本帖最后由 Ampelmann 于 2011-6-21 15:24 编辑 . R; O/ ^: w7 b, \1 r. i+ Y B/ n& E, { A$ k: s
加州色情电影业压力重重 BBC中文网 记者艾德•巴特勒 Ed Butler 0 r# w. T A. B/ `
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说到加州电影业，好莱坞并不是一枝独秀，这里也是世界色情电影之都。但是，BBC记者巴特勒说，色情电影业现在也面临重重压力：经济萧条的冲击、网上盗版的泛滥，和立法人对阵最终很有可能打败仗……+ _7 ~+ T3 I# }; ]( L' [8 D& ^
. _6 o: O; p& R2 v" r4 Z - ^ i+ Q) y6 h8 s5 o0 NCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles s: v- L9 B# U2 G; i3 k
7 |# }) K6 ?% r) W$ ?: H3 `' RCalifornia'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. + F0 d' i( Z Z/ Y0 L1 G& ~) J% B
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 0 D: w; s6 c* ^* B1 _1 {/ ^% l3 i# B& z! S& o/ i* Z: f% Q9 `
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. " h0 ^, ]- O" l* i( Z8 T; f * f8 B! z2 B' u! j" X4 sWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. 4 j# P4 Q- F8 N @. [* B) W( k+ G) {8 i# m! K
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 m5 S* {. o5 @/ w 4 u. H# I* Q0 Y lPerformers 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.5 u' e. \% W+ A
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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. : P1 b: u1 C- ]( f' k- Z+ f) b: f7 R5 F) @2 N4 g, h: y3 F
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.( J9 l8 j' j2 c/ A
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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 H. C- V6 A( X) z: E( X. Q3 v/ h3 x1 Q/ \' o* ?8 `
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.% x+ l/ S% C3 |; n" o
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 2 {' Q/ z9 \3 E9 I! X& X6 D) D2 L2 `$ |0 H
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.9 r% r- W' Q- s% K+ P( m- T/ f+ W
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And the economic downturn does not help. ( K9 I* q2 q" F5 R8 y% n7 p/ w; h. ~2 a
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.' _3 S, z8 ~7 i3 Y( F/ q
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.; {: E1 t% }1 S
+ e9 x7 V! E1 v5 [/ uFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms., A5 F3 c/ P* ]' Z
! e; p, u# D: A8 i" ~% wHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. ; \$ E: j* Q% v. | 9 ]7 y( D: [" m5 Z- VBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. , K: ~% `0 o) x9 D* |' {( y! O x
Gonorrhoea 5 _9 v$ @+ T5 o/ r: V! p f% Y( `( {! L3 A' C
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 4 M! Y$ \- X+ b' k1 f' N* e$ [/ a2 v, F5 M
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. : I$ j# P. O5 \: M / j8 B+ i% f8 \5 QShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. ' J# C, t; k1 u% w* K2 [( O6 c , [$ N5 I) w# {"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"$ C# P" t4 Y( S% L/ ~
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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./ K& H' u; c- y% Q% b- w
- P" {8 H- o" yEach day would be 15 hours long. 5 ?2 V" T' x9 S+ h8 j- H" d5 W- ~$ {& Y7 `" w
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.& g4 H- }' L; g4 K2 H9 z9 B
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"You get used to it," she smiled. 4 S3 A( O, Q7 w! ~( P% e: T. X% n$ e
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" % I8 G f" I5 v 6 D3 u9 p0 g; g k w. Y"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."- k3 w8 F u, Y
0 O6 i) ?8 I. [7 f5 y0 iThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.6 W8 j8 H$ C7 ?. G7 u: N" P5 \
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Expensive lawsuits : r: S; F; _" ]+ V 4 E! I! I7 V9 S% Y2 b9 I$ tIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.$ z8 p, }. K1 b1 m4 L
6 E' q: _! M& Y! \A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.; o( n" p x; ^; q' `+ ^+ R2 V% a
$ q5 z, h. X$ w1 Y& `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.6 @1 p) m) {/ R9 N
, {6 l4 |' F2 a: F$ Q( 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. J( F! y' [" K; J0 J% w! u* W8 X/ z3 c: w# x- l; r- W+ s+ }( X9 `
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"6 p6 @+ a, J' m/ Y3 }
- u, D5 e1 J1 C9 q7 M# I1 E% _) LI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 3 B- j' q0 l2 Z/ X; `9 V : H3 G9 ?' Z r/ Z9 T) yBut 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?/ J: W: a5 a& `6 q
6 y0 G9 `# N3 s9 l4 A9 A8 ZThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.2 I% {, Y' g! N
3 c; h/ f3 C: `+ iIt 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.3 D4 t: m* ?2 a7 J( I0 E
% o! s6 I p# L$ jA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. " t) V0 L9 G' K9 e `4 B! f! Z( B/ K6 C8 F; Z0 o: ?2 f
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.) ]0 D8 R" I+ x% a7 Z. m/ X
! V* M0 B9 `/ SThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. 0 d( g1 D# u* m) h, e" E- r& K- F" Y: X z: j9 P" ~
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. - F- I( r" Z. z- G/ l% d0 p1 p) J9 s) P $ E. D k! |0 R9 c& s2 w+ K/ B7 k2 r& O$ D7 @8 z. ^ ; f* _) h1 K1 J' l: W5 C: rCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
