/ T3 {+ [7 m# l1 e0 L一名制片人告诉我，“如果你把我的演员都装在橡胶里面，作为艺术家，我还能怎样表述自我呢”？% X1 M' z3 k* a @) c. H) B7 r8 N
* ?' T1 h" k9 M0 D c2 i9 K我很难想象，法兰克林和杰弗逊起草《第一修正案》的时候，想到过戴不戴安全套的权利。 9 X4 l- z0 m& H( K% z0 I 0 w" J4 G6 i: B7 U/ _$ z但是，我也很难想象，《星际迷航》的粉丝们排着长队去看皮克船长和“进取号”的船员们真刀真枪地“肉搏”。所以，我算老几呢？ ( _! H7 f" V' _$ O " t, o) d V* r/ L- ?8 I" E' z; b8 S ~但是，当局非常坚决。建筑工人必须戴头盔，矿工必须戴口罩，色情演员也必须有适当的保护。, J0 I0 q4 h' N n# f G
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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。 " K3 r- D7 {! o7 G 4 Z& y/ B3 t; o3 f$ d# n一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。 0 R3 g- H* j0 W+ X6 z3 a; P/ V) w5 g6 h7 g. g( P9 k2 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。) [$ ^7 K( H, ?5 W& r0 Q. N
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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。$ U: n s: I( N x8 [; Y( `2 p
+ ^4 H1 B+ f- _! Z; P+ Z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……. 1 ~5 L8 D7 \* |5 G& z' {5 e, M- H7 ]6 k
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ( x% ]# N; c( \5 I' s, ?6 E! o( _1 [5 f! ^
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 s% O/ e" I$ c( e) Q7 m+ m- D$ M* Y- b4 T7 |4 I, O/ q+ ]
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.4 ^% v8 l- {$ s8 F
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I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. + w/ K, \' s( s7 S& v. q/ W* B* ~ $ w/ ^; |1 L' Y( V6 LWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.& {: c1 a1 [& W4 d
3 I' e% i8 Y! ?% j8 RThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.* h) |) w' q7 \! y4 H! H
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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.' w4 ]1 y" W* |1 r' E1 m2 l
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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. $ O+ D0 ?8 j2 S0 M/ A. r ) j; i5 d& B( ]3 X* W( dOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. . I) H* O* B6 P5 X: z* X; m& b, B4 d/ G7 g, t" L
Fantasy5 H. Q% C- \+ @9 L0 [9 ?5 `( V
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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.0 ?1 n5 x3 V. W5 r. L
9 {1 a/ `7 P2 f$ o8 q I' A8 R) A, lThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.3 `2 D' R. b3 Z( B0 n
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.' x8 `/ W8 Y/ c. O+ R) B
) S5 ^0 A5 B. ]; }# S' }0 `4 L WDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. ' {% K- ^, K( P/ N" W S ; x- T" o4 J9 n) {; }# R5 AAnd the economic downturn does not help." Q* h8 e, A2 m, D2 s, d" ~
# W, a% _. [" t7 w% ~1 `9 ["What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 6 s8 X1 n$ l' `2 |$ ^ 8 [2 P; p3 \6 M( v L9 iThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.5 l7 |9 t0 Q5 Y3 H; D
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 6 O, g; h' E) [4 }8 q6 c& w. N0 R, Q3 s) t( v
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.4 J9 y, R0 ~' H( I" T4 N2 V
3 |+ {: X4 O2 mBut 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 ^) f8 h3 Z4 W* ?9 I/ Q! R) H4 r9 C
Gonorrhoea 8 b1 J+ ~- G ]0 N* F) U3 ` $ v/ r+ O" e" J8 Y" p8 IBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. $ G- u A4 S4 @: u ( K, c' Y* |! D5 ^. L1 m; XA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. , J8 V$ i( D& B! d Z$ w% f' z$ T3 n
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure." V$ ^! T h; A% P" N6 V7 C
( }1 ~9 R( U# t" h6 t3 Y, b0 b"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" * s% n/ M f5 U' L, H9 q/ O4 k+ G" s6 c8 G2 A/ ~/ Q: y* m
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. ( J7 G+ q5 a3 J/ N7 n& W # f. z+ s; m$ \, x9 w0 L: K. IEach day would be 15 hours long. , \( Z# k& T& ~# d. f0 } f$ b$ | ) O0 c# F! x; f8 q"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. " C) s K0 G# y" e3 ]8 C; X , t1 y, B6 s8 O! j7 j5 {- w; }2 `- a9 z; ^, @"You get used to it," she smiled." L) i4 G6 d7 l7 ~$ P1 g& ?" h
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" z0 o( t% Y2 j9 K7 n2 A
( Q9 o9 n* D' @9 [. R2 A5 h: 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.") Z& d8 V4 h8 [3 M
9 ?/ V+ q6 @) f4 x/ jThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 0 H% t) D! R* U. B3 p; h8 B: Z1 U& `8 H5 R, m- L3 Z
Expensive lawsuits! a9 G C$ ]4 ]% k+ ^
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 1 \( S. T( ?/ B3 @ y; Q7 u$ g6 t) ~/ m# k7 S4 J' n8 [3 [
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. ) X# F! u% F! i3 T" `3 L. o0 C6 e* D9 V& x& c# e8 r0 x' Y6 d/ K
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. " V% H1 S9 T' B" i9 |6 T6 f7 n5 y0 K2 P& X/ ], @/ s. t
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. 6 ~" n6 L1 G* T3 Z , D$ V. _% o! R; k3 g"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"( I5 w% e. w( }6 i5 _% s
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. # L4 g1 s0 W. B6 R ! {3 k% m2 t- l8 M2 {3 h9 IBut 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? 1 I* y/ |6 w: e% ~, Z2 P. @5 m4 R. T9 Z* g% C" b4 _7 k
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. U( ]1 e2 q% A
6 C' a1 J, G' M O5 p kIt 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. # N% c3 v {+ ~* ]) N$ B+ W9 q5 W( l7 K) G$ a" i
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them." g. `; N, g' V7 L" K( ^7 Y
% n6 a* z$ G- d+ U S2 hThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.4 }0 ^5 y# O$ K3 Z! N7 M% L
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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. * o$ u8 P. T6 ~9 a1 O J: F 2 h$ P, {5 t8 B) y1 d2 JI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. , r4 O4 Q7 I5 k" p- d8 ] V2 j7 W- a5 u' v& l ! T2 H6 a+ ^& h+ @) C- N$ v% j$ C8 Y 8 \2 {! U+ b- M7 ?# ~1 O5 b: h( nCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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