/ j1 i4 i: }6 Q8 l4 j7 UCalifornia'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.4 F; \3 j6 T$ d, O
# B- C* l, ^/ y* D0 F, lLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles., i' f1 F3 i! K. g0 I- m w2 P4 h6 K
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I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things., _& b$ w7 z) \7 J" C
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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. : h4 @: H( a" g! |6 X7 h 7 g+ ^4 w8 g4 y7 }The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.4 M- }; W6 j+ m0 {9 s
2 M) D1 I/ E& D0 {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. " }0 y/ a% \; } ) J7 e9 L9 h) n( TThis 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. 8 o- C7 W8 m* g5 P! u) X" u4 [$ N
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.2 x0 l) b/ I1 `; Y) J8 p/ k: e5 J
& F% r6 ]# v7 k( b9 I# K! Y+ _Fantasy % e6 ` G. S% A4 m8 }$ G- `& g 1 E- V1 h3 R6 ~! H2 gThe 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. ! p" E" F* [; Q0 H- a0 c 1 D: m# G& V6 tThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. . k h8 K: H1 K k" H# A5 v% E& o0 W& F: R* v) `
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.6 _% [4 {8 ?7 D9 q Q* r$ k
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.8 S% |* G- I# M1 L A% F/ s- w. C8 F1 N
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And the economic downturn does not help.* c/ T+ H, Q1 J( `
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.: Y9 @6 x/ t2 e: z
3 g. |$ _! v: ~; k; ^# L" DThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. " _' f6 G/ J: T, D% [# ?! i8 D- E/ A& V2 n
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 2 X; t- g. D7 X5 ]' |2 p, T& ~ n3 s5 p* {2 j* F, O1 mHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. " a" p! ~) L; c" m: H9 v3 R$ o0 E6 C" }/ p3 w9 U& c: a* V
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. G8 b; j* b: H " G$ A7 C2 W Y+ TGonorrhoea( u& S( r# L1 U. o; l) m& M0 E
2 n% B5 ~' O" ~5 ^0 P- {$ FBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.9 L V! u9 d! ?1 N8 v6 X3 d7 a7 _6 j
2 D, h; t) h% W( C" o5 o# @/ WA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. / u; g8 Y* A! A2 j* j6 t$ q, M8 t9 M! ]$ R2 Z
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 3 ]. x7 ` `- |4 b4 ?, j2 b6 A0 Q+ V. f, ^8 h, a) M
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"# }$ U t r0 v; `- }3 i' e
, X% s0 j8 o) L/ 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. 5 l* }% e# a+ t( O8 y. w4 e$ t% p9 ^/ V
Each day would be 15 hours long.; [9 k, X5 ?/ u0 a) o7 u; e
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 3 m0 J! [7 e- M6 ^3 n/ [6 b$ \( ^5 ^" {( c6 @3 h
"You get used to it," she smiled.2 {4 E. s7 n; q& m0 l
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" , D5 k' L3 o' M* u, k+ A" _& c6 p: S8 I, R( ~/ Y& J+ r# V
"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.". B( v. \$ N) `# |" B! Z: `8 Y
. r- j( m1 g& M( I2 A7 W8 bThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. ' R& b8 A& t" \! [% F3 L: P, ?) W7 d9 y8 v1 _
Expensive lawsuits; \& V" M+ v( V1 Q# D
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.2 l- c3 w4 u7 F* ?! q- B
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A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. / x2 t @+ L1 K3 R ! X) |- S: b/ \ v! u- LIt 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. ^, O: y3 W, K
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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.) `- C S6 D P. `; r& B& H; K. X" B
0 q. H6 y {* U% o0 Y"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?", ]! E$ }! S8 ~/ }3 Q
7 \3 b. g) i1 H3 x+ N9 O' uI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.; x& t$ Z* z- `0 b. F
* e: y( e1 _5 i4 zBut 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?' ~: x( \% D, w0 Y1 }* F2 _+ Y
2 H- |- M" c/ h3 }The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.& \3 Y0 d f7 F2 \6 ^
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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. 2 x; k( L! A) p6 e: K * f1 H$ u/ [6 DA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. N( F/ ^. L$ E Q h! j5 |* P; c4 h4 \% O6 x! W C
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. + u( u' G/ E8 h7 \: f# m: y+ n( ~2 I" m" e# y
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. ) K% Q4 a/ Q! k2 ]& y 0 i% a# T0 n! ^3 H0 M2 ]: ]. i( HI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. % v5 C( }, A. d: H8 r# L- H* Q5 o p; P$ ~/ b' _) V8 v2 I - F0 l/ n0 Q/ V( ^4 X- y 0 R5 `: y) t* K/ S ! L% \0 |- ^+ `2 w4 L' yCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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