) k7 C7 I: F e; zCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 3 s1 o! c. n9 L$ a! Q
# m" D9 g$ z5 m% k$ 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. $ p8 J! m6 s t4 j5 I, x' I: ]$ o+ y: ]6 R 2 j2 }4 Y0 [' T8 A. c: D/ g$ HLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. ! r1 Y1 i3 S) C* c; d% P: r2 I. z" y% o
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 7 B* b# i l x2 @1 F8 P8 k# ]) `+ e' A! z$ c1 \
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.$ _! }! ?. {3 ^7 R, ~$ V3 _
' b+ b$ O& w( NThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.) W/ M. Z% W2 b/ b& `# t. ^
' W, L) q! s! |4 F$ Q* SPerformers 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.7 v, {2 |6 Q7 ~8 c4 B
4 K: E M: v, Z/ \0 zThis 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.2 l( V" |' M, k( ]& X/ b* r1 g5 u2 t
' q/ G2 A$ r- A4 f+ n4 vOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.& ^% O6 l4 T1 i; r
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Fantasy " G) s. j% S% L, D' F6 Q# p 1 ^+ |6 d L1 K% p4 D, a1 B' @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.8 b6 A$ Q+ `- F1 y6 [% f
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue. 6 \# D. `' z; x! b2 z$ Y' I6 M$ m' J% D- M! U
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.1 H, N% i( N8 j4 A3 Q: B( u
# c( ~2 R. L. ^7 EDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. O8 O& u6 Y: Q- {( y# v
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And the economic downturn does not help. ! d$ s+ ?- f* o8 W - Z5 m& t5 `5 E, G! C; v"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ( c, |) S9 I( R4 P( W: M ; t( O3 O1 }5 o2 U$ f P6 T8 x V7 sThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. , t2 U4 R+ l; h9 Z- Z! {6 O* S* f% ~+ ?
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. - j7 ?' R& r# F* I0 J7 }: A4 \, A* m% N4 t; a3 ~6 U" E
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. ) ^; G! J/ U; `8 T0 Z9 M2 D; S; {% N. R8 s% A1 J
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.: v4 @! E; J& F
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Gonorrhoea2 p) k* G( {$ u* T4 m$ C1 f0 @2 I
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers., S9 A) `* N3 y7 d# N* ]0 o
8 O: A8 _/ D, w9 r+ N0 T+ MA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. ; C: f0 P0 _. W . @7 x6 B' Z% eShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.; n- R, I" p% B1 y
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"( ^2 ?, }% ~. l$ ?& D& @
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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.5 l1 ?' j4 z, x# d
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Each day would be 15 hours long. 6 @) v- o ^4 e7 z: Y3 G) s; Z 8 p$ a: `9 R6 l+ z1 h$ w"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested./ A5 x/ h7 |' F1 [: P
9 c- N) o, j) Z9 q" `"You get used to it," she smiled.1 N" G' e) Y, O3 D8 h
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"/ J0 i: B4 f! L" m) K
1 o3 I& _6 a' @"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."8 X8 m, m, E- b2 ~9 ^' ]
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.. Z& w5 N3 V6 x- v- L- I
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Expensive lawsuits+ C6 o7 t d& ]
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. + j, y5 O$ R7 ^1 J# k) F3 [9 ~8 `) n1 v; P1 L8 E
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. ( D6 d( |+ d/ u) w6 I4 J" {+ h7 G4 Z. ?3 ?' e2 H q
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. & ?: Z) s8 o& I+ Z0 i* ~ X4 D* \# V) M) j% n; b
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. q+ M/ m' P1 `" n
]3 W o5 l: `' [$ M. M"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"+ K3 @7 r8 l( ]" F4 R1 Y- a
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. ' Q8 Y" W q; V7 V: E( j2 O! \ C. }% {- i
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?& c9 R# Q2 T+ t3 I- ^! y ]
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The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. - p( t, E0 _$ ~& G9 M/ l! u d4 x& I# H/ u
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. 0 W. R- `; Z4 x' X8 f # b* Z. h1 V" f7 a3 dA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 8 T% L( ?) w. R3 z8 n& f' b( P5 ], ~8 g, d
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 m$ n# L# _8 x4 R F& n3 N
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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 Q8 P& n% _ m; P5 b) }! X \( S9 T
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 5 i2 b& y: t& A: Z7 U/ ~, A8 N0 h( ^* n5 A! g) t# Z2 @# r : W$ H: Y- N+ P8 R4 n 1 m5 j& e3 k0 J! A 4 ]4 E) V3 m' O$ SCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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