6 R( F5 ^# m/ |5 I# E一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。7 f+ F) I: t+ y- A) X+ y
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制片人说，这对雇员没有任何好处，只会迫使制片公司搬到海外、或者转移到地下去拍片。观众想看的，就一定能看得到。 / n' Y& Z7 Z- Y6 x' Q/ X X! {' ]9 f# ?/ P
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。' U. _: n* C; f. [3 |, t% e( e% Z
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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…….% W) J5 ]" i9 R' n* U9 o
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ! C" Q' Z% N* n4 ^ 8 L+ F% O. `; uCalifornia'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., p/ U# P- l+ ]9 {; O+ V
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.% @3 t% f$ X q) u/ P- H& X
8 B e! r! ?6 g6 C" qI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 7 s' N( h" x, ~+ S# C* B1 Q6 T4 S3 y8 D4 K* T+ U* _- Y1 t8 c o& `
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.# t2 y# I5 x( W1 T5 G
, L# E5 j! ]0 G9 E4 {( D; XThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.# n5 O9 X n# |5 {, p
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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.. a8 V/ H7 _' Z/ [% ?
, i) r9 c9 s2 u, ?4 j) g7 RThis 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.( v: n. \6 a0 }" `* x& n @- y
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. 0 T& J6 t- O1 j3 s; h" U ) f: [; o: `2 U/ X* K+ a# ]0 e+ \' |2 KFantasy + C1 u) |: ~7 A' _, D" G, d( u. O- Y1 k: q+ a, b* C
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.( U; {3 K- g3 `, I1 H: K! p8 O
2 f) l( }, A# j: _) oThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. 6 [; t9 P2 P4 `" f2 K0 X0 }- ~$ d! H7 B `4 o) c
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. + e7 _: H4 x J% \7 v) j 8 \9 Y% Q5 o! h* HDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.% M1 O) b: t5 \, _, B- n# u% H5 `
/ p N K# r4 h: P: o+ h/ A& IAnd the economic downturn does not help. 9 h W- _% R! ^$ \- I4 G $ _8 w; ?: S* {"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. + r7 R0 t. K. a* [ * R$ I3 ?. g. f; ^2 M! u& R& gThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. ) A1 a" Y# g0 r- H/ B& Z$ v8 m u 1 Q+ U$ D, f. [+ O7 B% dFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms., r* @$ r C# f" o
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.8 p& {1 n# q) {$ U2 t! p3 \
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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. $ c/ h' ^. z4 N) Q7 i/ E A4 j$ C5 p: e9 t; e2 z- W* h5 P9 e& |1 ~. x
Gonorrhoea # N- ~, _7 @% {+ a0 j% O; `# e, u2 ~ ! d6 Z, c# s2 {- A" p+ uBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 5 v2 Z3 \4 `. l2 k" H9 D4 _8 L/ e! E& ?0 i
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.0 [. I& \9 X. X' l
# C- t. |' i2 T% K6 a. w0 fShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 5 @2 A; d" x7 O5 X7 `9 t6 h( P3 [# m2 D" f) u0 f2 A
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" $ F! L3 t; N+ ]9 X, u& P; n . @9 r# G- c4 v" t5 t! z# S0 kHer 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. B3 J% }' c8 E3 t0 G- Z
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Each day would be 15 hours long.2 R, ~3 n$ |0 _4 _$ _" Z% M
8 I2 W' Z3 _' C7 ?% x"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.9 r" h( p; a- B; L% H `
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"You get used to it," she smiled. 6 g; l* \; u n; G- {3 _, D; l1 w( X& g- o, @0 F3 Q+ y- O
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" / H! t d9 o# y0 e t: u3 D. Y! L
"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."2 j% G0 s) S* S2 j2 }0 r! ~
2 }1 o% f) W" E! C- t4 k4 }There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.; J4 e0 @! R6 @9 b3 m. \/ [
' K1 ~$ V; B Q) v; Z/ i# bExpensive lawsuits \' |; E0 q5 K2 f
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 0 O$ l- J5 |1 G/ a$ K . H0 [! Y7 H) W+ T; YA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.+ Q% C7 e9 {! q( M2 i
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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. 0 {$ P" B, l) D( f) M * @: L( p' e4 d" |& Q# ~9 yNow, 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. + F, j0 \6 `" U K# z/ _0 V3 B) M! b+ Q% x1 C& w, V( }
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"0 L" \4 E3 r: H: [, a' n
! M% [1 P! Q& ~( p# O1 r! C. gI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. . H. e. h7 e( Y: R 4 t' {$ i9 \ I! a( P# N* bBut 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? $ X2 _7 X! k( L R+ \" ~ . J$ P+ Z4 @$ f" EThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. ) a; j+ F# v+ u( _% l0 R% z5 Z% k$ A: w; _
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. N7 S' L, Q; B, `/ y5 }) a7 ?* |7 ~7 H, c5 L
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. # K7 f! f0 T! t( T9 N% i6 W) y1 o+ u. w8 f( |& T2 a; J3 |
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 ^3 a! ~/ J* l" @
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That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.! [9 t; a! F: Y7 F: k! P
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 1 ]: o- t- ~$ b9 H1 |$ y+ v0 ?: u# X# E; Z; W$ `3 ]2 t3 I2 M 9 ]& a$ d+ K' q$ i2 ]: |$ ^) n6 ]
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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