. T) n' Q. A6 w4 D - h4 U, Z2 I# ~1 J/ x. u9 FCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 2 p" [$ ?1 R i
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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.# g. }, G- j4 \( B' p
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 4 a' ~. I$ S" ^. ^' m : n" C1 v! q4 LI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.4 h4 l- w* m+ D% {# L
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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. ( d3 G2 t7 a9 _5 n2 M9 e8 i; u1 m: Q7 B& G G
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.2 t" \- R: u0 X, w, b T) f! b
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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 C5 b( F, }5 X# P# e6 \: ]* F' c 5 D4 n/ q8 j4 z9 DThis 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.4 T) w6 _, ~& I* a/ S
6 e }7 q" A2 U- @* ?Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. ; n. j4 Z" ^! l5 K; V1 [2 K# f) P
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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.7 y$ W0 B- A1 N) R l- M, v; W
2 U. w9 N# L% M- e: u5 B2 X* eThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. ' q" s. K2 k) V7 J 0 S, ^/ p( p S M9 b; `Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch., X, I$ \0 O: t4 x' e
+ x: A1 `- o) w ODVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.' U2 a) G/ e( f3 Z; h6 t
, j& O, r+ ?4 I6 E! CAnd the economic downturn does not help. * o) x4 t8 f4 o" { 0 A2 z, D' ?$ Q7 o0 c H"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. * t* `& f, j, A s# J 7 u# s, l# J$ N Z! k+ WThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.$ _2 R( Z( d* N! D. H O
( \6 C1 y* E# Y' V& q1 U& t: H3 cFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 2 N' J9 G$ Z; R. ~ ( t! S+ O9 z3 j6 i+ l8 b% w `Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. , x* L8 b9 R5 O* K2 q8 T/ X$ g% y2 B% S: C% B; Q& _2 }
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. 4 I, A( _. @# J$ _7 x1 V0 H8 _; _+ e) g5 k/ r/ H' e
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5 h" J, y m% H( ^Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.$ ~6 e6 M6 e$ K1 y
; g4 s, Z+ K, JA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. ' W! ~8 P6 ]5 Q( q* o0 [% U ( R& t0 b0 v- Y( v* f7 l' tShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 5 A( L* C! Y$ z9 ~5 O, k' d% P- l9 X1 q& [# G; h( H
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" % l0 k& L& e& f' k7 U4 w8 J0 v- z% B
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.; v% g: H' m& B% E2 D; }1 [
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Each day would be 15 hours long.6 k. d) L& b2 X& B0 ^
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 9 V, z% ?7 G4 U4 _) z4 ?# [ 5 _# Q2 s3 ?- h* q1 y"You get used to it," she smiled.7 X- |+ `# h: e
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" # z0 i! A1 r& q" t5 \9 N- k! ^6 P
"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."! P1 J& Q3 } H3 J s' J* s
; x) L0 j w/ k6 b! q) i# SThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. , c8 z+ [/ y: s5 B! ] O# i% }' X) u& ^- w4 s
Expensive lawsuits ) i8 _) Y5 d, c1 t6 ]- P/ `0 `: q( F+ v5 ?$ f" j2 E
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. $ t( p7 r7 K5 o" m ' S* |7 i, A+ JA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 4 L) I1 a r) C7 _* P6 x o2 e& R g* @% W" e% @! B8 _
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.# o0 f k# M& x+ m
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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. 0 m. u: g1 `2 Y. ~1 }/ D( v( J! V E) {& ]$ `$ n2 s
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"5 d1 u* Z. ^9 U$ c/ r8 @9 t9 V T: s
. T3 X8 Q6 N6 T, M0 y8 MI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.+ ]4 _. [3 Q4 b0 D' W
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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?. E' P8 M. I7 w1 A2 H% G
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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. : M) H& q9 U+ M# Y2 R# Y ' x" U$ _7 F' b+ _7 d3 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.$ U) n6 ^/ B W3 J
/ v7 R" Z2 S( }A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. - a* X+ F' P1 ^% d ( k% V2 D2 `" n: ZThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.2 O1 A# Z9 k8 @3 I6 l
; e. a+ `9 l, i$ RThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.( n, B% h6 w6 G, Y' t( r$ q
# q3 x7 k6 H; DI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. # \: E3 W# _: g! k1 K# i / c4 F' F% i9 _3 q) l% S' W2 x8 P! u; I
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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