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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ; ~0 ^- T& v' V
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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. & i4 p$ [6 i4 p0 D; P! c& F% }* p ' S# j0 o6 p1 I( _+ m0 M8 ILight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 6 \) ]4 b4 Q6 [$ J F1 T1 h) e" q; m! y9 `. s
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.5 k- q! e% P' p9 `3 j, P
1 s$ r- U' v0 LWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. ( t3 `/ R$ k5 q7 p % V% ~% o$ W8 m; P/ W- kThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.2 X0 r& Y' V/ D; ^& C5 _
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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. # t+ `7 z2 `2 E# M+ f$ \) Q \* J; H2 U9 r/ b" q- O
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.& R! ~6 T9 A) t( S. Z( I
3 p5 c: l6 b! A2 T4 sOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. ! M- V; j" j, L7 e2 r k3 Z2 B/ B1 O# r
Fantasy5 \8 v% b8 f8 @9 O) w' m
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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.% |- }. }& ^+ d6 k+ G
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.7 C, ]" [9 o( k' n" [2 Q: A
& U& v4 D0 c* d. G& }4 PLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. % R* _* v: ~+ H0 D. l* n/ `6 o1 C2 V8 L$ A
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 9 U$ {/ ^1 X% v X' r, ]7 n% h+ @( i 4 E$ T' h9 `( F* x. Q) L- q( QAnd the economic downturn does not help.& q5 O% @0 y5 C$ ?& d% ^2 s& a8 o
7 C; k5 ]! [2 O: d; J/ n"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ) s# O. m: V3 x3 z% g" } H; z/ @$ q( v9 o3 @
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. * Y0 v1 v; E8 c: C9 B+ k- X% A9 u! G- g. e+ q, {9 }! A
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. R7 T* b1 C6 B0 e4 C
/ ]# p$ j6 q& h9 sHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. $ m: R( M9 O! _& x$ w& M' {% [6 e% N8 k, Y' b- b3 k
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. P/ [+ N/ D+ w+ L4 {9 [) X! b' v0 Y
Gonorrhoea 0 u# x7 R" @8 Y( q; a/ O2 [, w7 d3 y! F( Y 3 K) m" a9 h0 j- C. `$ T: j5 yBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.$ c0 U) m! W" F3 x* J
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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.& e0 ]8 X k/ d( r9 p& E
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.6 C) ? Q' M: R. x; t- r5 }* R2 Q
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" ! U2 v. r) e( n s- ~. C9 d1 i+ Y% h& l- 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. ; U" N0 ]# R( f+ | l4 u3 S( r8 \4 F) J2 p$ Z
Each day would be 15 hours long.0 _0 b/ d- h# z0 S& Y
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 3 s% `5 l0 @. }, C; q+ k+ P( ~2 x( ?2 z4 d- G* p
"You get used to it," she smiled.; X+ @4 ^; L( m' q0 z
, g& A" U1 @7 s4 c"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 6 m6 o8 s4 e9 Q1 ]1 M _* y* `0 o. r/ E7 U5 o! h* X
"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."1 j' s$ G7 ~5 x1 @# p+ X. f* _
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. , I) S: a8 g, J5 x8 c * t- ~& J3 X0 @ Z g$ h( N) s" NExpensive lawsuits / n4 s8 m. N. B6 ]( D8 a7 Q, e6 d4 m n) A" _+ Q% o! k
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. b3 J# B F+ T5 A; S0 X+ B
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A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it." ~% O, P; ?+ Y0 W6 Z+ c
' D% L' `. z# a7 h! lIt 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.+ v. v2 w6 k6 l6 {3 @7 \+ m4 a @- e
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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. 7 t! b# C' i L% b G/ V6 b) x5 E) }, n1 p& Y
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 7 V# G# C3 G4 u# e- `+ _0 V. q) b ^- P
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. ' ~+ M4 ]2 a. C' F4 ^1 y ' i, ^) f$ n* m0 P2 f& S# ?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? / m/ z0 x5 x; @% _+ Z3 j# I7 [* K9 q3 [( @4 k# t1 H
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.9 }" V, H/ f% c3 }- d
# @; Z/ W# J6 D# c2 V' CIt 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. 2 I: L6 ]& A+ c1 Y 5 M9 V5 l& ?3 p5 v+ o3 NA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.+ q! j6 t& B0 S; V4 d, }2 R
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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. 0 T& z1 N1 ~* k$ \ : e# _2 a$ G- a! Q' E7 Y% nThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. ( Z* X \% F$ T6 P& i1 S4 L$ p9 T, V / k* I; H6 d0 ?, n$ _ R% X4 K) gI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. ! F# T5 x- ?' H) g ^6 t* } ; i: }. \1 N9 P- r 4 ^/ I) S$ ~# C, d, R3 J M$ ` ! q6 K9 K6 @- |# I* }/ s: s9 i% v Q% @. Z
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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