/ T; j# [; F% l% A2 n8 @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./ M$ P, ?& j1 C6 V0 f/ ^& j7 Z. R2 A
/ H6 h* X, |: G( G6 B5 ^$ U: VLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. & c' ^3 A. a; ~) H- f1 l% r3 } U8 z& _& N9 L
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.3 G3 ^1 W( t9 s: f
% t6 X+ C, K; n% R+ n' WWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.2 B$ B; Q. w5 C8 L
( H' V* ~! H* p: n9 m. KThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.2 x, X0 b) B* T' t! ]
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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. " Q7 e) J- O3 o( p ]8 ] 0 _- q+ L L: p$ @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. ; Q% T7 d" t; M; l9 X8 ~ ) o w4 y5 r; M/ ]Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. - K1 C9 { [' Y e, N+ O. e( m
Fantasy: m0 z$ B3 \" O0 }
0 W, e+ S* c9 |# T" W& c9 y4 R( r7 wThe 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. $ B5 J# I% H2 m: z8 m . e6 b6 c5 T; ~5 q5 Q& UThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. & R2 M( ~" s% ~) [; o, s4 W9 q+ P/ h0 }
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 8 i7 |+ M8 U' B, }. _$ q5 v d( j6 U n$ m: Z* V" zDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.6 j% V6 o" X7 t5 a$ Z6 w2 I+ j# u
/ f1 j! w; V1 \6 H3 RAnd the economic downturn does not help.6 T0 c( ~2 i9 l, [6 a9 S5 F0 E5 S+ v* z5 f
6 |6 X5 I' ]/ q6 n0 k' E7 ^' U"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully., K$ H G% S: Z9 K+ w
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. / {" ?* Y% C% U* k& P+ H! r' X: P. H& Q
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.4 N+ m9 R6 {0 a
7 U% F- B& O. RHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.8 D) y& |, n' f8 I" L
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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.; \5 S$ z( s; ?& U" E G/ B
) Q$ N1 B6 t* Q( @; PGonorrhoea, L/ E3 R& E: V1 c4 `5 f- Q) b3 y8 G
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 1 h1 M2 I2 L) w- ^8 [: i# d 6 e( p5 c! [5 i/ g$ E( |A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 8 |8 y2 Y/ p3 S1 L9 `3 c3 r: f# O) w5 C) N5 L" z
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 5 f/ s. S8 t% N% Y+ U" N9 C( S" O }: o6 X
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 7 `0 X0 G, f; _( m4 f1 ? g+ C* T9 d4 a) m2 gHer 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. " E) f0 {4 h$ u$ J* l- A( b8 | I. N" n+ |# X
Each day would be 15 hours long.; q* u' Z5 i/ E, G" q5 F9 `) j
, q8 U4 R, D; a& v! ^, c1 Z! g"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 1 W7 M. M' L3 ?$ c" b) T " o( d- T( ~6 U"You get used to it," she smiled.( x$ D, P7 }4 T3 |3 x# a
- f, b U8 V2 M! K; g- g( m; \- j"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" ( \/ h: @* F# h. G/ n0 `( X" _0 h$ b* m1 | D
"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."+ y2 d. @0 W! |$ l
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.: v2 d1 F% T* x2 `! `4 l$ f
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Expensive lawsuits& ]7 V A' B. o# C5 r! r& n6 h, f
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. . e) }% j, W0 c9 A* d8 q, Z / z1 E- O0 z5 O9 `4 XA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. ( B! B3 ^/ \( ]) ~% B 9 q+ }9 {( [1 o6 X# aIt had taken a Supreme Court battle back in the 1980s to make porn legal in California in the first place, formally distinguishing it from common-or-garden prostitution.6 k7 L+ _+ r. @- J b) T8 ` h2 ^
4 t( Z; u4 ~. o8 C7 V- L& FNow, many I met spoke of the right not to wear condoms as a key aspect of their constitutional right to free speech, as set out by the Founding Fathers. ! s, r+ A3 W1 n8 ~+ O; E/ h- b' u, `+ I; f6 S
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"/ }5 B" c8 K+ y( r8 k1 c8 N$ C
: \9 V& } X+ ~& k/ XI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment." ]9 _1 z3 @$ S6 \) w# ]3 g: C
" p; |1 r( S" s" v5 i eBut 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? 9 }, n5 m: @) D9 r& g7 C' w9 n/ E4 `7 @8 |3 T% t+ c6 r* e" h
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. + Y- U$ |6 s/ p; T 4 h4 i0 p+ ^# o" c. o! y1 a QIt 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.2 c" W8 t- Y1 L5 t+ Y
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them./ Y2 n7 z9 Z0 S7 B' e7 X( c
& v9 M/ K) _, i4 p& B$ ~The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 9 S) x, v! X' a _* t: k5 D( V0 L2 x4 N; W0 l* V# n; [
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. $ S7 f5 @. x# G: w) O# K; b8 v2 @$ R- ^* ?$ B$ o$ u
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.- b$ B* P3 d5 m/ o7 \' I! z
* |5 {) e" c. L$ h) W, Y 9 [1 h R$ B2 `' h9 w9 r+ q0 Q f W3 b- v$ W 1 ]) i- Z4 \2 W6 j9 S# h) S' M& ]Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
