9 Z/ F4 [: ^& x9 L$ v* o一名制片人告诉我,“如果你把我的演员都装在橡胶里面,作为艺术家,我还能怎样表述自我呢”?, `, g t- U+ |0 t4 k3 r+ E" R
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我很难想象,法兰克林和杰弗逊起草《第一修正案》的时候,想到过戴不戴安全套的权利。5 z2 t( q4 Z/ e3 z% Z4 ?" X+ `
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但是,我也很难想象,《星际迷航》的粉丝们排着长队去看皮克船长和“进取号”的船员们真刀真枪地“肉搏”。所以,我算老几呢? ! C* J5 i4 {# c ^, _% ]1 U * Z C: R4 A" V* E2 J8 l但是,当局非常坚决。建筑工人必须戴头盔,矿工必须戴口罩,色情演员也必须有适当的保护。) i4 J( e9 T# D+ G' {; H* h) S+ ^7 E
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和加州的立法人对阵,色情电影业最终很有可能打败仗。除了罚款,色情电影业也面临着一些前任演员们提出的代价昂贵的法律诉讼。 ) B U$ j* u' i, C) B+ O9 n4 d; U0 j( |% q7 h, t
一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 , v! D' v5 D' D$ E- Q( R8 ~9 G( D# C , H2 p( a( D* e- Y/ B9 D( X% W0 e* o制片人说,这对雇员没有任何好处,只会迫使制片公司搬到海外、或者转移到地下去拍片。观众想看的,就一定能看得到。- Q- @0 i. F0 B. S9 {( V: E% P V
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宝碧也有同感。事实上,这也正是她开始脱衣服、准备开拍性爱场面之前说的告别词。' D0 Y8 n! }% {* i
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我想,我看的已经够多了。我悄悄地离开拍摄现场,重新回到淅淅沥沥的小雨中……. 5 Y( X" t* Q- t7 ]% o! O. b, e. d, Z- g
- L2 r+ X9 p# g- V$ k( {. ICalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ; ^/ f2 m: s: c3 X8 W0 Y 6 |+ L4 ] E2 R' a6 @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.( O- d' \" b7 R% B- t
) ?4 S- U6 e8 [$ }. D) aLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. ; G1 P% k, _. F 2 `# n7 b# I# q& J( s' b4 sI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.9 A! [) u) J( J ^* M. m/ x$ G: A
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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.4 D9 W& v' p8 q) C
( E+ f( S, i$ NThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.6 q- [ P9 ?2 j# h5 v# Y) K+ ?
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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. * K |8 ^: K+ J6 V; d# U8 @. ^& t9 E# q
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. ) h! D v; U" E/ [. P ; f: K' U) V4 P& J) LOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. / y" t: ?$ v: q- |& h0 }5 U# z: W. W4 D, N {3 @. b4 T& ?
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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. / Q# Y3 Q2 P; A: A- b% p/ l7 W( _' N5 t: A
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.+ E0 D$ F$ o3 O0 r# E
1 h, Q, \+ |0 o1 o# g, R. ]Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.4 U/ ~. z$ H- O/ u% N1 i6 w1 Z! v+ O: l
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. ! s `& }9 f$ S 6 @5 [$ z. q; B2 V* J2 \And the economic downturn does not help. 3 [8 \% t2 H. A' b% G3 {, S1 y4 Y2 @; W3 g& h3 g3 I% h# {
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.# _9 D; i" O7 n6 Q5 S
6 y# R& Z: K+ Q1 DThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.0 Z; }$ d6 [# x6 h( S
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. ' j9 I, }- F$ n8 g/ z+ | 4 H$ l) o7 ~3 B: `Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.3 e! p8 l+ ~$ C; I% E- C, p4 M
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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.8 u t4 S& o2 y8 J/ t7 X3 i8 L; y
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 8 { C5 K% ]* f. B - l! K+ G/ p! `+ P% OA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.& N% D6 G4 k/ V% y0 B* q" ]# M3 T) S
( J0 X8 c% ?& o4 w) N9 u% T7 d7 EShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 6 F, F$ m1 n/ W4 k8 l# C/ l6 k: ~ $ _+ O0 t2 m" m; i6 o! y"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 3 l) e6 ^: @% N- i: N- C2 g9 i4 a) i- z6 f4 G- n" A- S3 Y
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. & r8 C- _" E- X5 r$ ^4 P9 `, N; ^0 s; c4 _$ C; C2 l
Each day would be 15 hours long. 6 B" W6 b. H- Y) C ! F1 x; ?5 H3 {$ q: \' P p"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.3 V8 y8 U7 {8 l# ?1 |7 `' V; p
* E7 }' Y* ~8 t/ T"You get used to it," she smiled. 5 ^' ]: _' K) ~( z+ V' _ 2 w& B. y% H* d/ h5 t2 J( ^"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?") ]) a# Y, P! G' F. `' y6 p ~
% k1 ~7 f2 T7 K9 A* b& ["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."! H; x5 v: j5 C1 q r$ f% |9 r3 @
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.0 i3 n# G: q1 j- ]2 R2 ?
6 B3 m# l' L/ }3 o Y( _, S: PExpensive lawsuits ! b8 e6 r! b9 e# j& t( W0 D5 H% D+ S! J8 \
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 4 b! |. j9 U4 F: I) l9 d% _$ A1 T5 S& \) x- y& F# Z
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.$ e h( D3 H. N; j/ |
& `$ w3 E1 w" l9 h5 _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. & a3 b. U O- s O; A* v1 k- U7 d1 ]" @: E& }8 g2 l8 v5 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. 7 Q! D( y% w1 L5 ?3 i3 N$ E4 r. }- U, o: _# H
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?". D% Q Q X" a( w( Q: m
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.% e |9 F, s6 [; D6 }+ l4 q
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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? ) h; z8 y4 x+ z! o% S1 ?; X- f F$ P+ D+ b# F. b7 p9 Q. Q0 l3 f P' ?) vThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. o( O8 W+ X' W1 A& I
/ Q& s2 S2 e( V8 mIt 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. 6 _4 o& Y0 z' X" D9 K+ r0 d: }$ B$ B" o2 _: Q* m2 ]
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.( g0 p* t( |) Z3 m M
8 |: m( `) o- |/ ]; aThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.- A8 H& j9 ?, e$ w5 R; Q; M$ K# ~
9 Q- s1 w% x; I3 DThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.* M( |1 [, R) Q3 _) w9 V& G+ A C
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.6 S( e0 s5 k9 c; @1 r
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8 i* f! t- M3 P% a) b4 ?' _2 _ ? # k% [& X1 Z/ w$ K/ Y7 p( wCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004