' M0 Y; j& `4 r6 ^- b3 `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。9 }8 @; y: H9 ~6 r
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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。, X9 L+ m0 L- T( d7 I: J
: }) x( U- J: @3 f+ ^( _, `0 q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 X* {4 h# A+ O, g- w% ^. P
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; A5 \. e8 v% F; n9 B0 oCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ! _) O9 _5 |1 E+ a; H1 P# Y) M m& r( M: a
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. " e9 }0 ]. S0 o" N1 T% f, |4 F % f: P& ]0 `- F" x0 q) a1 K; OLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 9 U, l6 E5 c9 G; F/ [( g4 D3 P. @/ C7 G; [7 T
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. # Q5 b H% k/ l9 L' w8 h9 I * p, e4 g$ x. d% ~& [What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. * @' k; C0 R+ ~7 C% q$ s0 _ V0 U& S" u2 C
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. n A5 P7 r. N/ L
5 c0 ~+ ]1 L& k* O2 Z5 B, XPerformers 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.+ g* k, `2 W% ?
# i- p/ u& l6 { |9 ]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." u! x- L2 W" }7 E
( G" p- d2 l5 D- E. Z( r7 FOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. + S7 }% b }8 u+ c9 p/ Z' N * f. m0 H+ g: `! A. rFantasy 9 V( {! B9 @* ?. f5 P; M* |. j - v0 H* l: H6 H9 l9 b E& CThe 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. + t8 L. a; \4 z( Q t. n# _& |4 t! M* ~ z1 xThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. 5 e0 `* @5 [ G! ] , l5 y A) D8 O$ n9 ^4 w9 JLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. & r& u) }: i0 ^% K8 W7 i 6 o% M+ A" W1 ODVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free., J: W* S8 N2 K
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And the economic downturn does not help. / i# C) i- D7 U$ ^: F2 P1 u, d, q8 }! J; A
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 0 M: F& w# h$ m7 Y" m, z! _ 1 L5 o3 m. t9 x/ S. L UThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.# X) [8 O: n8 N: U) ~
# B+ I6 A; ^2 W: V$ @For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 6 o' Q6 v6 \! c& S5 B+ ]' n/ ~3 r2 v- E! z. {
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 9 |3 S" R7 X9 Z9 w( t0 a4 M! U! }1 M$ u+ M# U7 Y0 Q& Y% I$ h5 `- q
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.2 y% q( ]! ^9 C! G& M) }
$ f& r+ | s. r3 o( BGonorrhoea: a/ g" z0 }+ X, \! R* k/ X
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.7 `% |4 a. J% c' f' s
a1 J3 m* e8 M; ZA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.6 m @- S! M6 h$ E: l; X }3 \
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. . f, r: J b4 O4 m/ q( O% L' R4 p. b
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" * E# n, i& O$ v4 w$ T- }. r ; ~7 C& {- ?, ^* J5 {5 CHer 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. 9 G7 c- x/ P: e+ ^- e1 [; X# I$ Z3 \- ~, h0 }
Each day would be 15 hours long.3 _4 B+ k v: ~2 `0 @! f
/ N0 b8 a% R7 Z! \6 j! l"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.3 j' q9 q2 P* Z! r
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"You get used to it," she smiled.* [: b0 O+ g6 I/ f
* v3 K1 U" m; Y5 \1 p5 B' |8 D"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" $ r. T, I" E8 ?, g 9 b% \$ f( x7 G( U5 E: U" W"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." # ^. M1 B+ M$ i8 p" p, x( Z( u9 i1 W- z
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.9 D' [+ u& C% n" V1 G- c
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Expensive lawsuits9 h' f- K9 N$ U, f5 ~6 n+ F2 q" z
. k# k# l( W) ^* RIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 8 {% a- k% v. O3 j3 `2 c- ^: ` ! P! a+ C3 e% qA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. ) ~; |' |9 W0 S6 n _; H 0 K1 ^1 N0 P) s9 Y% s& R, f) t- ^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. Z, C9 `$ c( r7 W7 d0 u" p" Q
r% O3 C1 p3 i$ C$ Q) w7 zNow, 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.2 W4 Y7 L5 e+ V. _
+ \7 |9 A2 U7 F' ^+ e"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 6 p4 K k# y3 [! r7 y9 G( P( k6 Y3 o# I$ E; i- [4 Q+ R* E6 E
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. " @# E: l5 @4 `5 M& U# @: d Y7 d B f- o. L) x% Q9 r
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 Q9 d* i" y* u/ p4 ]+ E- J% t1 M/ e2 b$ j9 g% a6 ]
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.) b! I5 ?" p/ c0 T1 \4 o' q
! B# n) u' i7 k( v( _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. 9 w. \, H: M7 u% @: n& V 4 `; F t- h6 a* q2 wA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.8 i' r! m& k! N: Q* x+ T/ f6 O
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The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.' V, q; x; Q" K! a( ~; m. b( c
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That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.! n9 p: y" E3 N7 Y% r e5 y4 Q' F
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.# R1 N2 O# l( N
( P% [/ _7 D) g" J ! U$ q( ^( z9 u. K e, M3 }5 d . S, l( ]1 k- [ 3 d3 b- B" r. D) z) o/ Z0 ECalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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