u- j6 {' g9 U7 y
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 4 F, p. y' p5 e. Z0 U' c* g# Z( P E$ }1 H8 [: z" K( TThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.% P* \7 T0 @( F1 w z
- j* V) r4 r6 W* N& x6 {/ G" Q! a5 ]For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms./ K9 o4 v: O N7 t0 `5 b7 X
% ^5 J p' V6 h) F1 H, S: q# XHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.' u# w2 q" q& }; i. E' ^
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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.4 C- ~4 W( b8 o
% m+ e4 `3 K2 d0 T- BGonorrhoea " Z* F; x# t' o* J0 a & O) R/ x7 }5 _2 Z9 K7 CBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.3 S7 [# s* f$ `' [$ [' U
4 c) m! v; {7 ~7 ~' o) R1 Q% ^A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 7 L g7 c9 G# \& K 6 Y; m: C# L ?. M5 {7 M/ z D/ IShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.4 `& D" ? i. ]. s% P
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?": L9 O" t7 l. ?8 d
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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. , ^6 D6 a) f; h# S( Y3 l/ D : s. i- Q W9 r1 R# y, N5 TEach day would be 15 hours long. 3 d# H* k! Z2 h+ n ' Q! m8 L/ r9 f! x5 e0 r& w$ B) T"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. & c8 \- c: ^$ W7 w ) {5 L' Q( e- r+ s"You get used to it," she smiled. ' I A. M$ e& E+ `$ `2 N0 n- f" g+ R
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"0 O, m5 V) o& _9 p8 `" n
' C c- [" x* `1 n3 M- s+ W0 C5 O& t1 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."; r2 h. U8 N7 a$ L( q, U' a; S, c
# t0 e( R6 E* b. H3 t4 LThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. ; o& e" G3 V* p/ Y 7 A r( j0 \1 O9 u7 ~; CExpensive lawsuits# S. A* u4 a3 A% }
9 L* Y0 }( C( E6 RIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. + O. d8 @3 R& q/ A) F4 ^* |. Z# e) J! l" f. h# ]( {
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. + }, ^; N4 h& q @& `0 f( a ; w, U1 P0 _+ u; t- |8 Y' yIt 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. ! C+ F( l7 B4 ] & G v4 ^' v& l2 \% D6 J- `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.! H$ R8 |. C4 W* E- m
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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?" ' ^% V* B$ A3 T+ T; g5 u : _* O$ }5 S, OI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. " _5 e" z3 ^5 P9 u ) K5 n) Y9 B+ O) |9 yBut 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 r& ~2 U# n8 g) w7 ~5 R) t
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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. * m# L8 m. j& Q& R4 k, i" Y0 L" v! ^# G
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., H) J( r% W1 b5 V7 `, A/ w% ^0 W5 a
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.3 o' Q0 s" e1 t6 q8 D6 e: c
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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.) U" ~, D" s3 A0 x8 b+ ?+ P
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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./ m( y* m2 d: Y5 l
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.; U U6 J2 n5 q/ F/ y. ~
9 U' Z5 { [7 Z ! q0 e4 @& H6 i3 s$ R9 |# L& ?' j) x 3 r1 s2 r4 P, B2 N6 ICalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
