! n ?# l6 g4 w) N I5 h' u' A ; S; c1 H4 l/ k: n, pCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 7 N5 m# ?/ k7 L, f7 h / X- p9 \5 Q H* d0 S; R& XCalifornia'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." @5 X4 V/ X$ @ z& T" H0 m
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.' k* ]* B( R! F4 r$ T. _5 x
6 P: F. n, x i5 y4 }. yI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 9 v) {" T* \& T$ U v# | ' S3 E, C( B# N! k# D- JWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.$ Q# _( M- Q5 n( C% e' ^
9 k k' \% w a& N( i% 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. `2 ^" i0 I& e/ W6 V: [' f; j0 E) ~1 ]
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.3 \$ i$ M: P7 a
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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.1 m. a4 a7 Q$ e+ Z3 g! a
6 y1 _! z* ]! ]- ]0 v4 F' xOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. ! J r% U _5 X8 E' t k ' b1 _ @1 l! B$ e2 J/ QFantasy% w; O! }$ L- l$ m4 @, g
9 x3 s5 @; m3 r7 k. q0 y; G' ?+ p+ P7 }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. 4 l# @# a3 o" Z ! ~/ e; g0 y- _; _( UThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.9 F( D- A* P4 m, W
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. , X: Z% y8 O5 m6 `5 \, G8 W% o * s% _0 r% }: e+ H! MDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.! I; q/ P& Q1 ?% U# ]
+ X5 b" u. e! e0 QAnd the economic downturn does not help./ ^; S6 A$ ] v% p0 i
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. . i0 W* G2 f4 d; Z# o3 L* K! K# k4 f& I* g! i
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. , K& R) G! k+ c- N' a7 t2 f! ^, _0 [0 C l3 \ o/ @1 g X3 h& M
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. , C; L {( k/ ^& E6 ]/ F* j7 C6 {' Y5 c* W
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. . z7 v8 r8 V2 ^: | * t" e3 }7 i0 v5 }: [5 K5 \3 wBut 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* q- k; q( ?) R8 o
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Gonorrhoea # j- f5 r& f# Q4 l" \/ ~- h- ]2 F& |; b8 w
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. ) [6 \0 L; p( q# O" s ?+ ]3 R$ w2 R, `# N: ?% A
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 5 B' ]+ ?2 o+ L# |: y& l8 c- C 4 g0 W* G# i G9 Q: dShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. + O* p! T3 b! k( ?% ]& r- p) e4 M: F+ D( r) X/ q* \
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" a0 f( c6 r* m3 z7 j1 Y ! A8 d% F, {# ~" M( ^/ l; aHer 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% q, ^8 o! X, p) f $ k [0 Z; j7 sEach day would be 15 hours long.: Z1 ?6 Y$ ?) a, F5 G' `
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.' B: @" H' A- w2 c) q7 q1 y/ K8 B5 L0 o
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"You get used to it," she smiled. 3 V/ s5 Y8 {% h" Y9 u- V' n9 I+ d- Y) o$ ^) M; B$ v
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" " N7 k5 Q& H, U- z' E4 ? Z, o 6 ~6 C- l0 h: p$ d"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." ' x! N7 P& K$ E/ W& Y. H * A: C: p e4 l5 R, m/ t, [0 FThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. " L2 e, E8 e6 p; E s+ [6 a' K0 r7 d0 AExpensive lawsuits {' S% i) v! V' s
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 2 l' [5 D$ [1 m5 T 2 G4 r7 ^/ W& s# L7 l+ d. hA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 6 F) D8 p% I& D2 a: x8 L4 k5 G$ N* r5 A4 R4 G- a
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.! }$ w$ c# y* ]
6 D+ J4 K4 I2 d4 [" ONow, 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.& |1 O3 A+ i. i+ x$ i$ O
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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?" % y& ]8 H( X- G5 \+ Y& A* j' _8 H, e* r1 u8 e% G
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.7 v* Z1 k3 J! j' _
D. q$ d" [3 ]7 n. JBut 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?/ h5 D9 u! g' P% A7 s$ v
/ I% ]' f1 M8 y) v5 d, iThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection., g O+ e, ~% w8 y+ u5 U
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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. : r: G9 ?0 g# k4 R- n2 C! V' @7 \8 j6 Z* S7 g
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. & n$ Q& t5 z, [' a! U& w. @; Q- T" j1 F& y
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. & }4 m/ N$ \8 D 2 e. \5 m: M0 | @) G& Y( O" ]6 @That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.+ w y; w( }- o. A. |, Z; s- T- V' \
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. * P, c) _# W/ f+ U, f5 x; a8 x8 E. h% Y/ l: C `5 n 4 E1 w2 M. V9 F6 U
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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