; }7 n$ {* k1 ^4 O6 kCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles * E/ x4 H4 g, e6 C+ m0 F6 c# I' v# \- {& y8 \
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.' X6 o2 _$ ~: f/ b/ s
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.' z3 x$ {7 o8 |' S7 f+ u
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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. 0 {% J+ j6 _4 Q/ _4 } ; q" F4 Z4 N8 [$ O% K3 Q$ KWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. ! q4 }- z. @& Z' A5 y) d. F 9 D4 L3 q, p) l# a' AThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. 9 R, P( l7 j6 i- T , i% O# ~7 ?* m/ }* V1 fPerformers 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. 5 \% b- X0 m# [/ W0 P q 7 a0 F% b( k h. s, V# WThis 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. $ Z7 Z7 F4 r9 n1 } : G) E# P& X/ |/ h" ZOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed." D! ~) ^+ l- Y d
" ]& ^7 Q4 t% N- s$ J4 m sFantasy ; d8 z6 U* l0 [5 E3 z3 g$ a5 B9 |- L$ p9 Z
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.! K! \' C) J1 I1 L& `+ d5 z" X
; s: e3 B5 w* O/ h& m; Y* wThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.6 H$ d3 D) s* V( J7 @& @
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch., X+ H0 _& {) z# Z& T% k
5 L0 x6 Y; y$ \& FDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.8 o% _( {8 v$ v, o, o6 r0 H
! X% f; a9 R: Y- E9 VAnd the economic downturn does not help. 1 T* D k; a0 P4 E1 z* s: }$ A0 C0 D4 t5 N- v
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.$ w8 G/ F" G U6 S# }& u6 [
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. . \& t! a9 q9 N( l) B5 C: i9 |, x7 f; y, |; n
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.; `& }. u- I9 A/ k
& \1 }1 o( t6 c7 I0 Q" ?Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 7 j5 E+ V, j' G+ N$ y4 d# i5 A1 N6 Z6 A9 S% g# Z1 w7 S0 g8 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.3 C O& i- ^ b! h; H, |" [7 I2 M
% C& d" u: L& c5 FGonorrhoea 9 y H0 l6 H3 n' ?- ]( y1 a5 U- ~3 n 0 W& _+ g% I: T- Y- m4 nBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.( l+ ]* ~, i. \% ]2 y8 }2 P8 p
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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." o$ g7 e, q7 j$ p
: N @; A M+ ?5 d3 o! z: MShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.0 k1 Y1 M( N* O+ p$ O' j/ [2 w
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"& z' a$ u6 Z( }
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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. + E. l6 |, }* \ ' I0 H( P. D5 C5 ~Each day would be 15 hours long. - g0 r# w7 {, j5 _* R 8 S4 W7 ^' X0 {7 u/ @"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 7 q- a2 q c0 o, v; d7 v2 Q+ v; S
"You get used to it," she smiled.& }8 E& B; f: y) t, Q, A
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 9 R( R, i5 _- P $ x$ t! g6 [# R9 t+ t"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."3 {4 x/ q2 K* J7 Q# ]$ ~8 D
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.2 h2 K, x/ @0 O( L/ ]9 G" o% I
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Expensive lawsuits % J* `. E- e- C8 K( k! I2 L( V( m( A, `3 l Y+ o0 f( m
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 5 V9 a8 k7 n4 i; D$ o; b' u3 H2 B' h& }6 P+ n
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.# `. K" Z" v& G, V1 B7 t
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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." R5 u/ q% Z; A3 p
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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. 1 A9 R% X1 _: k- U" x0 a, j* E6 }$ u% R
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"* B5 V# A* t3 B6 h4 [4 X z9 e- G
. [5 ^, d4 U+ m9 U( XI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. ) l7 d; V0 r0 _4 z$ k3 C& ]. P/ N' _* \ G' v: o
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?( r5 w! V/ t+ b/ U, L8 U
4 J6 O$ a# R2 K6 V. vThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 1 D& w7 v$ i5 K6 r: r5 K# ~, i% Y% b$ K+ p# {' [; f! R
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.3 g% V% |& r& v5 l/ k' s
" L) Y7 c. S$ U: j/ b5 Q7 hA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.0 G9 f" W; B% F5 B; z
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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. 8 m. q+ j- ^1 i" N5 s( P0 \ {$ [4 d' \6 O) q$ l/ f8 G( @ R% ^That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. 9 Y& v9 v, i7 [4 x7 m+ p : ^( m) D; \+ w% VI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. " u9 O# i- l- l" Z# Y/ P% I( F 5 Y! n5 E$ u6 q L: L# {' J4 O8 ]- j7 z2 E! U: i
% V2 S' u4 m' w/ @+ P# I) @" N6 M7 t # }+ _+ U* M6 L! x d' uCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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