) P. M7 t* c3 j8 s9 QCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles / l% p" Y3 \! g2 H) d
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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.' b4 J- m7 C a O/ w
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. : c+ V; P3 C" h7 _* E( f; }; j' s0 K4 r
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. # A; v; e/ w, `, d e, n, b! F
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.7 S& I d: e; {, z$ I3 c
% y2 Z6 K- B- S( ^2 F; ?6 qThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. 0 f) o' ]! m0 j- F0 G6 L 5 F. i2 l% F# u2 NPerformers 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. ' A, k* E; u* x% K8 |' m - U2 c- Z; _4 p* P8 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. K h1 N- Z- [6 p! D
3 h' P9 r' e3 E- Y! aOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. 1 }; n2 A; r# c# ?! u, _' N+ K, U0 s
Fantasy4 Y$ X& @; B. ^
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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. 5 X( |/ [7 ^6 l2 L& R9 a7 E# | A* {; @! `" F
The problem, increasingly, is revenue. ! x4 v# W" z# S / a1 N7 Z3 e6 ~6 ELike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. & R+ a. `8 d% N: Y# ?8 a* c4 G; G0 _9 A4 [6 Z5 J7 K
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. ; l. |& Y/ ~4 y/ {/ |5 N" h# z1 M8 c$ |1 |6 ?6 `+ ^
And the economic downturn does not help. , ~' s0 c9 q& Q& r; n7 ] $ s* i- O4 B# q" G"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.6 @- A) ^+ i# M/ x
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.# N! O: H* c9 Y8 O8 w; X* e' u
4 `3 |. R, F5 O1 {For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.8 H! X" H/ L3 X& T' [
/ O3 V5 \" C( w* rHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. ) ]0 \. n+ K V) x3 D- q! J" R6 H0 d! X1 t; r+ A7 {
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 w F5 ]+ G) g: N
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. & } L- v. R& \, _( l0 S$ @0 N, @1 @4 q4 P4 w9 M% \
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.9 W0 G8 d0 R3 v' [) v% o
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.$ W) H; O/ D7 R1 n5 G
, @( Q) F3 L Q ^8 N"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"9 p( d6 B1 G* o- N; {4 q
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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.1 y* q5 Q' s" Q6 M6 w. t9 U$ v7 V
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Each day would be 15 hours long. ' Y% u2 U# d0 a% I* c* _ G8 z; i0 }8 \; @' u- U% e i: F
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. ( N9 o& O5 Z m6 h& Q! c4 ~3 c C : F; j9 [$ l; t$ N2 y l"You get used to it," she smiled.9 u- V7 a2 y, c1 g' d# {$ c
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"* ], N f5 J. K! b* x0 g
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"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." , l' p' R' n7 ]1 R 1 Z$ V$ Z; H& b; A: J. iThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 5 F# s9 r- w& L* T2 }2 f/ K1 K; A1 r' `
Expensive lawsuits : j% B4 ?) ^! B8 X ) Y* v }* F* u6 N! r( m/ }In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business./ G+ |) F% h1 s! J7 r5 k# ]
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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. " _, g" d& x9 ?4 o' n# u: w0 X' B( M+ y* W* L* F
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. - F4 `) E Q. u/ z2 b: \! e - G8 X7 n) b; i& u2 XNow, 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." M7 |0 ]3 A0 F3 ~! [, [
' @+ b/ z; e7 W: r; F; \$ x7 g"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"5 h* E( R+ b5 ?6 x9 t- Y. ^
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.; g) I: W0 r- w0 @6 f3 \
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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?7 i: V/ c$ n# {# g( b
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The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.2 P4 m; |+ j9 W) v3 m
4 o3 a! v# M& w- G5 M p1 LIt 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. 8 l! y# W: J& T4 n: [ / ?+ S% _% g2 ~; w- rA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.0 z( S1 ]. c D5 c$ G& b p3 u
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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. ( M2 w, K! Q2 y0 ?4 _8 r# L4 a; G2 L, \4 e' \& A5 K8 ]. A
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. ! |- P% ~) P' Z3 w8 [! a, T, z% W! w% W
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.! v8 u& o/ k9 i2 G+ D) f/ `3 \
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2 u* ~0 H+ }6 ~0 A 0 O: v5 q0 I: Z! q6 o d( rCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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