5 w' m$ }/ e6 j( z- M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…….7 m) A4 H, c I5 c
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4 ^; o* E: n5 U; a7 J( rCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles : s6 i' G$ {/ S- C( a& U }( G9 q$ |( v0 R' |) c- 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. 5 B( t5 |$ i Y8 R, R1 e( i) w* z$ }
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.7 I0 ]! G7 g2 B8 r, S
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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." v# N5 A% X# e0 `$ ]3 R
: ]; _. M! H/ jWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.( E. i# T5 K1 f3 `1 ?& b, g/ }. a
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The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.7 }; ^2 q8 ^( i+ _& c
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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. $ O8 I. Q2 Z& t 8 L- r- E( x _) f7 X, Z1 l9 Z7 T+ t$ eThis 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.* l# q- k: ^% R. M: f D
1 s" z( ]7 R6 _$ a0 f) `! \; o$ zOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.. D$ a/ N& _5 f
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, z( A* T6 x1 s2 o! f5 @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. 1 w& U0 j; U7 }9 Z; e/ e2 X1 ^" z0 v
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.! F- r5 j' V* o; U
' q& D8 Q/ ?2 l7 d0 y. ~; OLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch." N# t0 g2 q4 E& A" ]
4 _+ H, y% i9 N, ~9 m7 e/ wDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. : C v# m$ a. `9 Z& v5 e1 C+ v$ s- ~! k! u
And the economic downturn does not help. 3 a! S% X2 q4 T: d4 h/ F; U" n1 _/ v) N
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.- B1 A! H6 |* l$ o/ W' e
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. ^# A& [& O0 i, v) l- P8 V' r3 u: G4 R* l3 l4 E/ U
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.. i; t; Y. ^9 _* U7 n! l/ l
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 0 B5 r* H9 h( p- ~3 S0 ^+ ]+ J6 F( z. D% o( B# o3 f
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. 2 f1 H) r7 q5 o. e; s5 c$ W5 W. a% [( o
Gonorrhoea ' p; A3 \; j$ k * J% f m# Q" q& L8 rBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 9 j/ I, i4 \2 Q5 y4 u' X3 M0 u1 d- x3 Q0 n0 B5 b) n1 e
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.# q3 ?# S% m8 l, r6 y
3 O: F2 z; ?; r- ^' hShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.9 u! x9 R2 m* l i" |9 m, q
' D% A) ?, l1 W"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" / G$ t- n; E9 {7 b! R 6 [+ @# E7 t6 A/ z# ]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.' S/ x3 v+ p* ?9 \4 `# {
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Each day would be 15 hours long." e# S. {5 O& ~# t
2 w/ X/ {7 z2 R' _5 o6 c, }8 d"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 2 [, F4 R- n8 |2 @6 S% m1 B. F 0 _/ q! x5 `0 l# E7 v1 @+ I& ]% ]$ {"You get used to it," she smiled. & M7 ]8 a8 R1 S! a; X % T$ z! N: s5 j* A"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" & j3 x/ K! B; t% l" r 1 z2 N7 }( ~& k% j" m( I7 C7 ]% P"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.", t C& h5 q0 t7 F# A0 D5 Q
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.: `& e& y! G: I% d: ?
& m- h: `1 a4 jExpensive lawsuits ' X. ~* _8 D, |9 ~: I$ S0 o. N/ D5 ?- e; \
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.4 V& G. \# I( z! G7 b" {7 u! {
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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. 4 S) e2 T' u( b# G6 ~6 H7 f! p* C( y7 w% f g
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. " ]$ `- y! F" A6 m1 T) M 0 a: b% r( P/ E# C! }) X* O, ?4 zNow, 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. m1 F- B5 Y l/ G/ a5 j5 h& Z8 O
& z v- G v$ R"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" & X3 c0 I6 ~# N8 u! b' K m H! _( x0 C; ?
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.+ o2 V2 o7 S8 G+ L0 Q4 W* r
$ r8 z" H7 E9 m0 V1 _4 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 X8 f- w4 ~7 g- ?* { O0 q0 I
! ^6 s- P8 t$ f) b: ]* ZThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.7 g* |6 Q: d% z' E S
+ s. b7 g6 U" n( q( U% j: hIt 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, i U$ f/ }5 R$ _
8 [: p. S$ W2 v! n3 CA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.% a8 c7 C* k% j" K5 N
& ?+ z6 A- E. p4 h& ?9 o5 F$ n( ?The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.' ~5 q. y, k; t
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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. * N* {6 C2 n! P% c9 P- ^* D3 G n$ F! U
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.+ B& ^* k$ A- ^2 }1 C) \0 m
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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