5 f) T7 F/ A2 u( g% r; Z+ m+ gCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 9 \5 V5 ~8 K9 K5 D. |
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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.3 {( O% d4 E* F) o
. u2 v6 \9 y6 L( a; D0 y, hLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. , n2 T# Z7 r6 a2 w( i: l" V ! b, r: [, R+ r& R- WI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things., _# |7 n! z* }# D. Y8 s
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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. ( g5 S, l* v% n/ B5 E+ ?6 n7 Z: z 0 D/ ]" }$ P2 r; W& KThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. * y- b5 r3 U7 D5 f" W ) A! s; u* D1 U; R1 p# C7 qPerformers 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. % e* m1 c: T9 p/ F3 P/ F+ N4 X" E$ J. G
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.0 w5 Z& f9 D5 _
: ?8 \9 D; \9 lOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.- R1 ]6 d% v3 F# _" K _$ }$ `
3 E% ], g# j8 u8 a0 HFantasy 1 ~2 k$ u5 s1 D3 v; q ! h8 S* O3 G' w6 c5 ~. {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.- c% @3 v- i2 Y, P! J3 u
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue. & t1 c' X4 }9 X* Y, Z+ r( R9 ~3 [6 a& P" Y! ^0 a+ X$ w+ a; h4 B
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.2 j. n* W& q/ V; Y1 H
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.$ a& M' M( }$ z e! P! s; J
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And the economic downturn does not help.. P5 W( M: f; |( y- q" s
3 \. ?, c7 h* r6 }"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 5 C( m8 P' d* B) x& c- B7 B+ x H0 ?7 a9 ^ b0 t. U3 H
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.0 K, j. ]+ _- ~" y# G5 ?
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms." c) ]# l' T1 P$ j1 X
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 4 c5 C; P$ U* r7 n- e: s- p. n; j+ x, g$ {) J
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. 3 G8 X/ s" [0 I0 a' l. l) `+ P! r" u
Gonorrhoea 4 a# |6 m9 }$ E3 R+ |" }- o : j3 L0 h5 d3 y% f, g& G, j* Z) Q$ x1 BBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. % x: n& _* T* g" Y. A % Z8 @, ~+ ^" y& J4 F# U* oA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years./ Z6 j# T1 h! G# [; B9 x
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.0 z/ B" G6 A% |8 y' x
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" , I6 Y. L2 Y% |: a. G$ D" t& w B" z
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." W1 c: w2 ?1 v* p. `
9 I3 }4 T& I% A, VEach day would be 15 hours long. - a3 z+ |8 J" u( x 9 [8 g8 }' B5 d) @! W: l3 Y"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.( f a; `- C0 B: M( j: C& Z
3 u4 k- |5 F* Y) E, j5 ~"You get used to it," she smiled./ c& }: j9 D1 z1 w$ F
& r8 `: _/ D/ Q* \. b( h' I"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" ' |3 A: | ~+ U3 j9 R3 B- x4 I2 x) J% |; z) s
"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.", }3 Z/ q7 |5 ]1 x# Y: S |: z
' @& H$ X, `: h$ u3 \& YThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.; w9 i' t& ~3 \
0 Q% `; U! m' h8 a: tExpensive lawsuits $ a- H4 S; @/ ?. m2 G$ {) u" t6 }0 ~& |. q* h- k
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.! u$ P* I) x g
, s9 _6 E1 R+ o1 A$ u2 D6 _A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. $ z; g; Y3 b' \' v( c% r) | # w, v) `$ Y- d6 ]6 g# jIt 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.9 p9 K+ f. ~" |9 u! _" D, p; E* v
% G# \1 y7 f& E3 j2 Q1 QNow, 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. ; z1 B* Q9 x: n2 o; _6 k$ q% p+ _* b% B9 U+ R+ f" ?% X- {
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" , V5 q8 `: V3 ~8 Y5 F( p3 o + N- H9 N( t. O8 {( ]/ pI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.# ? ~3 D/ z4 I7 Z5 K" T+ ` k
0 z% C' o: d' Z; c6 iBut 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?+ B9 V' n# x; h/ ]. T
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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. , E# a; h2 V; d( V, a8 O! C+ B/ m; D$ s" W. }
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. % G- i8 ]2 m* l7 K5 h B( \( _( [
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.( Z0 @) I2 B2 d4 |- {
- T8 r" W9 {/ WThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants." Y( D! O& h$ C9 I9 o. X9 C& q) Y
6 i1 _1 c6 C* K) N6 Z3 `That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. `" d1 p5 m4 o) p& E# f
K; u: `' A1 v9 d0 ~I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.# x8 f1 v- ^- B
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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