4 R( G; m# R) P ) y1 `7 Q7 C. Z% ^Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 0 z/ B0 {3 ?# `' G. {" C$ b. p& D- R4 x0 B
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.& U+ ^ O0 L. J: W, K
1 i- g9 _ i& |3 {8 H, \: e9 xLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 2 M# n _7 D k, I8 j5 f% J& R , o" v4 s* m% Z9 D) M6 hI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 8 _ O; ], _2 H/ c: u# ]; k ?5 j" S
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. ' v* |# r. |0 K/ v. u6 Q ' B$ F3 ?% G2 e" [The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. ( m# T. w9 C9 {- O i : t$ n6 ?4 F) H- r5 RPerformers 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.# R d$ N! Q$ x
9 J* C, H0 y2 C% M8 \, WThis 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.- H: m! }( `/ o) x1 e0 h6 [0 S
1 \/ s8 I4 |* aOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed./ V5 O# I# ]: Z0 _
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Fantasy) E: S! E0 x0 [. R
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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. * M) g& S/ R! l9 y. i; a% { . i3 J1 Y+ g, s! P( dThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.$ ^- M8 O7 |3 Q, c% v) t% P
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. T1 R" L/ x% k3 f9 D# P
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.. J( M) @" Y* I# U7 C! f! v5 g# A
/ y/ m5 ?( E- h/ B4 K% q# V1 gAnd the economic downturn does not help. 1 ~+ ^0 s" \0 S9 p! T( U* C9 d { a' L7 Y, P0 T) i
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.- Y t. O* f4 {6 g m* k/ Z2 s
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.9 r- d& J% p) H- y% w4 [ e. ^
/ x, M: {) _5 N( R, m$ z# p' BFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 8 x4 T9 i8 K( d. U% _. w 4 N: B! N5 N! }Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.7 t# ^. M9 G; i# G
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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. - k% y5 g% B- ^, g; W 2 M f/ ~+ E/ `" y+ P5 RGonorrhoea 4 Y$ Y: v" J5 R1 a l; Q9 ]9 z# w3 K9 N; c2 t
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. ; V/ Q1 j, a+ @ 7 C3 Z/ a, F! l; GA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 5 P; O8 I( e5 m U0 Q/ G5 P6 r; _1 }2 s6 H9 a
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. , Q ?' m# U* f `1 O* C3 Y ) O' Q5 L% I) Q; c5 P"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 2 k( x7 l1 k$ J: I + l# U, O+ }2 L$ G- X0 NHer 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 W4 { c: k. p, M7 a |& N+ R# O $ j9 a: h9 N( t5 s. e3 vEach day would be 15 hours long. # Q! z3 t. b2 H0 w: ?- K, R! g* J, K( O/ T {; E
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.9 y0 N, f0 d# {) t
! z% M( D. n7 L* n4 n6 X"You get used to it," she smiled.! ]% g2 ?! R0 T. Y
( R. `: ]" ]" l8 S+ O"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 9 D6 `9 `9 k* }& U9 ^4 @9 |- }9 ]7 l& T$ l$ ~' [. R3 h; |
"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.", C) ~+ N; `3 V' W
% Y3 ?- h, u$ kThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.# G% Y9 `4 N9 w2 B9 a) a
+ g0 _4 {5 n7 C1 G. zExpensive lawsuits % K$ B0 u: `0 S 0 M3 P' _' B0 KIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 6 ~5 ~4 a- ]( g. G # ^" S) q' @/ T7 \. kA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.( K9 I& W0 M% Q3 P! }5 }6 [$ ~
9 C1 @, U8 E* C* t- g* c4 pIt 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. 8 C( u% c+ V) q6 h: X0 i1 v- A4 j7 j9 e4 O3 t
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.! z9 e# N- Z7 v: p( 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?" ; M. q7 k+ _& h . a& s" x5 m0 X7 m& q! bI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.8 i! n" J9 `3 D; g, S3 e
2 S! W6 R- q: x8 \; K, tBut 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? T8 u' F7 w% A1 t $ v. l, ~: t+ z; B4 X1 Q5 eThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 9 g4 b! b8 r" n f5 q. ^4 `: O% c/ ~! x) Q
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 @1 ]/ e1 P& v: g$ S5 Q 9 f L/ ?8 S: |+ C/ p, s( kA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 6 n. M2 N, {/ Z$ @* J5 B! Y3 O, j' ?5 ~. w! y- o8 ^- b
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. $ j0 b, K- @0 l5 Z( w ' z3 z& D ? _; D4 q+ G# N" v5 r# WThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.8 C2 U! b9 {1 q% S. s
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.2 A* w5 p( \+ C/ T$ i! S1 @" P( |
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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