! @4 c$ G/ N) \+ w* p+ G& s8 q3 dCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 3 C, Y0 y! ] n) R n: o ) y6 v' O4 D1 ~( c* P! yCalifornia'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.# y. P# q- {5 a P [2 P
/ V- \; u Y9 o( L: C2 y4 mLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.& t. p; o* p9 k# b) c
" R* S. e+ f. e9 z3 sI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 6 ]" \4 X: k3 O0 F+ B o# t: Y3 W% f: M; D0 Z8 o' e! s
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.9 d- y5 ]. n% C- U8 k$ x
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The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. ! \/ S. n$ m5 l4 S 7 V! v5 Q9 w& T" o1 D) z2 D" hPerformers 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. % j; `( Z# ` I4 t& t; M/ }+ {/ Q ) a! g" `! z2 u& VThis 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. 2 y4 G+ t" C3 M4 k- D2 e' i( Z, X3 E
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. $ o& R/ E& W# U1 X2 U& l ! Z( H; X0 s0 Y2 z' I* k! z' ~Fantasy * b# _5 r4 t8 Q * u0 R4 D4 r$ W+ s; yThe 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.+ z" d6 G2 w h3 Q- u
! _) v0 e' i; Y* cThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. , l! Q5 G0 N' z" s# f! n ! Y8 d# Q" }) T5 BLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch./ l1 |9 R0 M1 q( E
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.0 E( r. k- p7 L
0 E1 M4 r) ?5 |) t" P7 g% H" R5 JAnd the economic downturn does not help. / P7 r5 |, K2 s5 `" [& M8 J4 J( A
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. H7 c) o) P* F6 V9 t( ~( P, x+ O2 A" p/ B0 J. T! A9 {
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. . T) @6 M+ O* M! ?. \: P* e: V& b5 k$ E+ d% @/ F, f
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.) f7 h" y* V i" F" z
+ u8 M7 ~# @# \8 X& x0 }Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.& K$ l1 a; z* H
L9 C& i5 E5 }1 N6 ABut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.* x+ `# X# i% p' u# s7 E, R
/ o, g1 H" F; D s3 h, o- g: BBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. $ C5 i# l2 G {3 ~& r' R" r, i/ a+ E% n- Q, ^
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.7 P8 b) t6 z# }
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.& A0 Y' N1 E8 I" `5 `/ v0 S. i
' m" b: x( Z3 d7 Q+ Z* f7 @3 p. w+ }"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" $ k* v, @7 N6 i0 l& L" B . w; F0 j/ m* \ q3 O' EHer 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. 1 d1 i e5 Q5 X- \1 d' d/ E/ L
Each day would be 15 hours long.4 m" m/ w4 t. O& E# M u
$ l8 C- E( u* q"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.* r/ C% r d! G7 o9 a( U
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"You get used to it," she smiled.6 G1 [* [9 z+ |
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"; C7 f: k6 m9 W1 [ d7 \6 S
+ e! t" I5 q2 Z1 [* v. Y" A"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.". I ]; e$ {' m: x
1 L" o4 p. i2 c3 d* p: w( k+ HThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. ( r" g2 I; I( j4 ?' g# f2 |# X) s9 i R# U5 q
Expensive lawsuits4 t; \& c9 Y; z. N; B a
! m* w# E# }. g# k7 u3 iIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.4 j" [& r2 J! q( n" z
+ Y( t; J- i$ b2 B$ X% N9 \0 b: C4 xA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.! J4 A, S& ]2 o, C' e# s/ r! [6 C0 T
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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.; @2 e5 q! @" }' i
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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. 5 B+ O- e" _' ^6 W8 j: g1 J9 i/ S( Z j' [. r
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?". l! @. t5 B) S3 s& X, Y
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.% w P/ [; Z8 Y
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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? * C6 g, W/ R% F0 N5 f( F) o1 k3 j6 f" f: F
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. : l% w+ }/ W: O/ C1 n) a ! A/ c( B. _, X! X1 [- TIt 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. : ^- e/ H; T: j0 H1 u) ?- C . U, n$ O7 o0 {" jA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. l3 m! P( x5 j7 d% g2 \4 Z
; F5 A$ c# a) [The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 6 r+ F U# C) S" C ; v6 M; B! e+ \8 p- O* d" {1 |1 FThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.3 U" q. u4 N7 ^2 q c8 f
4 _# R- F: }0 Q7 }- [0 R" sI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.* g) \+ l7 x- q2 t; r7 w5 W; r2 a) u
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, y8 ]- \, q& M& i6 U9 p5 i8 U+ D5 L & E# A* x; X" ?; M8 _4 g D3 {& U7 fCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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