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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 2 e9 O `7 D; T7 Z% W
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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.1 |9 a, c$ n1 E3 ]( _
9 j3 x1 S, M" I1 ~Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.' j0 u, O+ x7 j8 A+ l7 I
; `9 V" D7 z$ p/ t' V( FI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.1 Q3 U- r0 s: l3 X+ b. `9 e9 X
- E" R8 m X. a' t3 OWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect." \( b0 e s/ L# S+ @# Q3 X- F
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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.7 k" |, {* z2 B" M" L; t
* M2 o# ]4 H$ l5 L7 VPerformers 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. # P( h/ z" g2 U! k; Z' O + S. u8 e: r/ bThis 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. : X0 {7 @4 _" o5 E$ o: i 1 a% g/ n8 r4 K+ U/ R9 yOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.% N$ `( J" }, K6 U
: R3 Q, y( A3 ^0 t( yFantasy 3 C0 W2 z3 q# E! R0 O! E7 g s4 j7 i u0 b8 @' b& HThe 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.9 d' |; U( X" K& A. t
' ]$ a3 O4 \& b1 A5 _The problem, increasingly, is revenue. / m# I) m4 O) U4 N5 E3 \' G. S( J6 o
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. ~4 {: i, W8 D: @/ E0 v , G% }8 B. n7 h1 I* n3 o- }1 qDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. ) g6 h/ s+ [! L, v$ r: }4 \$ t2 u# \+ l2 ^7 V0 q) p4 i, c
And the economic downturn does not help.: }8 H$ M' y* N6 M* R# e, y0 M$ |
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. # c2 X& Q4 v0 g) [4 A 0 j, i# O) w2 WThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. 7 Y) V Z8 m- E# ?) P4 d ! a& [8 G g8 ^$ [For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.* ~+ `. h6 O+ j5 h1 O3 ?1 ^5 p
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 2 N# H1 ]( y6 O+ g & u9 H$ x% ~, k0 Y; dBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. ) S4 n" f( `, N" _# S( k. X+ d4 u 8 C- }6 m, S) V$ z# `Gonorrhoea& b8 D! Q$ [( j2 T' y8 f4 w* ^
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.) s" R L" a( M9 F8 D4 r2 O
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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. - W! Q8 H& y# N+ i2 X) e' L6 _. D6 J5 H
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. - V$ r- P/ v6 N( B3 O$ d ( D6 m5 K' N1 x"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"/ N, c/ {* J5 a7 S& h
) v2 t$ | I. e6 I! }2 VHer 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. 9 m" ?; v! D. Q7 b7 a' D6 @' ?8 b# @0 [1 P6 L7 k
Each day would be 15 hours long. 0 O) h& N$ \- \" _5 x9 ^6 R& I+ x! j/ Q
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. ) L* k; \5 p+ R! ?( R l ~5 \1 R9 d+ g# t3 d"You get used to it," she smiled. 8 C; R8 Z( J) j+ a' ]; t. Y/ k6 A9 ~8 U" ^9 \9 f& |% _# Z
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" ! g$ p m8 Q* G, h# Z8 U/ E, A8 x5 Y9 ]# x; |0 U, ~+ S: R
"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."0 w+ _$ a9 `+ Y" P* d
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.: i1 G2 C5 o+ C! p& ~
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Expensive lawsuits2 N4 g V4 j( w' {9 y1 f V
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. * j+ V1 l/ M" i3 o7 }& w; u 4 J+ Z* H& `. [1 H9 b2 C( DA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. : Z5 U5 C& D$ Q + f- [4 K; Q' n6 Z# `+ UIt 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. / }) c. A) i ^% r6 B1 S" J, D+ P1 n/ u" z; R. {7 A
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. $ \4 _3 H9 p; c" |/ Y! | : h' r* R$ m: a, l; s* e* N"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" $ Z' t, S$ @! }* l- d8 q% `- D - s: o! C) a: ^! x% A. dI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.2 G" d% s! G: w: O/ ^- |( w
; w, c& ^" n, m& _* z$ y1 s3 z4 EBut 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?6 \* j a# R7 n6 T2 l! t
+ L" U3 z7 V" |" K! cThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.! X; O( d0 M+ }, ^
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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. ; y' d2 O e4 s3 z( ^) A8 B* h7 d6 I: z
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.7 y& C# ^: Z% y8 Z7 }
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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.. c" E# A1 P7 x0 ?; t8 ~; Z
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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.' l% k `7 u9 n6 L6 h( n3 c
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.9 r5 s4 b" Q9 r0 i+ `" r
7 m* d2 f3 C% c3 j9 \, q : H7 K1 K$ I! G: c1 s. k- P/ @7 S* a+ x) i5 c, n 8 Y/ e" q3 A6 Q' `Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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