; s" F5 I; i- n0 {5 m1 j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。 : z7 z5 n. T/ a- g! w8 o+ {" M! r ) B+ E# e# r2 E9 q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 i) |( I2 ]; h " w0 m6 [ ?6 w9 e H6 d, l! r" |6 W N) x# F# C. p
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 6 M# X, Z- y5 L+ X; o8 ?3 |; v& _# P9 B
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. 6 r! \% p' _: h* S# v- b 9 J6 ?8 n" K5 l8 [& r$ W0 [6 C9 `' g: CLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. p' j3 Z1 [3 O" G
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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. % H( M8 \2 w& t+ z' H# U3 z, } ; E2 x5 |& z$ M V* {8 FWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. . T& _( V* i* w; N6 W+ U( ^4 C% g! u/ c8 W' O
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. $ q$ T, `' o/ e 0 F8 q! a& ~: J7 |* q+ |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. 7 f3 J5 h8 |9 s! {4 a$ s / k* D0 v4 \# ?6 v9 [1 T& l' @; f5 iThis 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. " S- x3 G8 A, D9 u5 A9 Z* a 8 v" A* o8 I$ ?Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. e6 R$ h3 ~7 D( `5 S- J5 h+ P! g
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3 ?) S4 |5 }: RThe 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. ! B3 t7 K/ J, y2 s! s; ^4 W0 D" m9 b2 `' Z" H
The problem, increasingly, is revenue. 4 i$ `" O; n7 |) X! d* B ( `* `* Q6 u" {- G( g- aLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. # z- {/ L1 M* n$ v3 I; C. u2 D, C- k7 o6 c* d
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.3 k' m7 L# o x: o4 B
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And the economic downturn does not help.5 s; i7 M' o6 L
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.0 g$ ]0 \7 N/ t9 t7 K' h% K
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. # _) N' D# s4 ^, m' d7 X) X' U# L* y& K& X
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.1 B6 Y' n( f& R
6 w/ s y2 i0 e0 h6 [6 l% {/ oHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. % _: b( C, M' _9 q7 G 3 [/ O( q' h- J( E+ WBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say." X& q2 j# D/ ^8 M
; M1 C7 r) g4 B( W: `% o% X" Y( pGonorrhoea . {; p$ Y( z- s+ j2 |" V" A5 E; r0 \" X! B
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.8 d2 M: Y4 ]# t: V
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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.9 l! j) ^1 T; n# h/ x+ [% ?( U3 j2 [
( g; e) H( o& O1 eShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.% ~! m E k, ]
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" % p- }3 N$ g" P. E+ I , e7 S; U# Z; a2 z1 m& x7 U/ m: eHer 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. + a+ ~; ]' g, V6 I7 k) w5 I3 c$ G; s% I4 a6 v6 b
Each day would be 15 hours long./ B7 a0 q% Q9 S
' P. w5 O. j/ T+ s1 l4 f"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 1 d7 _$ ~* M/ J 5 \! a& N+ f! D! `8 a"You get used to it," she smiled.+ F0 ^1 x$ y; p. i* W* E6 t9 W- q. i
8 Q0 h4 a- ~+ e( R: n1 H5 ]8 ?$ e"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 9 ]' S0 S$ r2 Z7 O. C/ \ s 9 d: z2 H& x0 M8 _* D1 F"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."9 U1 M B7 r# @' w/ e- B2 |2 J
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 8 [- O! b7 G2 \- l) n0 ^5 E) F9 b & X" Y, z' [, K' S1 TExpensive lawsuits % r" c. |: A2 x* T4 i" s- g/ W; ^ 4 u3 n1 k. K5 ?- }) NIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. # y) S2 Q4 y* s8 z2 o0 A4 Q0 {: n) P" J2 ~$ b: G
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.7 g8 q$ ?, ^; Z: H, r0 T0 R0 @, }
9 E6 g& {! d9 f: }8 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.2 f- U7 W; m% u7 L) `8 |* U
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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. / A5 u2 G7 \9 p& R/ m7 {+ z9 Q, r4 J: U' k# F. H
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"7 S% [5 a; e" O F: p
5 u) ]* o4 q4 @' Q2 BI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. & L9 F, k- v* b! Q, m8 {: a0 [; u! z5 G/ n7 y. g
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 O9 t6 w3 f2 }: J/ B1 |0 o
1 R, Z# Z' [' c# ]6 DThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. & x1 ?& z: O0 z$ S# ?: a: y/ V3 S+ Q4 Q* n9 w" L4 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.0 l3 O% d. Y9 a0 C* @
' F) k5 V' F0 |5 A* Z$ P/ IA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 9 l8 q8 s/ ?0 }- l9 h8 J: T* q0 T) p
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. f! \: v! ^0 k u" a! [
: V) K" }7 y# U0 y: \4 aThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.0 u" v8 Y: x& L( J/ e
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 2 p9 Q9 T0 E$ v! ? m" ] v0 T- S9 }, ?+ |" v& R: u3 v 8 C: H6 U( \+ h2 _- B l& d
7 Q5 D1 ?/ g6 }2 d/ g+ A: p b 5 V6 @7 R; |# t, {( A3 ZCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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