' _ Y. ~3 A4 n8 y" S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。4 x! y& j+ m P v* F1 m7 y
. F& L. g. J/ ?9 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…….5 q! F' |, Q& l7 P" x! a
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles * S6 u0 W0 }6 c/ g/ o+ s B v
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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. " e4 [7 {2 _0 K/ Q& G0 r* v# g. A+ C5 b, w: T
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. ' W; \) N# X- a Z% {/ u, o - R# l" f w- C8 _3 Q% nI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.+ k* ~! q! D. x* l- A. J9 T/ a
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What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. $ Y: y5 D: I: f; C9 E" c# k; {+ y0 n: o- _* b
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. 5 \$ P/ Q9 f5 r/ o4 W1 w8 q+ p: \# { 5 N7 L' G0 A: _' h& gPerformers 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. * Y' a/ ~3 \* X, a . G2 d5 |* B! \" F: Y; a( hThis 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.. i6 n. E# E0 h
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. " J- ]/ ?5 L0 @3 o( n* ? ! q1 |/ O6 l IFantasy9 T! {2 p6 k& K8 Z6 h& 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. / R' i Z7 Y$ T$ e$ e2 A* `+ E% f 2 t& A* p4 R8 yThe problem, increasingly, is revenue., U* q& u3 N" k0 @* @) F3 R0 Q, l# G
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. " K+ C. V6 @0 O3 {& u# v* v9 ~( G2 W5 S' W; x8 ?
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. , `" S8 ~; O& ^5 n8 c9 \0 Z& L" T* X0 U
And the economic downturn does not help.' u. f$ U3 p7 T! s: r" ]/ e
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.( Y0 m2 h0 W2 _( u6 X
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.* a" i/ O U3 a' T$ j7 A0 d! `
3 h; q4 T4 [! O4 h9 z$ BFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. / r$ e$ m$ b2 A5 `1 I7 }& P; u8 ?7 @
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 8 e3 `% r* U. V7 _+ ?* N8 ?' |3 d " H, Z; z' @# o X' K7 {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. & k0 r7 n+ x6 k. F z2 h! f% b ) X3 ^+ P& ?/ | r, bGonorrhoea % k& L+ J) q% x8 {: M5 Z + X6 X1 D5 m( }5 v3 u6 {* P+ Q1 @Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.& U6 Z) z- }6 v6 p4 h
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A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.1 C# s) j8 _2 l7 U1 B
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure." S# e) q3 A5 P* z) E
* Q" B$ n9 c, O# n3 |"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" $ q9 p/ e! d& v0 L% U( ?" k/ C6 x7 q& \4 y9 _- D
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.5 V2 p, k' @3 y/ c% x; H
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Each day would be 15 hours long. , v2 W4 V$ h6 t/ V+ \. W6 ?# k8 j; w' z: ?
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.7 m% c9 z3 \4 c- S, n
}( q: [' \; z"You get used to it," she smiled.' J$ R8 m3 B; p" T- j$ N
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"# `$ F# A. l. C
4 H5 S# ?( Y, _4 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." 4 H* d- s& r+ L# ?9 y7 ~8 X0 A, `! V
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.5 T* W9 c( m6 ~5 {
' o8 Y5 o% b% b: MExpensive lawsuits- M. o/ N `: S% u
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. % M U/ g+ V) d1 G+ l0 L! g % U5 T( B" r; }8 l; DA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it./ [& E, ?! A% p' ?3 c
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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.$ p; O/ B2 g3 ~" P' S8 Y
' _9 q9 N9 k4 n3 _; PNow, 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.4 I9 x a4 f- t8 n' h' L
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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?" 5 j, ~2 A3 q$ T i" q+ H O# [. X
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment., h& l" t f4 l4 K' K
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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 n) M' g8 `3 ~3 V* o- T$ i4 U" O: @
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.$ Q" N) n0 j" e* n
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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.. Y# z! _( X1 ?# t5 j
$ e7 y, L( L, F/ N* g$ b; o( p! UA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.( M7 k+ z1 F1 ]6 _) \
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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. $ s2 w( e+ J( T& N4 U+ w7 a7 n: @: R+ g: W
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. ~6 L) z$ O) w% J1 w5 }2 J( U
; s7 J5 H! [- ~" k4 V1 ~2 ?9 ^I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.2 V% \1 S) T+ o% r7 ]7 l: Y6 L1 I
; q: \* B! n N" A 5 d: Y! C' I, I Q- S3 n% v b( x1 o3 [6 `. D9 j7 n. B 7 @& F' d# |8 j# ]* [ F9 e8 ICalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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