本帖最后由 Ampelmann 于 2011-6-21 15:24 编辑 4 Q6 _% y8 r# d+ b2 i$ k
: }, W. a! g1 Z; r
加州色情电影业压力重重 BBC中文网 记者艾德•巴特勒 Ed Butler E6 h/ @* l6 A- R! z) J. n O9 G5 D
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…… l$ Y" G: z! q+ e8 k, m: E* ]7 q & b. R( t( k1 q! @4 ^4 L( _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。$ b- r( z7 `# K2 V3 t
* |9 u1 }* q# D# w
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。”$ }, C4 ^9 u9 i' q, Z
3 L* i7 l. Q$ p1 p! b9 F3 i
8 \* d8 |$ x3 }9 A: X ' h S" W* d4 E, s2 m 5 n( |! ?: R- T: M8 ?9 h7 e$ L 2 g& n2 k2 Q, u6 G, i* E5 A
8 t0 c7 |9 C2 {. [) K* W7 x; q3 M) e+ m: J7 x
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。- ?/ T" N: Z& u+ p* P7 e
4 a% O# e+ H( p# |5 Q2 P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。, l- ~1 `8 y. P% s. j
/ \% b6 K$ S9 ^8 t3 F
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。 # [, \( c+ W8 a 8 H5 w$ |! {" f2 y7 ]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。 w2 X" o9 T$ u$ W5 E; ~6 }% ^. h
8 _& v; P! N$ u5 {, L* W
他叹了口气,说,两个小时的电影,只有三十分钟有故事情节。+ U7 k3 ?# `3 c( b' I
扼杀观众的幻想 * X# j3 M4 ^1 ?' ~+ Y. ^6 S7 H" w# L+ O$ J1 j( b
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。8 v8 D; l2 R5 `9 L* c8 N/ R. b1 o" d
& q7 D. a' R! f0 o% |. m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。0 |5 x, t4 M Z0 k7 e. u
! o3 b8 O w6 ^! @. p
DVD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。- J$ W; Y; U/ a# z; i
( k" S) W3 [9 o9 {! w" \+ f* J经济不景气,让色情电影业屋漏偏遭连夜雨。 5 f% d5 q1 G1 @7 y . d, m* ~( o+ f0 K% M( z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”。4 R K. T5 g) Z
6 D- h& z( g9 I$ d9 ^一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 ' D; ~% N) P# f2 _3 G& U7 K# Q+ d: l" Q# I6 _: }4 _; T, x
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。1 D: E T4 N. F7 A
; T$ E9 I/ X1 x- P. K5 G
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。; P/ Z. g3 U+ D; f
; \3 F6 M* ]. P- n, q- G( a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…….( p# V3 H; b1 W8 @5 ]: x5 _
$ ]. N" X$ B5 Q( e0 R
: ?$ N5 M( v( h' J1 C5 a6 |; r: c
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 6 I6 _0 l0 ^5 n5 @! ~0 w0 ` . k+ P: I3 a m1 qCalifornia'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.2 b% w7 w/ P; \. j) x7 T* O/ K; o
* {2 T0 r" @- k8 Q0 _; z
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.; p- Z; Z0 ]6 Z. B0 N
" s/ P+ a4 H! h$ s* c0 ^I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.5 E0 y# k; B. Y4 h# Z1 y" ^5 H
/ W1 {5 q* c. y' GWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. ) R1 a8 W% k7 a- R, P/ | h# j3 u 7 p; n& \+ P- @$ `" x$ ]The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.+ R" k8 P4 y' h- o
# ~7 Q. k7 [2 F! T3 D
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. 1 S' |, z" r. U' F* @ 5 N+ ^) X; i2 y9 YThis 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. ! {+ h$ ^6 G' F) t# b& i1 U5 R 9 W, {% @( S( Y. S, T$ A3 @Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. % w7 L( a8 U; [2 ]& W + X8 I$ m0 ^' b2 hFantasy + D* w& t, _3 `0 H# P5 U# ] * A% \! m% V6 _% f) e2 pThe 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. 1 Q: |% W; Q, m3 d: n% |: p+ W2 D; `( d0 J0 ~5 b
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.# R# V" r. J. }
1 b3 A: }5 f( [7 wLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. , H' l9 k* q. T( ]' m5 y, R- O0 M& @: ?) L. i4 p' b0 g9 }" B
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.. k4 K! c! `# C d: C. I- X/ g' q
+ B8 s" ]; _0 _9 o( Z; I7 { HAnd the economic downturn does not help.( x$ w: U8 L" R- f& e6 X0 M
2 {( s8 K3 a S- P7 v" w; }* m; H
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 7 a" I% T" X' d" s% ?! m, p1 v5 M% H 0 u r5 J- r# f% ]The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. J) ~: ]- ?# s2 T) n
}) l: V- j4 S2 {: DFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.# I3 Q* \/ g( m% j4 t, G8 v' w5 O8 D
* y# U# r) e+ e# y' F2 l; U
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.+ y- C2 S6 J% C) Q" B
! r1 [1 W1 W; D+ i% u: ^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.: {! Q5 F( |2 }) Y. n! f
q( w% Y- C9 S7 v4 @( q2 ~5 x
Gonorrhoea 2 P8 O( _2 C4 c9 t: i2 t6 G! ^7 o+ y( U8 d. ^7 ~2 c1 g2 Y1 j
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.) W) C+ O/ g' }+ b
$ U+ N) C! L& I" z5 M3 g8 @% w
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.; i1 {' h* R+ o# |# ]5 X* j d
$ s* C. y1 G, Q, KShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. L) B9 ~& Y5 E1 }, u) W- d+ k! h
+ y. h- B n0 e4 y+ O
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"5 R6 k) g7 u! p) l% M
- ?5 P' t4 G% ZHer 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.( v+ [% V3 a8 j
% Q; d9 A# I9 k+ z
Each day would be 15 hours long.- m' W1 r2 z: G% Q t' Y
( ~. ~( l" F* m' }"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. % I% w9 E, U( s& D % d: V; z5 E4 |"You get used to it," she smiled.& E: [; y/ ]& `
4 Z2 Q: X( f: i* C$ w
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" . e, L, p# |% m# ~. r- e" ~/ W9 k+ w0 r3 p( o
"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."1 S% b S: R# [& p
: }; a' K7 X4 q- C' }
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.% Q* w1 O* x9 Q" r$ |
# S4 d6 ^. Y4 L @) F
Expensive lawsuits$ n4 ^$ V( L' m5 e
* c7 v+ n7 P. t+ NIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.3 P5 z; ^6 s1 N/ h* v
5 K) u: _6 B! \, F9 k- s
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.$ ?+ s1 b& \9 h8 Z6 h. ^, S
. c% v% X# I9 q7 G$ f. }
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.% i. t& c; ?6 p. V5 M. F
7 @8 z& Y: x D# aNow, 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.7 p% u$ O `2 @4 `. w5 G
6 z$ k: [& r# R5 z"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" % {* W3 a8 G: b$ O4 v& J- O' g- m7 {: ]0 R' A4 a: e
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. " j9 H9 S; u- J3 `* }4 I+ Z2 Z W+ E
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?5 u: D! F- V# e0 M( s. F" _
! q2 u5 H! D/ K. U" s* e- K; g& s& oThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. + e. s! a$ c- ?5 c& j+ l! M0 P& j# j 5 N b, F- Q- m- pIt 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.+ T. |7 g/ B# T9 D
6 o. J8 [9 {. X4 v* d4 NA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. % s2 L8 i' O# R) B. p4 \ ( W8 [1 {& ~1 i! \/ l wThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. , i3 ^+ [5 _$ I+ K+ A( r 6 o) E: e4 y- J/ s6 {That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.; f( t# P1 `$ m
! A8 A, g1 Z {# Z9 L) b
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.# U8 w: U9 t9 [2 m/ [$ W) P1 Z
& j8 m5 i2 _1 R+ U( x 8 W, ?: d3 T) e0 d7 A8 G
. g# Q! u+ P) n * G D& @1 u2 u6 @0 G* J9 MCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004