r5 K0 ?; t/ c! X5 z& o9 O: z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”? : B, _4 r& Z5 P - V+ U' M% ?% h) P) B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。 & Y. {) J1 x7 Z# t* r! i: J* {7 S& d" V5 k- o6 u$ z
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? % J; r7 d( l0 R" d ?4 x 7 c# x0 i- q) u1 f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。 * P, `0 V5 [* u/ q% R" c. s8 t* V- D" R. M
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。4 D0 u1 l' a0 P
4 ~6 ]' Q6 F( m7 Z+ p一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 . x* s- f' `8 O# T& |* I. O* z/ F0 k2 n3 m' b
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。4 d2 @! }5 [5 C3 w0 h8 N2 K4 `" m
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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。 3 ^4 J9 R1 y2 @) o. w. r, [4 o3 m# K4 h
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…….# E- M" `( a: C* [/ t
0 [+ ^' `0 C* T z' k 5 @0 H& T' t, FCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ; t! a" Q4 d3 \
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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. / Y1 g0 D0 B+ F+ x2 Y+ R6 k7 z5 y, N6 l) t
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. * M1 Q2 z' E3 @! K 5 l |$ K+ M3 cI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.- Z! e V$ Q0 `5 ]) e+ I
2 I3 o) h. M% WWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. 2 x0 u* }& p; \( S+ [7 y9 H5 t$ l4 G- E% N
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.! g/ Y8 t. L" N) x) X
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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. , y4 d; d, d, S# i0 Y; u& B 0 e/ f' M4 ^# t" t0 {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. 3 Q- u$ M2 C2 M O2 f5 \ g7 t* n / b- {- W8 z) v% u( kOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.* S, t7 O- N8 w5 j
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Fantasy& Y; l+ d4 r" ]; [ ]3 _2 }
& l3 h, g% w& x7 |; JThe 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 i" h( Q+ H F; g/ ^ [
! n3 v5 J4 c- J0 F* Y4 W. RThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. 7 [/ H# D) p' w# @1 l0 Z" R ( k3 }; ]+ Y) e1 Q' X+ f( W3 E- ILike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. + r0 \7 A6 `: ?8 m% [. L" ] 7 b2 ]/ i( u' |5 v/ t0 C3 ~DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.. G: }* y: h. V" _' [
+ J- Y* l4 u6 P3 o) L6 H8 cAnd the economic downturn does not help. 2 c# K4 X/ `* W. {2 b4 B2 K2 X$ |0 M$ K' `
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. C" H' [/ S: m2 y! B + K ~5 |' u# t# P8 F4 o2 h* \( QThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.# ]" B8 C8 S- L
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms." e# t7 j. x, D0 a
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. ( O7 L7 o1 |8 Z% f3 C7 E; |6 B ) N S2 U+ d% H, i' I9 t% [ [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./ [9 w0 k" V5 h% n( C& h+ O N3 r2 s2 N
0 r3 S% b6 j0 S# j, t h8 r( L5 ZGonorrhoea ) {7 t Q. g9 r6 } % g8 z, B, @' L" \Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. - @8 c* S4 S, e4 [7 \/ b+ N4 O6 l) j2 s* u) m$ z' ?6 O
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. " I7 [8 B% i% k2 |2 x ; O$ e h! S6 RShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. _% }# }" E! x2 G5 k4 e# c) O: ^ # V. E: J2 y i"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 0 @+ o9 w. h4 d # p: ~6 y7 u$ ^( R5 yHer 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.; V5 j' L2 s" A1 C( c; S2 O. b
' C. a3 q% v& F6 T' G! g7 X7 Y; tEach day would be 15 hours long.( V* R7 s8 M. P3 F: c
: q, W# M+ h' h1 {+ C"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.: [2 X. J, l% S2 Y
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"You get used to it," she smiled. 2 j! i) y8 k: l0 _7 m& z 8 i% ?8 A. `- u8 a"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" ) X8 I) T/ N. A1 g( X. k' c1 b m9 y/ b* ?1 b2 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." 7 M& C/ S `8 d& v3 [ ) m4 Q6 Q3 x/ O/ a" V9 [There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 1 {, _9 c& e1 f % a6 j" @' C( k$ d0 r3 H p' B: [Expensive lawsuits! {2 X' B0 U! m' q% _/ K! M
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.+ J3 h1 y& C( _ O! \0 d
`% F+ T z1 y/ {( zA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 0 M( r: p; }, s% U% B* [( @8 C" o3 v h
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. * h' O6 V3 g( e- k. _9 L% C3 H 6 D. J2 h8 V8 `2 {: MNow, 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. ; o/ O1 o# X/ W+ L: ]/ U+ D: h2 [7 [- w
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" ) ~) R4 I- |# P" _5 ~9 v; V$ O0 w2 @, J- k. i) u
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.5 n% J/ u* i6 X) M
% i; G, C' s: O& S1 }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? . P9 t7 ~! \7 V$ y* ]" u' c5 w ?8 e ' [8 v2 e; F2 x) m+ pThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.0 R- X/ Q& K, n! B. ]
3 [6 s& x) `( t0 nIt 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.* G9 ^3 ?# U! J& p
% Z# G' L* [3 H9 ?A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.1 ?( B0 n; G4 Z' o" l8 M4 e2 [
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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.: N' E# [+ K/ h9 O# \8 X
3 N8 x( P6 B7 cThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. % x) C% C3 ?' k+ \! o; i 0 V% X, `9 o/ ~7 V7 E4 mI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 8 q: n) V+ T% f7 W# u. f Q6 s3 t+ |7 \- N) _! d1 @ " H4 b& w$ Z8 B
. v7 Z: G- Z% z9 z : m+ N& F( d" [/ b2 B# C% F% yCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004