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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 2 N! j, D6 u1 o& p6 ]+ l' u 5 P0 Z' e, y [4 t3 \5 c% P4 ECalifornia'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./ [+ n/ I- h; y6 N, E% N, E) y+ F9 }0 F
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 5 ~0 ]/ H' `% F' L# M+ e! c . W Z* w4 O$ }I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. , n/ N; f2 t* r1 H6 a. w3 F4 \8 X3 `* D5 v, W, L9 O' \
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.- m W0 l/ L1 O, D- b
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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. 1 I5 `4 X, Q# j2 L* I$ ]+ [$ T7 p5 s. I! `
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.' y0 q# P1 ?. v# s0 b% ^! V7 o: ^# x
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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. / a, O1 f- @# |' }! q / c; o3 f0 x5 B I. nOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.0 x) V* j3 i; i4 ?2 S; f: y0 y8 e
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Fantasy 5 }" |: m+ t5 K" H' Q o$ ]( J9 K, p$ @: |
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. / D7 C$ _5 V/ Z+ _3 R! Z/ o! }: }$ ]7 K& N' V$ f; u* X! Z9 w3 C
The problem, increasingly, is revenue., K. a. n1 ~3 H$ f
# V' k( h/ X v1 {# S; ^/ Q% d4 qLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. ' t' v& L: h, B. m3 Y& o2 J# a% K' P* b$ b2 U; p2 W8 J# m9 o
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.. {. {. [0 p! Z
; W; i- D% h1 MAnd the economic downturn does not help.- b6 h- z* K. [
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.8 H, R" e1 @/ E1 I
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. 8 V; _; i, R1 c+ w- w6 z! I3 A. C; g+ h7 r/ J+ \7 @% b% s
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. , G1 D! _7 }! s- h8 x7 v m: ]+ P3 x7 C) P6 { Z. F' u7 w3 y! x4 |
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.! w/ q* B# A: i( F
9 V% c, m0 ]' p/ d+ o/ O. X6 rBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. ) w& L; Y ~5 c3 n) \& R, `/ z# p9 }& Q
Gonorrhoea& B% _) D" j# [$ |# x, m
- P, P( r% y+ Y, g$ xBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.. z5 a5 S. j9 H( H% N
( D/ q! ]3 ]0 E! n. C8 v% H9 h' oA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 0 {8 x7 v/ F; d S: r7 m, ~5 @$ d% u% j
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.: a7 m- y/ k: c
2 Z8 l0 C p+ u) S# K( E"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"+ F! B+ i1 U& V
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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. & Q7 P7 Z& i& ]' h' x! D0 O( h I2 S q, d, n9 V
Each day would be 15 hours long.! F4 z# ?1 J3 Z
8 R2 F3 V7 V! A/ X% ?$ t"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.! m" x& l- x' T2 }
' {1 p4 I# M& {3 m"You get used to it," she smiled.- e7 C# ~, E6 t# D/ z3 n
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"8 y' b* _: t w! ^% {% X% R
! [4 j, f3 Q/ z. g/ X) 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."% a7 C( v+ N3 |* D$ i* M4 V" F" [ T4 o
, I, m; a. b: V# ~6 GThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. * t I3 N6 I( d) `8 t9 x" A- P2 e- }8 d L) D% E, N1 m
Expensive lawsuits 0 j$ c9 i& @! d% r6 \) G3 M, a* w$ ^/ l, u8 Z1 ^* u/ @2 M
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. : j" Y f, i$ r- {$ X6 m8 Y 0 Z0 F! g4 I2 }: bA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.2 x9 C; h. F N! t
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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.7 {* G! C; u ~
8 H. Z# ~6 v# V+ uNow, 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. 6 g$ D! b/ Q% B' i; T6 z- V 2 a( g1 b" t5 ~* Y3 g7 q"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"% |& b& `& ^4 w, J% h
& N: b& E$ e3 N+ f \! ~I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.9 g1 N! Z# O8 d* v
; Z. f) d/ B+ h _9 bBut 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/ |% w9 ]6 ?, T) e* a) X/ O8 f8 L
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. ; T" q/ ?+ b9 L$ L0 e# j. K! h. w" h, H7 h
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. ! h! z0 ~ _! O% B0 S3 ?& [2 d% R! q2 S& p% V. F
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.% [+ W% X* @+ ~: \1 a/ n/ N6 b- |
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The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. h: q6 J5 r; H* |5 Q1 Q) N
@& Q& K; U: O; y, pThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene., }" @1 H$ k2 H. B" q! B. d/ F
: X# d, a9 [; TI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. # O1 P+ U a1 e9 y/ c9 h; y2 k: e& v% s! E + E: w& h: G3 W
) t" e$ ~) } y" s ; p8 z- E9 D3 ?/ E5 _, @: a2 i/ pCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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