# U) O3 S1 d* D* t% { i加州色情电影业压力重重 BBC中文网 记者艾德•巴特勒 Ed Butler ( E, y L8 j, U2 i) k8 L' X 5 V. y4 z9 t3 o2 o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……' V' \4 y, L5 G/ k- S; D, g$ a5 Q* i
' s' t3 P" t9 i* _7 w# dCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles $ Z% ]9 w+ E9 z+ f3 D6 V% r! g8 V" q6 p) P
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.2 m. F& {$ c l: p, [
$ u8 p ?1 A. L9 D7 F5 wLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.+ f ~9 Y2 X$ O7 T8 ?% `/ u
5 [+ s5 w' A3 bI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 1 _1 }; z" D% z9 U# y 4 a3 u7 k) }! GWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. 1 `7 u2 m' i/ q# P8 ]' }. j7 l' n/ D! n( }* x N( L
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.& U" R5 W$ ]0 H5 E" L# }; \ g
7 q0 I7 m9 h! r8 d6 y% zPerformers 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.; s" V+ }- Q6 W4 i3 S3 N
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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. - ], l: {# x" u3 ]% b$ z6 I* g8 j* m& h: ]6 v0 {/ X) H
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. - e% F6 h4 G |% Z' z# M2 E8 b" z4 z5 M# M% |
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3 P$ {. e- h" \3 |1 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. 9 y+ o0 N) c9 Y! ]& g2 R" @6 }/ x5 B& i& w
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.* O6 x7 y- R) r6 u; z
6 T! u6 Y( d1 ]) h: n5 x1 HLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. # y, @8 e9 d) H: Z# g" o. _$ G% x9 W, J- h
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.! J# U0 w$ ]% y' i% W9 [
- |. P- j) m! G: O- y6 {8 `And the economic downturn does not help. 7 c* D# ~5 @3 ?1 [ - S- @2 E3 Z; t+ z"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. . `1 i% ` S8 u7 h. H4 K' p4 O: `9 ?
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations./ ?4 t4 i+ i+ S# `$ m' ^
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. |+ v$ A5 P. J1 C: v
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.' q" \9 ?# C* k( J& t) y
/ c1 s/ p) f9 @- T0 R" P* y8 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. & U7 K+ _; N3 n. E% y4 l- n, _5 V1 T8 v) t; L0 V
Gonorrhoea # }+ |# C& H( ?5 f% H3 Y- z ! ^. ]' O; s8 H6 j+ l, m6 dBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.) J, ~( Y2 m" t( @ v
8 w' L* [) W& e! V9 pA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.& r6 G7 [( X1 P
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 8 D2 k b6 \/ T- `4 q6 s7 E + p8 O8 F4 F/ P! C& N"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 9 `" ~7 w+ j7 t2 m $ c/ Z0 c0 N9 UHer 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. 3 h$ o7 Z1 t/ H# | / N& o7 ^) k' c" b% a0 @Each day would be 15 hours long. 3 L8 e8 u3 a! }5 R1 R7 X8 O {' h' }0 x& ?. B8 z8 h, O# m"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.5 g5 B* Q7 i+ u* x7 X
8 Y! F' }/ T8 U/ g"You get used to it," she smiled. 4 ^" z. V. Q* `) B8 U, C5 \: e: i: R# r1 e, _6 {
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"# L9 T; r& `+ l( q" {$ `8 _
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"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." 5 j6 @0 T! Q% A5 q0 i4 J* h( F+ Y: o' m3 @
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 6 ^( Y1 h7 E2 L! H) |: [- H$ X- M2 b0 ~! U! T% j
Expensive lawsuits7 {6 ]; T* V z; N+ A' z) D
/ n5 R* u+ _; n+ U8 M! d9 hIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.; E; {1 K: P; J' }( P, t6 W, o$ g
* D$ B" y. s s& P9 ]* ]A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it./ z! D: y" q7 g0 M
# R2 L8 S) s+ @5 RIt 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.0 Y E* X, Z6 o
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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. % {/ Z; w- W! f ' R8 ?' I, Z& y$ O M"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"4 U" q. K- n/ J5 D3 H7 T
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.6 w: M' k: x' |) n# ~1 n
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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? 1 W: V8 h! [ Z9 D# p/ R, X- q 9 n& u \2 Q) t9 T/ nThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.2 [$ i8 P' d1 R( ~! c* h
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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. - j) z- @0 P# A" `# I 4 q$ D' ^7 y& V$ k! EA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.) z6 z- ^! @7 G% {: w
- Z/ x4 ^( F1 J6 \The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. " {- I' p& W5 Y# r& b. y+ {3 l0 F 2 p6 s1 L) g) G0 Z. VThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.# ]: a: o$ ^8 N @0 T
$ c; g9 w# N. h+ X5 UI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. / z* E- d3 ?1 |; c2 a. N$ ~1 ]3 z A- ?# r1 z 8 ]! W ^/ Z# f: c+ h& d# J9 ~, ?) Z; ]+ ` ~4 m % J+ M8 d0 A5 E6 [6 e3 M2 ^& \Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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