! K: p4 i4 J+ J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。 ) b# E) F8 {) X$ @- M+ `6 X' I4 R8 z/ u E" D. z
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。+ W# H k; I' ]+ l
) S3 E) m6 R" I8 S) @一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。 1 [& n7 _! \' q. O# S7 w0 J! Y3 K* |+ [2 D/ g6 I/ I W
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。 , k5 S, [: O% B* }# Y/ T$ ^5 a. d. V6 V % G6 P; a$ {7 y6 y3 }& D8 v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。5 O) n7 Q! j" i( f) O
9 Z2 C! E0 `1 F4 |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……. + `4 P1 w7 o) w) v $ G4 w7 |& t3 p! c8 p( ~ ( G6 I3 P6 N! B' B! nCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles $ f! c' f( K( s6 ~ U
5 N+ z/ s5 e. o3 Z' m. S5 TCalifornia'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.' s3 Q3 x4 g# `0 l! A* f& Y5 g
. H$ p' v& Q J$ l4 A7 M2 M- ]Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. . O% r( l2 ~; I 2 b( R# k+ P- {/ @' y. ]I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.% N' p* b6 G+ e& ~0 M6 |
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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.: w C3 Q' ~4 a& W" }
8 Z+ K& O& G$ ~$ R, R! NThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. P* [- ~# M4 U: i- p; k4 r$ [& I; Y9 |, y
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.8 N+ y& H I8 \! F$ |
& i: _" K( |; x3 N8 ~, _1 O+ CThis 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. / y6 k1 h. A9 E3 y- @+ b9 R 6 P$ S9 c6 c& z+ _( cOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.& W/ L. s) Z2 j% x; _. q
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1 j3 |! T8 t7 ]! qThe 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.8 n1 h) b- A1 k2 {# b. Q, ?
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue. ) f1 Z3 ^5 O) g+ {4 n/ E: s4 r" H6 e) H/ P# o* S7 X
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch., U5 q0 j2 H0 {
1 A6 r1 k d1 x; v' c1 w! M. IDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 2 O9 m) `0 E4 U3 Y/ x+ q# b 4 K7 l5 {& v! R( S9 @( @& aAnd the economic downturn does not help.% P2 Z! d% a! O" P# U
& u. j( t! ?' x"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.' R% D( G, T0 Z: e( G( V
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. , l9 N/ l2 C9 G/ o' s Q% K( L, M! Q: ?+ \For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.3 k1 P- q7 E6 X" P8 ?, H$ D
2 P+ w4 L" H O7 m8 B3 M3 AHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. n) v2 V$ f5 \. X: r# J$ n
" K+ Q1 ~7 |4 ~" O5 g3 J+ j% E PBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.! F3 z% \( ?4 E% K7 W
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Gonorrhoea 0 m. p& x1 p9 \( d! ]' h" q+ W4 E. V( M# J' I
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.4 @6 h- `: z K6 c i6 i- D
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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. $ ~/ E, C# c! H% t b6 r ' K% n6 V8 M- m' yShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.$ Y: D% h3 ^+ E
. C; ^3 j0 d$ L. B* {"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 5 z0 u. O/ K/ L& s# k/ m/ K : P8 @* `) S5 }6 s0 FHer 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.- k6 s7 s& p M( S) Z) O/ c5 U
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Each day would be 15 hours long. 2 ^6 W4 v$ U7 x! e, w; N# `. Q0 {5 g; i5 `. m
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.8 \( q7 q9 l& L5 _9 I3 ?+ c
6 z7 h0 k/ n% c+ Y# W4 Z"You get used to it," she smiled.. J$ z: V# ~" {% {! n6 y
% }. `# X; o0 @& a; t6 R"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" + `2 {6 ]* `) `1 |- _6 g; n! L0 j4 m , o x( m9 k G4 D/ H) e"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.", ?9 T0 X8 P4 [
/ M, F4 Z) h4 g( x! yThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. - @$ f7 G1 d* g+ H5 b5 S+ a8 H' L* C% @8 k
Expensive lawsuits & h" H4 `; Q4 r7 C i # J& u# G6 z% A# CIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.2 q: L( L- F5 y$ `# g
& m1 e- {! x- |A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 2 Z7 L; |8 G$ w- E , A; A( M- h7 N7 Y7 y2 YIt 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. 5 Z0 q) i4 W+ A C6 m/ {1 q1 R! M. C
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. 5 U$ s9 [9 u! S9 k3 N. S5 y % y/ e( o( w% r/ v$ I"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"" Q; k- N. o2 l4 F* h
* V8 _: S; C, J, d3 p8 J1 `I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.2 {. X" G# K! w5 W/ Y; b
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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? ) j/ I7 v& i, m# R. M9 ] * i% ~; h0 D' o/ e; S0 [6 yThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.9 q" P5 m) P% L! `, H
* B( N: g" w/ P, U9 QIt 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. . b# {8 H2 f p' d0 r/ n ! e4 X2 F) m. K+ GA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them./ }# V$ _6 L( _( k
9 h$ K. N& u5 R+ W% i RThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. ' y$ A! d+ B1 K. E3 g* h# ^ z( @( c5 f* L5 y; s5 b
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.1 t2 [" ]' L- Z9 s* X7 r; ?+ N
( Q- v8 @) d( ?; E% JI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. - X2 G0 G+ a/ ~% s" w/ P* P: v9 g 6 f& W4 ]- ~# _
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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