: G5 Y9 x* Y) h6 D, n3 z( j9 K $ J( e& v! ^, ?8 G2 E; rCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 6 e1 E8 O6 K! Z* b0 }5 L5 H3 E l5 K6 g7 d1 g* T
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. / P) q. r2 y% B5 Z8 C! d : Y2 @* A- C# _ BLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. % `& ~ w* e' P& Q4 p% u( Z- }& R! k$ W9 p9 s
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.' M! h! F6 d7 F- `3 b) |- t/ t
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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.8 O3 W1 _0 S, U" D
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The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.* G4 O( R* I. W3 Z; p7 o( x4 z
& m2 n2 R% ?7 y$ r2 [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.. c+ }+ W1 B L' s
# ]4 G& I: ?0 u( n/ N% YThis 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. 9 V F! R" H! \ i; M* t0 _1 Q1 |( X! |; `) V& |2 w7 t
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.5 {- C6 L7 D7 e4 d
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Fantasy: Z9 }/ r2 B. u7 T3 }2 z
1 x& ^( I( `0 S% zThe 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./ G6 [$ Z( R- L, g! f0 `
, y) B+ b4 T3 ]6 k1 f4 z1 f0 _Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.! R! q: a( [( X: L; u' M9 m
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.! W2 Q0 [+ k; W' P" k9 g
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And the economic downturn does not help.. N' {( ]6 q/ J" a% G( E$ r
+ _6 Q* h W, b"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.- g! A1 }/ C& |9 n: ~7 t3 T5 m
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.1 L1 U% b( D0 K2 l1 f6 d
8 a8 v- w6 a9 Q0 wFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 0 v) K# a; x7 J+ x( o) B$ |0 g Q2 g4 n+ |+ [7 G" V5 a6 A
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. ' x( j) c5 W" T6 K; Z8 ] S2 r6 V! u) b6 B" D+ q
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.4 h& z/ b7 R0 k3 d4 O* r
. X5 F9 [! f2 j" v6 tGonorrhoea 2 _) A! s, P9 j" d ) g' y% }% v9 t- {& H6 LBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers." n1 w+ e& U' v' {+ O( X
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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.8 v& P! f" O1 l' V. V6 \- r
' R3 L! B4 F+ m. q! m9 ~She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.2 s; \; N9 Z$ e# ]! q% ~( N
7 C' L4 L$ i8 Z' w. t"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"3 [. x. S F1 b# G
4 W* H" s- [- S% pHer 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.1 t9 f- O: L2 n8 G1 f
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Each day would be 15 hours long. % s$ I0 Q; q& u. `" J; F: v* y Y ) T" W4 ?' _' D4 c+ f) R: I"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.1 B, F6 Z% J* X' Z' ^* U! i
" U+ D( V# F& t, |, x3 D' F% y"You get used to it," she smiled.! h* k! C% b3 C
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"% V3 J& U' q7 |7 f( f: v3 p
3 `& n1 y' m; s# N. b5 ["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." " f* y) k8 J6 a1 G- T; X3 \8 H$ S5 l& P2 X6 S. g
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.9 u/ x" J8 U' k6 h: C3 X" U
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Expensive lawsuits 7 N2 W& a$ H" I # I9 M$ S3 }9 N+ s8 x" C2 g; CIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.5 ?! a0 _/ h, n, |; f1 S) C
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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.3 n! ?' y8 p% Z4 g! j2 F
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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. - N; D; @3 x' V7 O. j/ o; W. X+ X8 \' }
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. d8 V5 h/ ]5 H4 ~. D6 Z ! G% d( z% `7 D% x6 S D"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" ( E5 I8 v# t7 h2 y* N ' m! s9 q5 B4 _2 K! J6 o7 KI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.$ L1 `* V1 l, }; F5 z% U+ L6 e
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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? ) Y( t Q: C. s* G' n8 a$ I) p! P
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.3 I9 t, v( W3 d$ \& B
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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. / F0 ~8 i) X/ ^# }. D$ ]0 g8 T. h1 h8 o
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. " T0 {/ `0 M/ @. j4 M3 S/ |1 ?) O: \- Y& Z# I3 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. 2 ]% {5 D- a0 z* M9 O5 D5 e. E7 I; N8 s7 S$ x4 h3 T3 c. v' A
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. : j9 L2 z3 @8 F& a' X0 u6 I" v " n3 f* Z" J+ ]$ { uI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.6 @8 M' |; V+ C( K7 s) d! z! Q* g
4 }) D8 a( v8 ^; X. Y4 n | ; @6 z) `# T# @. o) Z# c @8 _6 D* C3 S' j g3 z H* H0 x& [, d; L" ~2 yCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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