$ R0 K, ~' f, Q6 j ' a' Q) m+ p; e! yCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles : Y4 | ~8 q4 x5 J7 u7 [! e
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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.# x& q/ O$ `/ H: I* m0 A
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. , T4 i, Z! h* t+ N+ ]3 M6 W * ^' N+ a x* d2 ZI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. _# H+ M1 ?: Q* l ]; y# G/ O1 u- O0 M$ c- ?
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.8 ]2 g9 t' P+ V/ }* C: U) R
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The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. # U9 v1 [+ R W X$ e7 o4 P; l6 X* U& u1 q4 m$ @. _* [3 p9 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. 3 ?- V/ X. O7 s# ?$ a5 I0 [& a / T* w) e7 k, U* f, A% lThis 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.7 B7 D$ F/ d3 x3 Y" z* R$ j9 \
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. # I/ q# M8 l/ E6 q+ {- d! F8 d# Z & {7 O8 U& z2 h* W, SFantasy6 S. {- t; E7 F/ Y. ~
) x: }& t3 t6 k7 {" sThe 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. ^( B( t# [0 K 1 q- `5 S$ v3 oThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. ! Q9 G- B5 j/ K' h7 v: U `, _) O2 Y1 N& ^
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.; b9 X% }7 ]3 C' h! c& d, i" Q
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.; k/ y+ W6 X1 F0 G8 x5 u9 E- l
0 M! @* |( j: q3 ?) FAnd the economic downturn does not help.6 C7 y6 c) u# O$ F9 r
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. d1 i" _2 r) a! J
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.# _, r9 T& }. I# y4 ^9 Q$ I* g" @
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms., e7 T. S4 _' ~- m- Z+ ^
/ Z, w* d5 u* L9 x5 }3 G" iHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.- D, r! m1 {! G) x! J$ p" m( H
- b h9 l& @* }6 |0 RBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.* m7 ?, P% K! {, ] t- \
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Gonorrhoea : `" A# S0 I7 A- a: i- j+ e! w K9 o `. z A2 g) f
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 6 h1 |3 j. B! a& J+ X# r3 H: ?! s2 @. r9 l$ q' R
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. ) V' H' o& D8 I1 Y2 C. t) b* O - a; V2 ?7 A: s4 @9 VShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.' Y# U: m/ H) z/ W5 G# u0 b
- v" f: R1 i$ ^: F8 `"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"4 H9 h5 U/ E; P% M
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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. 3 O3 a6 ~# \$ D & ?/ X z! g, N0 ]9 IEach day would be 15 hours long.$ i! Z! c4 O y3 ~/ V& H" ^) o9 C
2 k- K8 Z, c8 o8 t"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.4 X9 U7 ^, D6 h& h2 A0 m; J
4 ?( B" y0 r _# K* g"You get used to it," she smiled. , d; k1 a; b" a) [; A6 w . v6 k8 N) g# }"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" - Z) Y) ~- C0 s" k p* {8 h" [( y0 j% R5 F9 W! B0 o
"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." H+ y/ E- M8 |0 p/ Q # J2 | d+ r6 m! L, v$ }4 w: j) LThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.1 u* [; @$ H# R% r8 b' }
' n# y* t* ~8 b' `Expensive lawsuits! _& F4 r6 b) @
: w2 n" h5 }& p. T* Y& QIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.8 [& `; Z7 R$ V! _1 q* B' E4 C
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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. % u& g: s% t& l( @1 P3 h: s, e$ I) C ! A3 R0 h7 z8 i& q. G$ m: e4 eIt 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.) h4 Q1 b7 y. V' o! ]2 x% S
! s, X8 m; O. f( uNow, 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. ! m! T) u4 X8 U+ o& j1 q " c- C% E: O! s Z% E8 Q0 v"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" * E! W3 A2 o0 y; w4 @, e5 t- C1 K: |7 \8 U
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment., s: u: }% m( \" C1 [- c
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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?2 m9 s- A2 k, ]+ n# y& C$ S+ j. _
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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. [4 |: J: W* L/ ?& h" A% V/ ]: o
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. 8 i O. w' ]3 ]/ ^3 j , {2 I: F8 i; s; O2 e$ iA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. : ]( |- S1 c! H% D0 Q+ U ! t, a0 I! T- p& f. y D) t6 ZThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.' i2 \1 w9 z( 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.' e6 V6 c7 G' O# K/ Z. \
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. . U" S; {7 F. b/ @+ h& A& ?2 d! u/ t- Q . E ]* P; S) K+ N9 ^2 J! r # L: H% J9 @0 O# d3 ~. n/ P! @5 Z' [0 |3 l8 a' d! z- M
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004