* M# K# Z, T3 m: a3 q$ z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。 . A) r$ J* H& {3 q4 J 8 _/ w9 O7 g/ g/ D$ p6 Q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。 & d# V! y- Q4 H5 G. m: H6 T; t- t+ ~' O3 O. `9 g* U; M& s
一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。1 \/ T$ r. r# T( S0 D s6 H
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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。 9 O) N% o! }( r `/ O7 e$ {4 U9 E; J& F% Q2 m/ z- t: i
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。, ]5 Q% w8 X* t* r" p0 H
2 [1 u/ G! o! ]* U, N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……. 9 f+ t; b7 w& M; y1 v& C- T' ^ & |! u |# H- }' V: q+ f0 e; t& _& y& n/ {" Z8 @
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles / ^: q" c0 F+ Z1 y+ Z! x1 B ; k5 c- Y8 r& l: ^; J% hCalifornia'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./ j/ K w8 G. X2 [3 `
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.% P. o* I0 U. N* M! P( S2 j2 k
" Z. K& Q6 X/ n. u: j- {, _8 OI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.. Q$ s; d( Y% o
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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. ( \& T0 R( n& A3 [3 H3 p7 @ $ E& ~- V1 q1 \/ B" g6 `7 r+ ~The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.3 C$ S+ n- \9 y. f1 }' H7 E2 ^5 O
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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. , E R7 Y* y' }5 `9 S! T# C) F! J/ f
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. l D Y' C' K2 v* L
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.) ~8 l3 k3 ^- {! e! E& s1 A
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Fantasy- u2 I- [ G! s w: q1 F
6 _6 G$ ~: e, K# ^3 B) DThe 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. f. @/ G4 _& N" S
+ M, F$ G5 B6 ^8 bThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.) I, Q6 v/ D( s ]! u) S7 z+ `9 G- e
C* U* Y0 U) D* M* qLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.* u7 l2 }7 }4 R c7 m% P/ S, \
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.- l! l) [0 P1 P1 ~8 G; Z
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And the economic downturn does not help. L3 P1 Q. P* _6 |6 N- H
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.6 a- I0 m4 L. z$ }1 Z
) J3 d$ d' R, ]+ H7 m) _0 CThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.( w) A+ X0 K s4 ~) g. W% b3 A$ s
& a& H# [& r( r QFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. ! U7 |- f2 |2 F) |& p/ [1 J# D; C' u
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.. O$ a8 I$ O) I4 ~
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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. . \0 ?( m: N: w: C( j; S8 N: r4 Y# S* ^4 W- e
Gonorrhoea ; I* p" I _$ c2 m, W2 ^" l8 F( E! d2 H. }
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 9 u1 A4 Y( C( d, a, h! A i5 B' W0 n7 Y# T5 i: _
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. % s$ w4 x5 h( U6 U 4 C5 O' e7 d1 e# {/ x: `( g( \( gShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.1 T3 S$ J/ Y3 c; K. v$ O% c2 ?
- T# r% f9 q) `2 q"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?", T3 p- U' B& E1 D
* d5 m: v+ Q8 z2 ^5 g& }; F; F- iHer 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.- @0 j/ a1 U! ]
+ ^6 \, y$ k# h" hEach day would be 15 hours long.. I# {* j5 L3 H9 g, q. Z
3 _7 w% f2 G3 z. `( X' l& e Y+ e( Q"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.- i/ A/ [8 f$ m S
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"You get used to it," she smiled. ' [2 K4 }; x2 C* e6 n& c# M* O, [# B! l% I2 N, |8 I
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 7 ], Z% {6 o0 Q! `. s5 F7 y# Q1 k $ I1 w% E0 L4 Z! F7 y* w3 s"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." 7 h8 M# b7 a( O! X 8 _ `) X6 g8 {1 R) z; E* pThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.( W- s! Y3 z2 G7 j; b. I+ I
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Expensive lawsuits# a2 R+ j% M3 ~& Z0 W* C
& n; f& i5 L. P1 EIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. + r7 K6 |; V4 h* r# B6 u# k+ p! G. }# q) Z
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 5 }7 `, A: B5 i, C7 D 1 _' q5 X/ R, ]% | ^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. % F( \; |. G0 c% n2 g& _) l: X$ p8 M# ~6 d' C2 U8 h8 ]! q
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. $ D1 s0 Z( I5 t9 N* M 5 Y) a8 s1 X9 Y y% K# L( T"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" ) e- @) b" L& C% _ ~, N8 e/ U h9 O. p+ }1 R5 _9 H$ H
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.; J% n- g) m% M8 }3 t- s# S* t
, \ G! F+ U( ~, c- G- w: O6 uBut 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? , a$ K) [0 V# h6 j, L1 y1 M; z, @% T: i% i! W% K
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.6 x8 |' R/ F* @
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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. # C K8 l+ n6 A7 K+ f1 _5 c , C6 D! U+ Z8 `7 \$ yA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.. k' {* b) `* q U
/ u$ X, B/ W( V+ t* O0 N3 e4 @The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.1 j: X/ |. t$ |& W, u
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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.; c" U' E$ T- p" p2 ?% h
" ^8 @: x" J9 jI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 8 q" ~% w$ s5 U 3 ~0 H1 R( E3 T9 i- Y ( }/ Z5 f! j0 z' j; K8 s " b) t' A# Z2 A, }8 ]. o1 S1 Q0 E( S8 j5 r) e$ r
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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