' I7 E2 j7 k4 p$ ~& L一名制片人告诉我,“如果你把我的演员都装在橡胶里面,作为艺术家,我还能怎样表述自我呢”? & ^: Z, J4 o7 I# G. b# q) R. U% O- J. b4 t. a
我很难想象,法兰克林和杰弗逊起草《第一修正案》的时候,想到过戴不戴安全套的权利。- W, V+ l! B5 e& \ d# ?
* f$ G* s7 Y3 {/ [/ n6 L但是,我也很难想象,《星际迷航》的粉丝们排着长队去看皮克船长和“进取号”的船员们真刀真枪地“肉搏”。所以,我算老几呢? 5 L U/ |/ \. q 1 j4 G) y& o! V: }& s但是,当局非常坚决。建筑工人必须戴头盔,矿工必须戴口罩,色情演员也必须有适当的保护。 , j- l I. Z2 p. k; u) V. l2 m; W, [; N, d n
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。 " X+ u* i( x4 k" Z5 U% ^+ m * V' Q# s7 U5 H- A. f, M一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 # I- R1 r3 e' S8 V9 Q6 n$ c G $ ~8 H/ R5 y" Y2 L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。 `+ m+ N& t( S% g% B3 }* I" R9 H! E. G; F5 B) M
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。 A% I# t+ ?; Z9 R$ M4 O# W& J0 @5 F! \/ e4 B4 g- f8 b+ d
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……./ ]' t' t4 j# ?, a
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) j! l0 `6 [- d3 O) q7 k) i$ N" gCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ( ?" v4 @6 Y7 v+ N/ O0 G7 o; M
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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. / r2 H2 z X3 c. I8 X S) O6 G- G; l8 ?. ?; a$ X. q; D
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.( m6 v# o0 A( P/ Z9 K) @+ u0 `" K
2 U/ q: I5 y3 f8 ]$ C- eI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. ) A: W8 i* P* }" ]+ y! ~9 D$ I% }" t 4 Y9 T9 x7 n6 R; Z. \0 m( QWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.% [0 x" L6 f& E! g
3 }/ _9 l- F( ?. ~The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.* w( m4 v; v/ z* I5 {: K
- {0 I0 n& Q4 \- BPerformers 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.7 L/ W' i' C. J9 f6 x
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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. 3 I: A# N% |' u5 j" p- O# [3 X7 K! ?
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. # ?% h x3 X2 L6 N9 Y+ l1 S. O, P! ~" A
Fantasy( W2 e5 f' U3 m- Y8 X/ {0 Y
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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., V& p" P% p1 G3 r j. @0 E
. G, t' d1 z7 O& z8 RThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.' G6 q5 D+ Q' |- }, `: G8 k4 \
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. # _; b0 g8 ]: i" ]* K% Y1 V& Q9 ]2 q; @" `# ?4 o2 Q
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 0 k4 \2 j- l# r * @$ c9 Q+ L# Q% V0 bAnd the economic downturn does not help. 1 I) Z( w m; p) @2 g- c& W0 C' m8 C9 n6 ]5 l: d
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. , v( o# r4 s8 g$ g7 b$ f, t4 y: B4 ~, d1 l6 R* s& ]- Z/ M
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.$ H, J* o+ D) I
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.; o- ?, Q1 [4 d, ^
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.% `! F, I9 V1 J3 w# E
0 ~/ J7 J4 n6 Y4 FBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. $ [6 k0 X8 e; Y4 e! W 8 W, `5 n6 X7 b0 O: j! A( Y9 \Gonorrhoea, T( I. F$ N+ Z) {$ a) O
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.4 P% q1 @1 R( L( \& @
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A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. " V( R9 w' [2 }( m- G 0 Q1 x! y, p4 }9 _She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. * j/ @4 b2 A' X! t; D. h% r9 @, C2 ^% i
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"% @2 @7 `+ o6 ?! [
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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.3 q( W1 [& {& n. l) p2 A" X
: j3 Q1 b% L1 K0 yEach day would be 15 hours long./ f1 ?2 q0 ]% S* J! S0 E/ q
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested., ?4 o; j0 p7 y) h
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"You get used to it," she smiled.9 O/ W5 h! R& z. ^3 L+ J
5 {1 k& ^ |# T"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"2 ^8 k% o* ? h" q
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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." + l* T- l4 N3 S' L1 P- f( r8 q6 v' n
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. ) ]5 _4 C8 w9 i9 ~7 E" B1 b; X, Q/ B9 v5 V, Z; F
Expensive lawsuits # i+ K; H( i. u. }* [! {% H% U# ~) p/ b+ s' Z& {$ P
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.1 {$ b( K1 R$ V3 L5 D& B
* s2 i- W0 E( Z- l5 k& ]4 GA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.: R5 K7 o, l6 V3 u
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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 T3 b! B; t* ~0 r0 ^
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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.) v( X8 `0 ]+ C
3 M9 U0 E, S8 K"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 5 G& y% {+ K# @' y. g" J9 ^4 \ : M& K# `, X: \+ s' t+ \I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 2 ?5 h# a) Z- `) I" F# f/ {/ X8 x, t- p3 E: r# j+ w
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? * d$ {# b7 j5 O8 m7 H# q# h. n/ B8 @
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 6 y. F$ _( v( t; s; S: a ' n n& l) Z9 [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." Y' ^0 P( n6 e, B2 E6 ]2 e
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.& U# ?0 p' ^7 a: L
# m' F# d' [" ~1 \" d( t8 g4 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 N( d% a+ K8 |5 E! W
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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. 1 O9 Q6 O4 K$ O. w* [9 k" F0 a% q1 L# Y. w, P
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.! v) m% k0 o! a2 v2 \
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004