4 G1 O: _, {' O9 G) J. s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。 ; s) f B& C9 b' |( M3 h' U8 o1 U; p0 J/ Y3 V8 A6 y1 B
一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。- g9 E- w+ I" K" E9 }8 X
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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。 , R8 u; f& a9 a0 K' U. N/ K2 |, D2 K' e1 W4 f
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。 + j |% a' J4 ? ( R& V& Y3 W! k% s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 `/ ^: f5 Y$ S+ }6 ^! F( l( S3 e7 X$ V- \7 W6 Q6 h) K* V
' H5 m& b4 p# y# H' G. _Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 0 `) S$ ^9 ^0 a9 O1 X& b! e: d# b4 X1 J# U0 l/ 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.; F4 s/ u1 F! A' R8 y7 |- u
/ j5 X7 z/ [# B$ cLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.8 B4 U% w! k, _) m. M Z/ F* D4 Z
; Y/ [; K, c4 `. x( r; \I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.4 a# C3 x- F1 Q$ ]. h, V
" ~' [9 n5 ?8 @: W# b' T P7 c, uWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. $ n' o6 V( X9 o. O t1 H% @+ P/ }2 c* S; g
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. / B. N. H) s2 O" `3 E) S% g! a# f3 e- s, l% N4 V$ h4 o
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. ; C( D$ u8 r& }+ a& ?2 ^" j% A8 Z( e4 m' \3 V+ v# L- e
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. 2 U7 r9 `) P- l$ n0 d5 H8 G% E 3 n/ t- g7 P7 P+ o) ?Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.9 w4 ^" C' k" d: c C0 J
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Fantasy : \5 h: s8 J0 ~/ S b0 N2 O* \+ r
The 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.( d( ]5 C) K6 p$ d5 s" c6 N
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.( F2 ?7 f$ I$ P; _: a( f
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 4 \' ]: w$ k% L( a* a5 } 3 I8 g5 y7 D3 a4 ~. O% J" xDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.& ~. ?" G, M! T O/ O
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And the economic downturn does not help.) H( e8 d2 f+ s( ]3 H
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 0 r8 C9 R0 F/ o/ L9 }( {, N# N* U* Z$ z1 M( a1 ?: x6 F
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. ! {5 Z+ A: l, |7 {( n. [' r9 r$ i" a1 Y z) Z
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 5 z' d4 h$ x9 @ 2 {0 Z8 r3 v9 _Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.* X5 U: j$ T& `" k- Y9 ]1 R6 \- p
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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. ' K, M! t! B9 o- ~& L. \2 ~ 4 C# S8 `% j7 LGonorrhoea , M* q9 U* e. n# x. F5 T1 E, L; e& Z+ Q1 b1 u# v
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. s( a; J% `+ \5 `8 S3 c 7 f" r5 H/ G0 O# `- u4 ?A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 8 o& K) L5 h- A ?/ d0 J! w# A; f. V$ ?* ]* y- ~: z* ]
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.: w2 L) G# ], M* C% y
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" ; ~3 m) h4 n+ H+ m ! B2 I& m5 P9 K" R: Y& }0 Y1 MHer 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. * T: [: e/ X) V, q$ s/ K8 m# `" C0 P8 F1 T
Each day would be 15 hours long.8 ]7 w1 Q; r( y& {7 c0 e
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.- r+ Q1 \ L8 ~ U$ T
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"You get used to it," she smiled.1 X% `( @( N9 H# T1 ?+ B4 e
! K1 @" i7 H4 z+ a' u$ z: y"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" . i$ m, _( Q3 P4 y 6 p0 B4 z5 {5 s$ \1 Q- }! 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." ; \5 h! Q. l3 D' v( {. X6 ~/ b/ T1 k$ R+ L
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. % P6 t. O4 f/ E8 ?$ y ; T6 e: h3 C5 N$ e% X" EExpensive lawsuits3 D& B w8 r2 K. U+ d
0 Z6 n& \- P) O& @6 d3 Q) JIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 4 S* _" C( [3 |: p' ^) ^6 [# g5 |6 M1 @
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.8 m% W' z7 h2 V1 H- P) L
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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.$ C- Z) _+ p' p) I' L
, K w( w' s$ Z& UNow, 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.1 j( H; a+ H9 s3 ?
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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?" K+ U# f" f2 ^; f0 y5 O( j9 ]' p7 Y/ J* g; p
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. w9 H- u% ^7 D : ^2 F! o3 j l" Y% t+ lBut 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? / v' Q3 N; d& S# Z1 ] 2 \# i( r; j( r0 @1 o0 |The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 2 s* J! ]- o' X( z# S# p1 N$ ^0 D! l" C
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. 0 {( C3 ?- F% r4 L6 ?- Y# e$ X0 y: e. B
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. * m s5 D9 @. u0 Y) _) ? 6 }$ c' U4 D7 A2 e2 {. b/ mThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. ) _+ V2 j2 C1 I! Z7 Y( O 4 m( C+ ?7 B1 G: V7 RThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. 8 E4 i6 _4 C$ L- U+ S* A) q8 j9 L. D: m* |4 M/ w& U
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain./ ^* ?2 A6 z/ C& y/ P6 p# g
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, M$ f- B* P T4 x2 P- [0 ~ 2 X4 W, k# w4 l$ U( M' {Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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