. b! R- l; d0 p+ b; y5 U: V 1 u6 a* o' K* E k# C6 iCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 1 a! y4 n( g/ N# U( I
0 q& u7 ~+ P: S& d P6 _2 OCalifornia'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) W2 v/ r7 z
: ~7 c3 h5 {( U r- zLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.- S+ }9 Y; c% `/ T0 R3 S" o
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I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.& B5 c" g: {" Z5 g
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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 i: r2 W6 \4 ]$ ? : S8 |5 P& ~! YThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. * m, g; u9 r5 Y& J O+ @# x 3 I6 z% w8 n3 {* d* F# oPerformers 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.0 ~5 R8 Y" [$ U2 E+ Z. ?
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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. . L" K9 N4 U: Q) Y* _ " h3 j: N9 E+ u8 T$ m3 h! a/ pOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. + h7 b7 {' w6 ~* p - k$ ?1 Y+ J9 G: x1 f! hFantasy ' F9 n/ V' n, c( b/ x& V9 v% P/ N: V6 j- ]9 D
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. : _2 }; d0 T5 F, f' v$ }9 m# N4 V6 |, d$ r- r
The problem, increasingly, is revenue./ S) |* ?9 l. H* |
0 z C. W+ m) X9 yLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.' w# n- k, C1 H# l
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. ! G% e+ o5 |7 | K) ]& l% d" ~2 A. E4 [' W' u0 g. j
And the economic downturn does not help.0 A! K- O7 \2 R. c/ s
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.3 [! F/ U6 [ T! ]- m
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.& B( p; S* o2 Y7 a& a1 ^
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.! ^" T8 _1 W9 n
, @$ k8 M! R5 v) x$ [& O2 yHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.2 N% ^5 t) `7 f7 `& s, u
( O$ v3 Z% I* Y, w3 A. e0 jBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.. S8 J- z% Z% F) |6 M+ ^2 Z/ r* o4 N
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 2 O$ g- @# T: I( W) Q7 r& ~ 5 f0 _1 V2 d. k# MA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. ; _' Q2 F I- {3 ~- U5 z 0 u |# ]* D5 l6 D- |& m8 [; ]$ t, OShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.1 D' l3 L3 v& j! y4 f7 D* a8 m
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" / L. N( e* Z) z* }5 G/ O ; n, ?" M0 I! ?( hHer 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. & c4 f q, f4 b) J7 e3 T " z$ `# w& i0 R7 Q GEach day would be 15 hours long.7 l4 }. h+ a. }
9 [4 @6 P' I. ^* g"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.0 p3 G$ ~- B5 |: c' `$ `5 H* p
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"You get used to it," she smiled. # K- Q8 B" N0 p* | 3 L0 p! K4 e/ U$ t3 q"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"0 G0 i5 y: |( L1 Q1 H/ _* Q
7 A5 n, C: ?5 r7 Q1 q) d7 c"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."0 H: C" d5 ~6 W# c/ V) Q
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.- K: z- y/ Z& H0 ^6 p
7 E/ ]- j( a4 v8 [) x. `Expensive lawsuits' } B0 `- y" P: t3 U7 [
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 7 V# B& e# s: v8 V( H/ U7 h' x* W9 j& Q
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.) e0 P7 S) s: a
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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 \3 D6 v& ?( V# N f9 W; R/ V; @0 B3 k; B* ]- n1 L0 ?, V
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.6 w! j, P1 k2 w$ [& M
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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?" 0 L+ z8 h4 h. F5 N* D. U. ~5 s6 W- x. ^4 }
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. $ k* g. L5 ]( l1 ?! |; ^' u 2 G5 B- Q. x& L 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?6 I/ D# ?2 P9 W; H0 S. w2 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. + |# m- N! m7 y# Z) { ; ?$ r+ w1 R8 Q1 n% S3 bIt 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.2 U4 g" P6 |, u4 V! D$ l3 w
0 e4 c# ^: l5 iA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.4 v2 k9 w; g$ A1 O
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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." f0 A0 } I% R& s& a) J S. o+ X
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That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.5 J" ~$ |: y- R0 u* ]
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. + E0 e/ D4 ?4 I" l9 \' ? - w4 H# r) F6 K5 ~1 m) j/ |9 j* ?3 j- a9 p
$ m' J2 Q& L6 p6 ^ " ?2 o U* d2 d( _0 E: \Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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