本帖最后由 Ampelmann 于 2011-6-21 15:24 编辑 A3 T; B& e1 i: q: Y : U- v3 o$ |$ I a8 [4 N加州色情电影业压力重重 BBC中文网 记者艾德•巴特勒 Ed Butler 6 _) @& \3 N# p$ R8 \$ }% q8 K2 v! Z0 C& p, ]- ]& N# P
说到加州电影业，好莱坞并不是一枝独秀，这里也是世界色情电影之都。但是，BBC记者巴特勒说，色情电影业现在也面临重重压力：经济萧条的冲击、网上盗版的泛滥，和立法人对阵最终很有可能打败仗…… 1 S0 j+ C1 `& E: @6 a' P$ t; d
小雨淅淅沥沥。洛杉矶北部，在一间位于低层仓库内的制片厂的大门外，我停下车来。7 F- L3 ?4 N! l9 |1 Y8 h y2 \8 {
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他们告诉我，直接来就行了，“看看我们是怎们办事儿的，很好玩。” & z1 i6 G4 B2 V; V+ X5 T3 l5 f. B+ }8 r5 ]# k! [& X
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首先映入眼帘的一切，并没能满足我的预期值。但是说实话，我也不知道自己到底指望着能看到什么。 5 L C- m9 j0 U2 k7 N0 Y( v. ]
那天拍摄的是三级片《新一代星际迷航》。据说，这是描写太空探险的经典电视系列剧《星际迷航》的搞笑翻版。; h V) U5 F* B$ m
3 k, e# l1 j) V9 H* Y演员们穿着紧身太空服，有些脸上还贴着外星人状的假鼻子。他们逛来逛去，满脸的无聊。一个疲惫的工作人员不停地摆弄着灯光。1 Y5 S2 E% P: {' l
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负责人告诉我，这天早晨，主要是要拍人物对话。颇有艺术修养的编剧兼导演山姆带着明显的遗憾解释说，影片当中其实没有多少人物对话。 " Z+ v/ v9 r0 [ ' H& k8 R: V. C. H a, B3 i他叹了口气，说，两个小时的电影，只有三十分钟有故事情节。 3 T3 S* y+ ^7 c+ u$ ^扼杀观众的幻想 * L5 y: b, D3 j! k9 p( k 3 F; ~" G# t- H x$ v7 C6 D* v9 s色情电影的特殊要求也许不会给山姆提供成为他长期渴望的、具有划时代意义的电影制片人的机会，但是至少，他还有电影可拍。; B- x+ P, [9 o" d
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越来越紧迫的一个问题是收入。和音乐界一样，色情电影工作者也在挣扎着说服观众掏钱看戏。- O5 x4 b) o; Q8 N; m n
4 `7 {# Y* F. P2 L" EDVD光盘的销售一落千丈。互联网上，可以免费收看的色情片多的是。% w; C( D* v! j! u2 a b3 V
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经济不景气，让色情电影业屋漏偏遭连夜雨。 3 u8 x! H7 q9 }& E( ~7 A- \1 f3 w' ^2 N' t/ ]4 |
一位很有名气的制片人明智地概括说，“萧条与盗版双管齐下，正是我们所说的完美的暴风雨”。9 {# f) H0 v8 Y, U1 E1 I
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经济大环境还意味着，色情电影业也更不情愿接受加利福尼亚越来越严格的工作场所规章制度。, O$ _ C1 ?, j5 O
4 d3 _& \$ t& i% V) wCalifornia'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. 3 ]; [+ c" v3 F4 ^( ?/ W # Q( c5 u4 ?, w9 VLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 5 L* X1 m' Q4 t9 l$ u$ Y% j: m, v
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 9 K, \7 q, W$ x4 e: @9 `+ @" D# P; N _6 K8 H
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.3 c |) G* G( ]: M- I; r
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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. + n/ p9 W& p# g8 y0 p8 J1 y2 C: Y1 c
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.' U! K! N9 N& g" l6 y- K8 F
3 v/ A5 k! f1 B2 |8 q9 a" QThis 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. 6 f( W5 U: m) L! V* p5 ^, I2 x; P- Y# C8 H) C" ?; M
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.; Q J0 m: M8 S7 D0 r9 g' E; x
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Fantasy " W- ?7 f; ~3 G3 Y % w2 o' G6 T5 a c' Y5 v, t% _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. ; C1 ?8 X1 s s7 R- _ * `$ B! ]+ f6 R. R l- C$ f3 q/ @The problem, increasingly, is revenue." a' {% }5 m- f6 Q
& E3 t' g- m% Z5 ~+ [: X3 CLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.7 V8 N1 Y! @, }" Q
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.. Y: U& C# {5 u+ @
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And the economic downturn does not help. 1 t" |" s- _3 h" t4 E, {# e# m/ N& v& |$ x1 z
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.' B; V* F1 ]" q& M% E
+ b' g- d% `9 I4 nThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.! P' G( m) }4 a' ` W
2 R3 g/ n: M" o" u9 p/ [For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.6 [* T+ e4 }9 l; o9 Q# }) l2 ?
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. : `& n8 i/ } E$ f- K' @& w- s: K4 `6 V& H9 q' N C
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." {" s: v: s0 P. U7 x3 E
" J" ]8 \+ ?: }# T6 G! g- jGonorrhoea # B( v# O6 n! i8 x 4 [8 ^+ A' B$ b1 MBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.2 |; P9 W& u: L* k3 |
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A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. / u& M( y g# N: Q8 w! E! D4 n" C; n# c3 E5 W( N
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.( P0 {& W% Q/ Q$ J
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" ; s+ C6 Q% _- x$ F& C2 E$ [' k( I; i1 e0 s3 k6 K
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. 4 @% C$ q( r( ]+ w$ a- ] , N1 q, R% G+ P( R# a: A% `& E$ y# oEach day would be 15 hours long.( l9 X) E1 s+ R+ c9 F
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. . x) D' q s9 A) I0 @5 k/ X/ i: ~9 A$ B- j. `% ]
"You get used to it," she smiled. ; ~9 O' g) u6 ~ D2 V( L: P u7 K$ ]4 b. X5 D1 N: T) c
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"* p, a$ O# o4 M
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"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."# P/ [$ _0 L8 ?- n5 \
0 L+ i) e/ }9 EThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.4 \7 r2 _, G8 {
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Expensive lawsuits 8 C6 |5 {! Q0 \: m * _! U' u# A: I; ~( I' o0 t, m5 `6 SIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 0 }; u# y0 c) y; C5 t1 @/ r) Z5 }+ r2 b0 n
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.$ K L0 i. z/ X6 K$ \2 \$ p
" f+ m) W8 u/ _" T6 MIt 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. " M8 l i' F5 U! w \' f$ ]8 ?/ K" C- y# B7 N0 N
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. + \/ ]: h4 q& K ( \; D$ P$ b2 S9 U2 u1 r"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 8 o, {; E& [3 F* W) K4 `, p/ g8 Z" `3 n" N* a7 V
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 9 S! c0 \5 S* \; V. t% z+ ? % Y; J7 V' H/ k5 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 e) J( ^) X' q! Z/ [* h
4 Q, A; I# p8 m1 MThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. ( u2 x- y9 \5 U9 m& d$ @9 W k9 r" q, Z
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.! g7 D+ m& \( `9 f/ o$ {
7 W+ X! }1 n0 v& j" k2 u5 ?: ~( j' OA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.* R, u! F) E$ \/ _, i$ @+ d$ ^# X
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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.: _2 y& B( ]5 {' k) a3 A0 d
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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. : k# B6 K+ U4 _, T3 p' F & G9 ~) {+ f& N2 a, `6 e% gI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain./ n! J) }$ l. z
: h$ g* A4 ?( q8 Q " o, i5 y5 ^% G+ k - i/ U' M% z6 I% ~ ?# e6 G! N5 ? , m; O. ^7 b4 R7 N% h0 qCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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