5 d& u5 k0 \8 m( A- L' L 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…….' o$ f- v8 a# q; U5 d) k: K
P w2 D3 S7 d: W / O; W% ]/ q8 P/ @% XCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 8 n( f: b3 Q/ h$ N+ z' f
, n! F$ W5 t& _$ ]5 FCalifornia'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./ ^8 \2 o/ K, C6 O- v% n( ]/ t- u
5 V" i( P: m3 M8 SLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. ! z* B- I7 Z8 K, H4 E8 |" a5 i. h6 {$ t# E5 y) M/ C
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.- Q3 [3 V7 F Y4 P
# W$ e. w6 i4 m0 J2 i' qWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. 4 Y( ~! r) R+ n I3 d3 I# G; \% ]# h7 e2 j& t
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. ) X( f0 W* |( v5 B+ { ( ]8 K2 i8 m9 @8 i ~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.* s @6 N. m" E$ w6 o, U- v: n4 J
# U9 J4 f, \& Y0 `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.# w4 O# i. J4 d" @# K5 J6 D* _
6 v7 A( w6 }# m9 \Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. ! P6 A" a: ?& V/ n8 V6 I" C, p/ ~: E
Fantasy 8 |+ u4 l8 A. G9 H# k2 o5 ]$ t+ U1 S2 p
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. 5 Q) K7 U" O3 h, [) n6 | % k/ r% H4 s! L$ v) ZThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.6 {9 S( d6 K) P% n3 R
' M1 E1 { E# O6 X% TLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.; W7 N7 I9 v) G& M+ g+ B4 b1 }
9 D7 b$ K9 U+ p( zDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.4 a% R( A. q! s4 c% H4 o) i
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And the economic downturn does not help. , @# F* [& x) A5 p3 R) _6 _2 d& C C5 t8 W
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.2 i0 T. [, S4 d7 G( m
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. ' r0 l3 \; J5 v" o: j & y; E; r! S, Z# g, {" b: N$ UFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.7 h/ M$ `" ]' G; C3 A4 X% o
" K# d! B# T w* r( k) k+ c yHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.5 j4 U8 e4 _; k' w: I! R
; b) Z. F s2 e5 K7 o" ABut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. $ ~. g5 L0 B* G4 k/ _. t: ~5 c( F* F7 f4 J! t) e; g
Gonorrhoea* }, | N$ |" w+ A5 l$ Z
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 2 j* |# S' [4 @6 U% A J) ]1 m4 U4 R4 f( ~5 `& m- z
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.; ` O7 A0 H/ Q& d; _5 M( R
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 5 p0 M$ f1 ]! G9 F Q* ^) j( k |! X " M( y+ n0 Q( v/ p( ~6 t"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" ' V+ ]' x# m6 L- _# }" z # g1 u" ~' ?& y g5 O! i8 \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. $ e5 o( m$ R* e/ _7 S ) D A. S; r" w3 nEach day would be 15 hours long. % w$ q p% c+ d' G9 X 0 f v2 I) U1 h"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 4 j6 a8 D5 W7 ` - N- p: c3 t3 F M& U"You get used to it," she smiled.% x M) e0 ?6 Z* [& ^0 O
2 x* t' W3 a/ a, o0 }5 T R"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?", j8 H R3 L- M' }
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"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." @6 b T" b9 V) K, i# O 3 P0 G4 W0 q6 ]* \1 H( K- C4 jThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.% S3 O& L- g) w3 s: U6 |( M) W
& [9 F5 w% b& ]3 }* x/ zExpensive lawsuits # d4 j* J n7 q$ i: J, \$ [9 P( p' _1 o8 N
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. , m9 C" m& n' a% P0 n, Q& M. h, t2 a- ?
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.- ?. u/ E7 P: Y1 [' V( b
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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.) o; @% G/ M1 ^/ }" f G- k& V
; e" E# Y p% ~6 }/ W( h/ L" oNow, 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.# s3 G; {% c6 [7 L3 `- B5 _5 ?6 S
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"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" $ p) o, |; \4 f; L) h4 K _/ _8 B2 m6 g7 qI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.' r4 ^+ e: M4 J( Y. N' l
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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? 8 t: J. {) a% c- |% @3 E% @* r; c 2 Y$ S7 I% X# [5 gThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 4 ^. B: X; S: z4 h9 j1 a- S; D; D! M1 C2 s- y
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.8 }- _2 B( A; A9 a$ l* t
5 C: n- e$ b6 @7 W0 ?A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.# O; p9 O% K- b9 z% P7 s
, e' u, ]3 `& R% C2 BThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.* ?2 y- R8 n2 W: z7 H
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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. 2 t d% W7 i; |5 l 8 C* r3 l+ |* U& R; TI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. + p9 V8 }; S2 f; H $ x6 J2 l+ ~+ t+ b; Q ( i5 l# X7 i6 |( i. v + X+ C( n7 C& V. x) O 2 ~& R( l8 ^1 ] ?) ^( jCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
