1 z+ @7 P9 q& q! b9 T但是,当局非常坚决。建筑工人必须戴头盔,矿工必须戴口罩,色情演员也必须有适当的保护。 6 [. a& H2 J( y) m$ e w' b p
和加州的立法人对阵,色情电影业最终很有可能打败仗。除了罚款,色情电影业也面临着一些前任演员们提出的代价昂贵的法律诉讼。, C6 o* S4 Z" N( L8 M- g
: }( n9 z; i# V% Q4 \一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 * H) ]# U7 n2 M$ y+ o2 w5 B3 V& _" w, x
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。0 a' `) E% u9 ~, }
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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。8 y' F$ {# L7 C: e$ k" u
6 A, N$ l6 w1 d* A5 U4 r! L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…….8 @5 A- _" t1 ~! ~+ }9 N5 h* L
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 7 I! {, J" F" ~2 Q! K6 U9 u$ Q+ Y, [+ j ?
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.6 G+ p! i% g4 P) C- \# S" P/ l
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 7 j+ N* p- U; I( n0 K8 w% i; J( P" b" e
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 8 u$ v' `* F3 t( u' Z( x/ |& l0 \9 N/ {5 p/ o6 { g5 }
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. + E; U J @ s3 c+ N0 C 4 u3 V* g2 j: K2 hThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.. Z, b+ p+ h5 `5 y* T) S
T( R+ x. k+ Z3 T9 PPerformers 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. ; ^' a A% J+ _$ I Q+ u6 Q7 p/ d& M- U- g, `: D
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., M5 w M, j1 y- C$ C1 B: r
1 A) @# I3 K& Z! v1 ^Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.$ \" [0 F6 v4 Y1 b- N" Y9 [
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/ A4 h, l' u% s, H2 L6 IThe 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. ! c, K( I# ?( M6 S1 c$ l- T& r* F: ~9 ?0 l
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.7 J' E; z4 T9 b. ?; G# z3 }' `
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 7 J$ R9 N+ f/ m5 P" P8 w* d& x8 {! h0 e/ \& ]
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. }+ ]- S* w% M' `4 [* o8 p2 S
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And the economic downturn does not help.. \7 ~. }$ t- F5 N6 U1 L
2 P I. O8 S2 u: M. s, w"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.9 f# [. w( G. O+ ]6 ]
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.5 S; q% }# i: i- E, }$ `
z& t- }" J/ n' G$ zFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. / O" A4 |* |* { - i6 x! b V1 c- [! q: y2 f! W! cHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. * ~0 c+ }5 |3 E! v* t* D: l4 j& N3 } 3 W5 {) R* d$ [* iBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.; V0 C: w, J N, H. z, ~( p1 X2 p9 Y
% y3 y3 [+ `1 Z$ L+ \6 F& i5 yGonorrhoea0 @6 v, {7 a/ @4 l E! v
- `/ T4 c2 `6 fBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 8 W j! y& t$ z1 @& h3 J+ x v3 L( {( f, v& W7 `
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. $ Z4 G% y) Q+ q" ^9 _5 D! U - U& g! t5 L _" d0 s# _5 ]# iShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.( n0 ^ m* b0 X$ k
, T5 U- J1 c1 n. k: G"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" ) s3 L" o! d- P1 u0 T/ h0 A$ N2 d * U3 X. A; y5 f% K* V0 o, F0 F- YHer 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. R7 S4 ^2 W' G
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Each day would be 15 hours long. + x0 w+ Z: A9 f # y& F% K& ]( t: ~) k9 q0 F2 i. Y"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.2 ]! j. Q3 @7 b4 `) z$ O
S2 {' Q6 }# b6 ^9 q"You get used to it," she smiled.7 Z8 K/ d4 q5 }5 O# d d
* z/ q) S9 Q$ a- O"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" & I( a% r/ |7 \7 x$ w , x0 h0 j9 k0 ?: R+ L$ `+ T8 ^5 t2 V"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."- k t& U+ k2 v6 ]1 z
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.( Z( d5 E- B i* }- s, o# ~0 A
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Expensive lawsuits & X" x) Q) ?, l! L. y $ p; E, }8 o d, ^6 N5 e# \& G4 zIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.% t: H R( P' e- ?1 H% Y) M
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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. 6 z- w A/ t" [1 F' O- }/ u' N
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. + n J/ ]8 H' o- g! R4 w; z- L- g% o + f7 _$ h% u" @1 [# k' O5 D7 R, b% Y7 wNow, 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. & i! `- r: ]- v. V$ D6 X' A2 B9 G! k- ?
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" # a& N% @, [& C- f, V( x3 A2 _1 S 6 z. ^. D r3 Z) M1 [1 }" dI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. & U& V9 @( b7 ~9 Z1 F* r% L% p# f. q& {
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?3 ], h( V4 b% |( {2 ~/ v/ W! k
/ L0 z+ Z6 ~9 qThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. , c+ ]8 w# T- |" I0 k $ A. I8 z2 O2 G" ?- \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.( v x* l; \5 Z9 q
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.4 ^. J9 O, [- r1 }6 L
8 s) Q# N. m8 J8 P1 wThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.! h' I% v! b- G- r+ \' I% O! A8 t
9 P. Q' G5 `& y) \: _That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.9 O; E' @/ x9 ^& g' Z; h$ c+ ~8 O
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 0 {" u# Z7 c0 q/ [1 R$ k, F) }4 _' X! l1 k# y9 t( ` 4 j1 g1 ]+ k" k. F( z( d/ @( V7 a1 O, V. P " Z e( G- I( K% m
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004