" C! q2 H) Z) ^. _* Q" ~4 C1 Z9 K: CCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles * t/ ^( _, \8 i9 f2 K# e 2 f5 j* f% o' S( Q& B0 E5 JCalifornia'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.9 C- N! r- ]4 q. |. b) }+ c
9 m4 T. { H) J$ s4 j" D4 jLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.: y# D+ Z( M2 k- }! x7 [5 x* M
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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.9 u4 a) H7 |$ N
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What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.2 O0 t$ X! }. e% t
0 j& }5 B& R% x. s% W: m& z( t) hThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.5 U! N: y# w* j# {# `8 D+ h
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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. 0 y0 B7 T# L+ u' t% R8 Y0 l7 ^( J! ?4 b+ t8 R5 {+ C5 V$ c1 e
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.9 y0 R5 P+ Z0 z3 Q1 T/ T5 N$ a
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. ) M* ~' m. ? b `6 n& d) I" T) S1 D' I1 k! K& Q3 i t
Fantasy & J9 w/ A. L2 u0 A8 m2 x & x$ P9 A" Z4 C7 y6 A% J+ j9 G3 lThe 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 @" ~, A. s6 v+ L: O+ g% e
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.+ Z- }& x; k/ f& `. s! e$ j, B
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. " Z7 p: e+ w# K, K- V8 c3 a* @ / B$ g4 ~* z5 b6 sDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.1 H! V4 o* X( Y& I) L6 k _
' k! i( `8 [0 R3 rAnd the economic downturn does not help. : p# G* C% Q% F" Q: W% X1 ~6 \ h. K
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ; y9 d# \4 c0 W0 ~ Y 9 e% S* v( ^0 ]+ b& w% u# L0 }The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. 5 b7 s7 p: |! ?# U& D8 |/ X4 U1 x# l9 ^
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. ( [4 i2 ?* k0 e" Z) H0 e1 e ! `9 |1 Z5 W$ ^7 Z8 |4 W" f5 N7 nHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. # i4 c; ^1 i8 x2 Z' S4 z0 j$ j: q: ]: p% ?8 Y/ g4 z: N( Q; V/ s
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., R, Z" ]$ j$ ], v+ m. g
1 l8 ]& F1 i2 K; [" dGonorrhoea 6 d% g) I$ S) c. |/ g % q }/ g+ n9 W: PBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.. E/ u) J+ ?6 }% X6 A \
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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 F q6 h6 k& g+ F! _. n+ p4 { * c4 l9 O9 g# E7 _She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. % m8 [2 p- j. x8 ~ 9 c( C! x7 h# I5 u3 ~! G"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"$ X0 z: P! L4 E: B
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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: l! k' p: a$ ~) }6 N
% v: r: B) ?* vEach day would be 15 hours long.! p+ N# b& ]& A5 ~% i A
1 Q5 i- Y- L! X# [1 ~9 w. w"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.7 E% V$ q& `0 K1 M# ^5 J! t( e
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"You get used to it," she smiled. ) m' }/ N6 q$ B5 {% s* q+ M9 f* Q7 ~5 f+ S3 r' W& y+ i
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?": \1 Z- L0 k* I/ i* Q
' Y6 w) W2 g3 N! p3 R! P, G% p7 p2 X"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."' s! q- \: |1 S& C' c2 h
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. ; e% y( ]1 f6 D. p0 W & M6 O. \6 O& J2 c* A' I5 iExpensive lawsuits * q: E( S' m5 y# W! W$ y- O! E: l/ @ r7 n7 j* n$ T; Y: `
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.5 n; m6 m$ |/ `) e; V) R
5 n; E3 }1 e* K9 EA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.& X! h5 Z9 k) _2 |& X" l
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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./ b0 O; H: j$ e ~- l
) j" x+ Q. k4 ?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. - z( @ x3 j t2 ]' _+ v( Z9 t9 ` R4 \* ]9 o6 ^3 i, J/ |/ R2 H
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"+ F: q; B( X8 z, I' v- q: [6 m
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. / x; F2 o# W7 R! M9 Q7 M4 X / l3 Y7 R: T* JBut 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? + |; a# j9 I$ ]- i4 k$ g* B4 k. f/ g
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 4 L" ?% Z" q( W2 e/ U 3 p4 `% g# J% g- n$ SIt 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. 4 z1 {$ n( H+ B $ @8 C& y4 C/ LA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.1 E; o; ~. _0 V) ^ s" B* r9 p
# [: X& W* V0 J. W& j) ~5 bThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.7 {9 {2 w6 `% Q1 M* d% U$ 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. ! X! f& O; t0 m2 d( L% _6 h+ o. W$ V9 c9 t
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. & A$ d/ B# g" J0 d" ?! g2 n5 D3 B8 _% }$ J ! |+ i; D* }: v& j# j8 ]# E6 ~; m- _& K0 T; b9 ^ 9 l: J' g5 C: ?- I Q) YCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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