2 n$ Z3 b3 c5 Y1 w: ?+ f- C3 q3 `& x- o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……. / R; N3 \+ v- c, J8 A) ^; @' I( W0 T8 ~
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles i" K3 c7 D8 G9 m. W4 J' N9 d$ a3 Y1 y% X8 Z& H
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.% b9 O/ J8 \- R) a( N2 x
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 2 N; ]2 s* X! j+ E c : m0 X" Y. g, V- y9 i" Q+ F0 |I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. / A* t" k0 K% u( c3 T1 U9 G0 ] 2 g- L: w2 ` m1 l: Z8 DWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.3 f S: j1 A: [3 B* w
, U* e1 n# z, G! w' ]/ k* MThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. - C5 t" W. \2 C: m1 Z1 b) @* q2 p* H$ u/ X
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. 3 o' T5 D2 g+ v0 v- h, D$ K( S# _3 K5 S; {$ X, S- g* X
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.. H2 Q& B7 I! `6 h
! q1 ~; L/ p% Y* D0 jOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.$ i& ^) q" R( k7 A: T: J3 j [' m
6 g9 X0 A- K( ?. }& L8 DThe 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 ^) }. M# r* e- Q; \2 h
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue. - F* ^3 M) K+ T2 V- z ( B) T4 j* w. H5 g% T' h5 S% ULike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.) o( A I2 {) p. B) O2 e4 L
4 R' s9 d6 J2 T7 f1 v8 s; FDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. % j- t& Z/ B- M( m3 [5 c' x+ P* X4 Z( P5 u
And the economic downturn does not help.4 i, a3 G5 n! a7 v) O
7 w3 }! E* a' z8 M"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ' g" D& ?7 g1 G0 x; H0 K2 b ) w0 R$ B. x+ S6 CThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. * @+ {# k6 r2 Z% f |1 z3 V & `- c9 w! R$ N: M2 C' R/ u( {For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 7 F0 {3 q- a! ^3 W& L8 J5 t L$ e7 D
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.. j$ X/ y* v9 t6 t3 ?
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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. 3 v+ G1 ]6 f: B/ G 5 M X+ G+ X( d( \% y! N, |Gonorrhoea$ c, e1 H# `" p
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.' s/ D: I* P) ]- ~
: F& Q' a3 b9 P4 U* ~A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. ' U i1 O/ E' d9 ?0 _- o( d5 S6 ?5 m) j6 p" P; \8 `
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 0 a1 d2 j. W D7 ?1 r( l) R; d; s 3 P r, h& N! v& B+ w8 @- v2 z"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"* j, ?' v( J- K# ?- w, a' }) ?
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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. ( l4 X! Y) Z) @4 \; B/ _$ I6 D9 Z, Z' P. [9 q
Each day would be 15 hours long.( d0 j2 i M; ~% n; `
8 M; s- J! R$ }; j"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. + T0 @- E8 ~+ j 1 K3 u6 ?0 e& ~"You get used to it," she smiled. : ^8 L- k4 s2 X" [8 i& P" }1 L; D, U3 n
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" # s G% p) p; F% v( O8 Q- s3 c( X0 n$ q! B& c, g
"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."0 Y- ^- V! j7 D9 l- H( N* t
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 4 {. g! ~* T( U4 l5 a9 B' o 0 e H- s w) ^7 @; g9 Z; DExpensive lawsuits, ?% o4 i0 [- P+ v
u3 O- p8 j* X4 t+ o1 IIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 3 S3 p: t0 Y8 l8 ?' t( h& c6 l- c% T, d ( C% F; ~' G$ F0 iA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.$ A$ I* R( @( x& F! F$ n5 l
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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.6 Y6 p) a: _7 q( z
6 |6 l, \0 `4 f2 `7 nNow, 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., {) R; K# f! H/ Z1 [ g
( M1 X& J8 M4 G5 Z, O' `% o8 G"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"! a% O8 L9 v! N3 r0 G+ B( Y- b
$ c8 K& T- W" L; ^2 F+ qI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.( j! y+ A$ c) w7 F5 L6 n: a
# M' f$ q* Z% H$ ~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? ; h, y: O( ~% U: c) i/ } , J2 W# o& u/ [! w- }) @& b/ FThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. * ]$ y; @, h6 s. x" d& D) N. V" `1 g( {* r2 e1 l& ]
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.- P4 K* d3 N7 `! b# {
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. " Y, }$ w/ A: e O) r; g$ W9 sThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. * ]. j7 K f0 P. O' u ! W7 E9 _$ i( g5 uThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.3 x8 i2 M* ~) z
# X" c& ~- }( w% u/ B: y! A4 C8 XI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. ! _& ^6 W: y/ p. V! f & b! d$ ~1 [9 _) b * O2 U+ B6 }: b }0 K# \1 m% ^( C0 @- V& S7 x % X( E. K& ~4 A* q4 P+ v) V, ZCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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