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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles . E2 m# W q3 t8 {) I6 c" ^1 R
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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. 1 C K7 f2 ]5 k$ ?9 a5 c. H ^8 Q
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. " o$ w+ e, I, j# x1 M9 ]4 K# U5 W+ p( n0 B, R, l& d. _9 \5 D
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.9 f4 k# h" B0 u1 x; ]
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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. 9 C: F# E3 x |* _ ~# Z% s \' q( j) d- L. F) r
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.0 Q! f, b2 [+ P! l& W
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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., r7 g [% {3 |6 p9 I" q
* w- H1 Z* S) G# tThis 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. % H2 F3 C4 ~( Z) p" p ( o) \# `; f. W: \5 c3 Z" o; J! v# dOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.' g# w: ~# G+ e9 B
. Q3 o4 m/ W7 I* R7 J0 YThe 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.5 M$ I, K+ X# b' z7 p( v( V
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue. : z- w, O, K' ^: t! ?% I % {- S+ `5 @: E. jLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.! X8 p: |! U8 {" R
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 2 H# x5 i4 g4 D7 o" R5 Q8 D/ g$ v* Z/ x+ e- T! v6 U9 I" h+ K/ A9 R
And the economic downturn does not help. 7 U0 {7 z" n p- K4 k4 N) H4 t . f6 p' H! {+ W+ b9 @5 z"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 4 q. `3 q0 E) h% v% o 1 e+ g8 s; H7 W p# G% uThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. ! v+ Z; _5 @# @/ f' m + k. b: c+ t9 K4 L8 T p7 eFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.( n/ I8 p2 |% z$ j& }, E% L/ j
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. ) k7 N( y* d, f( w6 i* v: G& H( _+ t/ b
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.5 y/ [1 e2 }' a, ^. u g
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Gonorrhoea) O ^3 a" o2 o/ R+ s; j
+ R* r, U, L- e, R$ Z" |. sBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.& w) A3 H3 i2 X$ ^6 P0 v7 C( ]7 N5 ^
$ I! y. v& B7 }% l7 I$ R' r, cA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 6 U9 Z* u. A @ ; h/ v9 o! [2 C) X; CShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. ; p! W% A* {9 c0 E8 i1 J' b! d. A J' @$ s+ p
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 9 X' @8 r; P% O: ?, t : e6 Q% h! A+ E* F% BHer 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.. C i$ }. M* H0 L( ~
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Each day would be 15 hours long. ' w% W6 Z7 X; \9 g2 i$ L7 _# d; Q* Z6 k! _3 F7 M6 R; w1 h
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.+ U7 `7 W4 C" G) _
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"You get used to it," she smiled. i! C! }; h; i. }. p
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"5 @0 @) [7 n# C& V8 @- A5 L
9 v$ P y: R4 G- j"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 x0 U% _% u! Z* ^! m
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.4 L6 y$ ~& P0 A( w0 @ a
- b( X/ p, g' n% ~In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.- s4 X7 T" c% Z* d. a, Q
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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. ) _: M; d2 Y: D% y9 m5 g; D 4 O5 F4 f; ? b- J" ]3 r8 s! }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. " \0 r4 ] g+ k" p* s" V) @1 C: q: A) [: ?6 r5 O2 P
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. ! N# E# i. q4 L * S5 I* K' P |$ i) Q# h"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 7 \; N# H( Z) b% s; |- S 2 N6 B) k0 e+ e' [ @1 _% FI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.3 E: H4 S' m# w( r4 H! r
; W, `2 ~" Q. v5 L7 C9 kBut 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?) }/ `0 k5 _0 n; Z, D
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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.* e, L- T8 b0 `6 `7 l/ }
& N. w! b2 o" z; d" 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. h, ]' A4 p) r4 ]& [ $ b6 B8 V1 g& P0 n& ^8 X$ K! c, WA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.7 R# Y) ]2 N2 s. ~1 ?( |( K$ r
9 {5 P2 Z" j& \, ~" n. I4 {- bThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. ! s+ |8 O( s1 G& ?# K F* e" n& K' i6 N, e/ a- I% r9 C8 K
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.6 T' t, n/ d- L) I/ [# V3 o
( R8 I$ I2 p0 p' S3 |: G/ aI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.% ^! R7 q7 ~7 o1 c* }
8 X: i: c$ @$ W6 t0 t. q & g" x0 _9 n) h6 y' F 2 F8 G! u. l) t3 J7 b; p% P ( v: J; {2 P8 Z! l, ?Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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