; d) |' K6 Y3 k b# g \6 T0 I; \% \/ {. S O M* Q- t5 k9 g I
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles % h- N, d s( x, |: z: Q; w! l% J0 c 1 d& Q" x2 ]7 _0 {3 GCalifornia'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. ) o& g* }5 ^! C7 d0 g* J! O5 P: h5 _# G) I- l- q9 n6 ?
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. : F! o" J- W3 L( d" g8 l3 W4 F5 C8 @7 O- b8 X- ]
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.9 G, b5 g2 n9 s0 a P! B5 b6 G
# \% a5 z+ x# p! p8 @What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. . {! r T) W9 F* P6 Q) L+ O' N: U 9 e, o7 F& M3 Z+ c6 R) u9 hThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.) T. Q' K& e/ d( N7 M% P/ c
- X/ X* Q2 i, }* O V+ X2 ?& o+ 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.! U! f& \9 v# i" } e( Q, x/ w0 G: O
2 Y& s+ B' x0 N/ m3 z0 o3 e9 H4 d V, vThis 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. 1 t3 q9 [: ?1 H: y; f; Q/ j( d2 h, I) `, T/ q
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.& p/ @: d% i1 E. H+ X6 _, t+ B; Y
2 y8 F" l( X5 _* }
Fantasy ! o. J1 J, N3 y4 C5 O & L2 ]4 g/ ?3 |7 h" |, |6 r7 T/ EThe 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. 2 n& W& k6 q9 P3 n: T# R 4 W: D: e! ~! W. ^) [% uThe problem, increasingly, is revenue." m- g3 `' X! p8 R
9 I( n& ]% f1 v2 n2 h- h0 n
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. : j0 `; c% k6 _; w6 r2 T# T2 m! t7 J, ]3 V" F$ o' M6 C$ ^- m5 {- E
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.( r% K- ]: P4 \2 O- H7 _
4 ?: B4 ?0 X# d. oAnd the economic downturn does not help. 8 X8 G' K* A2 d" T( e7 a- H% z/ z& S+ j' L
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. : P) G/ j9 P9 [: O' x8 ?1 V, L , y/ n# [1 I) ^The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations., S1 N* C; N/ |
0 B% ^& `4 n8 m0 B) s
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 1 Y' r: O5 x- `" t9 z3 A: L. q5 z. Y) t9 o$ `- X: |
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.5 i" \4 q x. S+ P2 O9 u) x
^1 g! I& @: m4 G2 n
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. . Z4 ?2 q% {9 V+ Q5 D- Z7 g4 ]5 a4 M; R% t
Gonorrhoea ) W! Q+ T/ A \2 T7 d0 U1 } 4 _% `( E$ I( q- u: _. B. IBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.. k. W% d5 w9 \ y0 y M' j
) S! j! J% I+ A* U0 s4 J4 `A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 5 y* h; U1 d0 [% K: O" ^ , y: G! U. ]/ r r. H( VShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.) ~5 F9 l* n1 c
" u, U7 `' u2 D( Y' C- w3 e"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 7 S8 n1 i1 T; Z/ _: A7 @1 K" f B9 m1 E$ t1 D
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.& R: D G; ?$ z- p/ t
. g- ]0 G# \. N2 E
Each day would be 15 hours long. - Z5 h( I% m: w' e# t9 @: f4 }: g" m) p" P; h
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 4 n8 a$ Y) k" {' ^- Z1 k5 o% O3 Y # ^+ ~/ @2 u: n. Z"You get used to it," she smiled. H# k i0 D5 i- J$ q4 C8 w8 g, C6 u9 }
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 1 A8 z5 U' O3 m8 Q2 C6 _4 ~$ J+ Q4 p9 `$ \! G% E
"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 S) b* f* o9 _ }) ]( _: }! L" ?. b" r
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. $ J9 r( B: |3 Z0 ` Z6 [ y: Y) v0 p; W( Y( c; Y' {" f
Expensive lawsuits B" i7 k- { _& e ' N5 I3 s6 b* B" qIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 9 |% J+ y: l* p; {0 y+ h# _) g i3 d, u$ v0 @
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.. X# h3 z0 r! a3 q; T6 c
+ w& g0 |$ |8 v3 b* oIt 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.& m. S1 A' E: J* i: \
- v6 G g, T3 A2 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.' t5 c% a/ T- m# l
# O: o6 ]5 {( i7 T/ }
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 1 O4 z7 b6 P* c# [. S & b/ y4 H5 f; B- \" l+ m2 p0 O+ aI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.. J% J, m! |! N: U8 E+ U' k
5 _& R+ W4 _, C' u) 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?; v/ W3 t9 q5 r9 c7 P' \
6 Q1 }% b: o6 ]# uThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. ( h4 z$ e- E2 A, I0 j2 v: E- J; `# S# o8 Z! l7 @: m) h( u
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. - m" J( Y8 l5 z- X5 I$ V0 P2 @+ q. P) e) A1 G7 ]2 Z6 h
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.- ], A6 g: A) I6 a
4 ^6 E; K1 F8 s B# v5 |2 L
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. % d! S$ F, B$ Q- {2 M ( q. Y3 X0 H- W% O% zThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. @1 h9 y, W5 e: x& O, {# O( g4 c6 n" I
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.3 o8 y+ U. A4 c! C
4 \. ~2 u0 m9 E# o0 O9 ~; O! L* o$ G7 k/ B0 L( W
3 X& v8 a9 r* w( {) c 9 B7 g3 |- E' A4 }; ]# _- OCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
0 O9 ~; O! L* o$ G7 k/ B0 L( W