9 z L: O% I* O* t( c! n/ D7 P% O; E9 R5 ^0 E9 ?+ g& ~
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 7 C9 T% N- {! V) K" X; j" q * }) b8 c0 l1 a; Q0 N$ VCalifornia'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. 0 A% |& H& b+ S2 T1 Q2 w6 g0 Z9 |; G5 `* {3 \$ u$ o
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.* r# i `; f1 M
9 ~) |9 C& L( W$ |
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.% M. Y" z, t/ i9 u S
8 P" S. ^! J9 X: I) I) V- q
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect., r; m/ z( B- N3 v
4 h7 C: V) k) p6 Y2 h
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. $ |3 V' V- R& Z) H- H! u3 K$ c6 }% x. i$ e
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.' C$ G; M* d: k0 [4 k
9 G8 m0 U5 y% J) w+ Q- R
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./ G! D9 `1 ?# b% `
. {! m6 L4 t0 T0 rOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. + A0 l% s g( y; F c9 \6 N5 ]7 V9 q5 E. W
Fantasy# Q% {0 ?8 I, ?, H& O6 S8 K" o0 }( o
' M8 D7 t; g' |& fThe 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.) g: [- z5 h5 C+ t6 N1 k2 L3 i
6 m$ T; N8 F& T' j' T
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.' w, a6 k6 m. M, S
: M' [+ E' w5 t- C2 {! a. Z$ o9 l" G/ q
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. # }. [2 Y4 {: B/ B: E8 q " W- M7 G7 r+ B6 L' lDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. / {) ` a$ Y1 Q# q5 k# y 6 D, M& T- `! D5 `( g% ?And the economic downturn does not help. 2 [/ S5 `! n/ X7 C& c% ~0 M$ S7 A4 k( R
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.7 N5 }( b" }7 ?( t5 E9 I
4 V" {# N( U z- ~+ ^) P5 ^The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. 0 S" S3 N6 h2 A* V' ? * `4 r4 u4 U; OFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. ( y* m) G0 N+ X2 L- p7 f# `, G9 K i5 E* j, T) k- FHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. " y5 h& Z, S" p1 B# r/ b/ H( s! y' t! [# |! Q( o
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.$ F" d& m1 p' V) \9 b+ C: a
& F0 B `6 R+ b3 T5 Q
Gonorrhoea . t( \% @- T% l u( N( \ 5 G# ~% P P$ h! d+ g! r/ sBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.$ U5 ~, v) d. h8 M
& Z1 p7 o3 l, L9 j) N. j" D" R9 T1 k% w
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.3 j/ d. P: [1 J# m7 z ~. S
2 B5 D" @( j8 bShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 3 H5 P2 ?8 E( ]% D# w3 _ * ^" u& f$ v7 `: a"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"# ]2 v5 D2 b' A" z$ K- |
5 e* X+ a9 y2 `" y8 A
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; L0 e3 N& T# G
* U) e& a% L8 L, F9 C1 U
Each day would be 15 hours long. 4 r/ @0 I, W |8 i6 n0 X 5 k. G- I* l0 G9 s"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 4 o+ S" G! G# Y6 c3 e# L w- u: m, G6 k# l" C
"You get used to it," she smiled. : v& Y5 y( m# I) P+ }# i1 j! l ^ V9 R5 L: c3 `( X8 M
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"4 q& ^8 n8 I6 z
0 h* t/ p0 P: n' i
"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." ' Y7 l: T9 D8 J+ W ! D0 J4 A. h/ z8 kThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.9 e; M- c! i `5 m) e* b
6 D) m2 _, Y1 J# m
Expensive lawsuits . t' \& ?2 a! y. w* o4 A7 H4 u/ I2 r2 k) x6 v6 s
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.0 U5 ?' F' S& k/ p2 l
$ _( d) T! {% j* ^0 cA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 3 R( M, I( I F6 p / |6 y1 H9 J% f2 Y; @; yIt 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 O2 V1 ]. [: _1 t/ L! H* V3 k
! R1 T2 u' u% Y. j( s
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. C4 m* X F" X$ }+ c
+ R0 m7 i5 C3 R"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" ) z* H. u, f4 U/ l' f3 W' ]) O9 `' P G1 j, a$ Z
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 0 D6 I$ N- Z% j, Q& I) \& Q2 ~; H$ F, R5 i W" O2 g3 w
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?. x8 i$ _' c2 v! ?4 q
( f3 M1 ?! \* P- ]The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.; ]. }+ @5 g/ t& x/ D
( c; w( S5 g- m2 a5 K* jIt 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. ' \* o( o' P: q* C) H- `0 U$ R/ ~4 O% _; W 1 I: K. E9 U8 G& iA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 9 Q$ T/ [) E% l- [' {% _/ _' C; x/ W) I 5 {1 y c2 O( y, W0 |, Z' xThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. - P* [# ]0 Y2 q B " x( B4 [7 H8 a5 `( M9 \4 VThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. 1 S9 o- G. E# y' X1 t1 E& P 5 S f2 R( g% C/ cI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. ! \* B# o* q# L) W8 E( F) N/ B- ?' `0 {: @ X% H! a" u2 L$ e q2 N; q% w; o+ h" w# }+ ~
7 I. @: a1 w3 d2 R6 B2 }+ @! R( \+ H; S/ N
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
q2 N; q% w; o+ h" w# }+ ~
2 R6 B2 }+ @! R( \+ H; S/ N