- ?2 V. l, R" t! I3 [; G; UCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles . Y1 j) A- q* }2 g K7 n/ ^ ; @9 ^* A! ]$ G9 A, L7 ~3 ]) sCalifornia'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.' N, }' u0 ~9 t( f1 s/ d9 X K' i
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 7 E4 e2 Z+ p& [9 | & S' y8 [& \" r# BI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. % n7 j+ G2 o8 l0 r' w) _+ }; X1 U4 f1 J$ V3 y- T
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. $ H6 A1 \+ }2 Y5 t. O8 Y7 L ! @) J7 u5 D4 ~4 C, VThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. 9 P. P0 g3 E0 W1 V8 v$ n: _9 a: Z# Z3 b4 h
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. # z M* Z% U! @/ I: T0 \2 S+ C5 v8 `
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.8 _0 x* _4 P# ^( x! P
; J" u/ ^' v+ J$ ^Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. Z/ D! T5 Y- Z+ e1 i + V) J/ k1 ~' L+ s; P B yFantasy 8 j/ }1 n0 B: D1 c5 b7 |; p' N3 T# ]5 Z
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. ) a! D+ X! ^; `8 t* U# `4 E ' L' Z+ e/ y% _7 GThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.) Q, Q7 K) Q- P) p5 ~ h
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. $ Y9 R9 s( e* s% T; l2 Q5 q * }, N$ s4 f) SDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 9 I5 @; o9 _5 Y# _3 i) a( G1 X' c* t2 U& \% j0 k8 C6 L
And the economic downturn does not help.' W6 B/ j' P1 J4 u6 t* J
& a; _ r s+ M# X% J"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully., | v3 \' P- v h# N& m3 b
/ J* d @6 [% B2 | _! TThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. 8 l! M& l7 I6 N. G ! w) k0 t# m+ L0 W$ I1 SFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 8 q: p. `: |* I ' y a$ u( S2 c! qHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 1 l, p2 _* T3 ]1 O# J' o) u( x2 u8 d4 D9 `- _9 v8 k0 i2 O1 v
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.$ T6 M+ R* }$ k
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Gonorrhoea / a* S1 o- S+ L" J5 X% m 6 B% w1 h$ B7 x* d& ]Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. $ U0 g4 A+ e3 G( D. c8 {+ C5 G/ G) W: y) ^7 f
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. T( r1 b6 V# |' W- ?+ R+ e4 B7 a8 [0 F
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. - a! E9 u" J3 @" N- U; ~ U4 r7 |0 c! u- i1 D: Q% B# i+ C
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" $ S8 W) o2 t; r5 U2 Y2 l# o$ U( }
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.9 B6 P8 V7 _4 n/ Y% _; H* S
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Each day would be 15 hours long.( q2 W# ^" j! x2 c: M
( d" a. t6 U3 g6 _1 Q' O"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. ; z: h! q/ W6 S% v1 x' g1 K% C' W 8 d$ ]* Y- s8 b! }: K"You get used to it," she smiled. 0 l+ M1 H$ r( j6 M : g" \- g; | W* U3 n# N"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"" s* |. j0 h7 ~* p$ t
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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." 3 o# H" Y4 ~, e* W2 l0 ]9 T4 _% M: h5 ?. c9 |' Y& u9 W
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 3 i8 e z" N5 B! b" |9 D* e" F 8 y3 Y1 t8 r* m% W' BExpensive lawsuits - ]: t. I: F( t 0 |! V; F( }0 ~3 l7 C8 F& N5 {In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 8 [% m% e1 L# v! j6 ^+ `* d. v f; o4 l4 j4 E
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.* ~. F, q0 S1 C
, A# B7 u- T$ ]* M- ?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. + d( u0 E# O I4 L2 t ( K& y6 Z$ J8 ^! G- vNow, 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.2 ~( T8 K! }- P F, D" f9 W
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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?"5 F/ ~. T: |/ M5 g3 W" I
- _2 d8 h, ~& h4 ^$ `* G& ~I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.1 Z9 R9 n0 x$ `, J3 h8 s6 f
2 k4 d% F& U. hBut 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? 4 t, W0 T9 V" u3 V7 { $ n) K0 t$ b7 m$ q, x1 D; iThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.4 E' H: j+ A* r3 V
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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.9 u' _% G& ^# `* g$ z, A: @
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. & j% S% H U4 S6 u9 j3 ] 1 F4 J) i3 M+ F( wThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. - Z& }" T( U) N& Y3 x- f7 q3 A* K5 p* R% `; g
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.$ x, u/ X% }7 \# |) G, [' {8 A: y
& r* v. Y) C* L( l, t9 tI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.. Q) e$ y% n; {
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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