& R& R& @4 E. vCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ~8 ^9 {' ], V$ x0 _: I# o: f4 A5 |0 ~! C V
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.! G; `. b* v0 ?$ y3 w* r- {1 f9 g. v
$ j ~, [' Y: r: o9 Y7 v$ rLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. $ _$ i/ D" k4 w" K: o6 l 7 r m+ Q: _" e! mI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.1 l8 s5 b$ B. G. E5 k0 m
- b8 r0 @" M) ?' u$ ^& F* g- Q- W' _
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. V) X/ v0 `8 ^
* E- F( v, |0 B% U) y2 s6 o
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. 6 H1 I: [: j G( X9 [2 u4 n% z' C/ @8 ?+ s# b: w7 U
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.0 j8 Q# v6 I* n2 Z
" K- ]5 d) Z4 M T4 Z; _, t
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.; I$ B! X3 S* R
6 |) x( [) J2 U" T' w# D
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.( T4 b6 a9 K; }( q. n* s1 `
; [* v9 d, R: h3 @1 I0 M
Fantasy 6 ]$ o- w8 O1 e2 ?5 M* L2 g% G- c4 f, e1 d! a$ R6 o
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. 4 w& K1 p+ R/ Y# W8 d. c& s0 u$ e- O1 `8 Q \
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.) C, t2 f9 L( l5 F( o( W) n
) F: C9 T5 _4 R- |$ Q9 w
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. ( \) c6 d$ @1 _2 {( L * A( v# j* `9 qDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free./ i C+ d6 U# u2 k2 H
2 E+ _& [* z; t! B) w) Z3 h) iAnd the economic downturn does not help., h8 z; p! |3 G: q
7 z+ M4 m4 d1 D0 R( B: @
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.+ q0 @9 }7 P* O% G2 w, T
! }, T7 U! E `. d5 D9 c, x3 K5 \
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. X6 X* v* P8 m# j
v8 A9 Z. {3 P g1 w7 M: i
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. . ~+ p7 f9 l7 o' r4 q) O8 e1 D
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 6 F+ L% D/ b$ n$ @ ' Z. v4 @# m: F' f8 B2 ~% hBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. . l4 h7 f w6 ^) U( K7 }! R" r9 c3 m3 T/ y: [6 [1 ]
Gonorrhoea9 {( N2 X/ M/ w! b; x
9 v% v) w5 x% \
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 3 o0 N# E5 i4 q6 I : [8 j) e/ w& H$ D% g1 fA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. . n& @' o; n6 s; V: Y6 ?7 n1 f& e6 Y, H6 l7 J
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.* J4 U5 r1 @* e* B
$ O1 V) R) o6 i9 N( k/ j"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"9 A8 M( U8 }3 i# ~. [& H% T
! |3 V7 g/ M0 h* ^1 l2 I4 B
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.* |( R. _6 ]+ d; M; y% N8 R! `
$ a- Q5 _. X1 U; J& H
Each day would be 15 hours long. 8 ^1 k3 Q* d m& r0 m: \$ E1 o: _9 ^9 x, x3 f9 w( o! \9 o: Z
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 8 v( W' I% }4 P1 Q0 ~8 `# [3 P- |# j! p/ y+ c6 w% y+ c6 h
"You get used to it," she smiled.9 `% x) r& w- q6 `
% B8 P" Q5 z, h"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 4 v; `- \4 P2 R8 |7 y6 w7 W0 Z 6 }' q- D) u1 }0 ~: j' c' t"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."7 h3 `5 y7 h* F# h
& v+ |: k4 w* \* x
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.% s; j. {1 t* ^+ L) a. ^# q) c# p
* K( D0 {0 E9 I/ CExpensive lawsuits6 {) x! t( z, x! m) a2 h
' {2 v2 H. @0 Z0 X6 hIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.* u, O; d/ u. X
. ^% {: G; G! ~: H9 s: b
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.7 Y+ T ^* Z- t( G7 \7 q h, f
! e9 X i2 I9 m9 W- d; a' A
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.% j) a6 V7 S+ ]) @# G
! W/ j8 F0 P' i3 ?3 Y6 }& H( w$ w: W
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." [4 h; `% ~4 W- B
* n7 u# P2 ~" o6 O
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" % t! |% A2 l9 F9 I" m" G$ y& H/ ?% g2 i
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. - W( D$ Q+ V' k1 D- i/ i! L i; E & J+ ]6 M, p6 A, [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?/ r( L% g- G9 o. q5 W3 K
7 b+ C a! g- a* D) H3 i
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.7 V2 c# V+ G$ O) R' T' _/ K
) P0 P: D$ a/ K4 n/ ]' Z, F) L
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. ! l; v C7 q0 B, T 4 a$ @5 `: T0 C5 CA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.# ^0 u! @& S% i
- M8 F" |# j4 m2 X( @$ a" bThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 4 E& P* q/ U" e, Z8 {- |: P 8 z2 `7 a) W& m4 l! VThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. 9 D" l( r: r( r$ ?0 x) H C8 @6 i6 M5 \; ]/ ?% `3 H
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.1 y: G4 C" i: S# i5 y
) w. ~/ s/ U3 [- ^3 V' _- S C" ]6 |/ Z: E1 d: Z2 _0 ^; a- l
# V# Q, R6 L2 ?: ?' @9 X, S. S! a* h
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
5 V2 Z, }# B- t
6 |/ Z: E1 d: Z2 _0 ^; a- l
' @9 X, S. S! a* h