% ?; i/ f( s/ P; K5 e- k: D# o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”? * f, r5 p0 V: ?/ p/ u7 w! ^4 `! g0 N2 k6 s! y; M2 S
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。9 {9 W/ Y/ l* Z& W# B9 N0 E I3 f
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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+ f1 ?. r+ l. s& Q- a
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。) |% W5 c5 Y- m
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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。 3 k }1 b& O* |3 Z9 I# G7 r$ ^+ Q( P4 e
一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。& Y4 O: x; S* R8 f, r# X( X" s
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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。 0 q4 t5 r$ U4 R+ }& M* B% g7 g $ e/ @" ]7 `0 j* a1 T: I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。9 `1 t- m: a7 x2 I; Y: P. k3 x
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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 p! j3 |5 m% t6 f( Y6 O7 O / V; t- q8 i' b. E 5 ~6 d) t4 z1 V. b$ n8 G: h6 cCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 0 D! k* e$ ^ f- N
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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 q; n1 u: b; p5 s& ] h `, P+ i" W5 E0 K7 E5 ~( `
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles./ l1 ]( L7 [# B/ @* q5 C
& m) p$ n! W4 r. c! G: {I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. & R; F3 _$ {; j% @7 V7 e! r $ A0 x+ Y. K9 _0 j. qWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. / y6 D, b1 w+ g/ \! E1 O, S. M1 T9 O! @. H1 l! j
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. # s4 @: w2 w# t: i+ d: T , B7 q; [9 z" @- U) @2 _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. # g: x- R9 h& Y& z 1 i3 G- Y9 M, W* g7 R! XThis 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.! q3 |3 ~' G3 v, C# h: c
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.! p. D$ F! h) p% u5 w2 y/ m4 ^# s( i
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Fantasy ' h# a, Z! z( @0 w" {+ O* t' K {. Q* n, T7 q3 ]2 J& z6 H4 ~0 @% i ZThe 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 @7 ^1 I9 l/ H( T7 n3 c/ y* O$ H5 W
The problem, increasingly, is revenue., m: u# |! i3 Z$ Q# C, ^
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.; M$ ^9 ~4 w& X2 K4 V
! ~- M3 h6 @+ o6 f3 D! F! @/ k, JDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. - B8 k" e* j2 a* a: ~- [. n5 @( I/ `: z' U! J2 o& R
And the economic downturn does not help.1 F. E0 F0 Z8 B8 ]- V
" a: L% v1 J, z% K' j9 `"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully." {! L( \9 H( N% y; q
8 F* x0 w7 |5 s" O0 tThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.- e4 W9 o) v( ?* v! R
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 0 a. S+ L1 U3 n# @- D! v) E5 x9 X + A( ^9 O: m o' j. O- B+ v/ xHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 6 T; I/ ~' `; U6 m/ S % L" \( l5 l0 ?( P) @$ YBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.! d5 F. Z% g1 T8 B: n$ ]
3 g3 t" D$ W [6 W) K; N2 k! g" AGonorrhoea ' C T% K8 D. `( V1 F 8 n2 ]# E: }1 v- x4 H1 [) I; G& [/ E9 FBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.% f# `) i! C; w* W: t! o
c. E4 O/ {, [" H5 [A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.1 Y9 A, N2 Z4 y: S, {- X( u
& {5 S- I* f6 u! m$ K1 x& KShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.# h& |* G6 k/ u
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 2 o$ o/ P; n% v3 T " M5 w! Y5 y0 _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. . P6 q- X1 b; S ) G$ ] u" R& g5 [6 l! \+ VEach day would be 15 hours long. & A) e; w; `) |( o ' @( D1 T# R( T `"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. # l+ ?' W) p" P/ q! W2 z* J ' o7 Q4 b( S& Q$ D2 d& ?" j7 ~4 B"You get used to it," she smiled.2 L9 ~/ k4 D0 U* B4 K$ F
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 5 \" F" Y! B. n# n) v7 y' [ 7 l% `' J7 z3 n6 S# C"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." ) y8 r( S: f( B - M$ u, M5 z B5 @7 ? @. T& y# \There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 1 O9 n5 h; p$ N$ P. j / |# A- j% B+ s: x* u/ k' jExpensive lawsuits - v2 Q$ g) V' P& j4 j u& d# Y - ^* z) @2 n' P ^, GIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. + C+ k' i) P# P. y6 c: r5 ~ 0 ~% v. C6 [8 d `8 f4 JA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it., F; {! ~; U8 I, Y* ?8 q4 w
* G2 ?& E$ B9 l! r) l: B' @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. 5 |% r; u$ R& d' Z6 m+ u/ [ ) R5 X1 F& p# W' INow, 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.: E; Q& L2 y2 n$ o8 e" `
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"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 7 O* I( o! j0 M' p; [ 7 y& Y* g1 d5 L; [' Q1 s" nI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 9 ]) M) W5 S6 E P) d6 A $ ^- e" T$ h" K0 T# ]" f' VBut 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? ! a9 ^* g& w8 ~1 f . Y- a& c$ s' o9 }% s4 qThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.% w/ X# D2 C& B" X
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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.& s& C7 t% ?7 ?8 D% A& G
3 V, Q' R& z0 o9 t. u" JA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 5 P5 \& g* U. \, ^ 1 T. o; J5 F( ^) r, uThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.8 S% e2 p2 v! v, x
, d6 W0 T7 w' ~) w( ?9 f2 k8 KThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. 2 ^2 t2 q6 p3 E" z7 a e6 h( x9 Z/ x! D' p: x) ]; Z
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. ; q! i# b8 L4 K8 e4 H" @ * |5 G* S$ {; ?( }0 N' ]6 d$ q% \ X3 t9 C' x
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004