& {, o& u) c! C" d* ~ \Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 1 d' W. h& p2 N* Y; `0 a C0 g( v0 q1 I& u
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. % C8 b$ B1 s8 @& G7 X e6 L % ~9 N J4 |5 `6 _5 PLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles." I5 N! ^4 L7 b5 s6 z8 T( A
, O1 [! O. i4 BI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. , H1 w+ B5 ?$ z6 w; {% e! G% m2 P* x; Y# U7 e% Z
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.: V$ g; _9 t8 x! F7 t# f
) n7 j0 B* K& 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. $ p5 T9 l" X2 v- ~* C& F4 U) V6 l) Q, |. O" F
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.7 Z$ p+ O1 v9 X; ^3 T* k
4 T1 v; X z" w( }# t5 ^. ?) `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.+ G" ?4 M$ w' h6 s1 _
- g) o" D. B. z
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed./ |, {" H& K% i; @
7 ^% W' X# M0 ^' k7 C0 Y
Fantasy. O6 S/ @+ M: u1 R) I+ C6 i/ b
8 V! Y' M/ [: c e- c0 w8 Z
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.( ^7 z" l- e4 A8 h5 c1 c, F$ e
' \; t! ?/ c rThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.6 A" O# ?' S! u% P' g8 _
: J/ c: m- H' _ I% y% F1 ? M5 N* L' hLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. $ i7 F9 R" o1 E' r# B5 @! l6 o+ k# {9 {- ?6 X: L
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 1 |# {" I ` V v+ m! L' C# z4 M 4 B" w' n) a' u$ D$ J: G HAnd the economic downturn does not help. 4 j7 ~8 n4 R# ~5 w 2 ~" G( n+ G3 n) w"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.+ w4 X$ d( ~% U( i
) Y9 M' ^- G1 x. K. ?- ^! UThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.% f- e8 c; o" k" D. v
7 d+ T$ P) l; ?2 XFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. + B7 g* \* E9 l; G: V; Y! p% s. q, a2 x/ D# c: N4 T
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 8 X" j% j8 }/ E0 B: j# ?1 ? v8 B 5 R& N8 X. @( l' E- j8 i2 v- qBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. & w. `* C# r% g, w) G9 `- J8 L 6 B2 O, d8 k5 K$ e. ]8 U" F( WGonorrhoea * A2 M$ v9 A/ G! f% m( x7 C , a* S: W. i: y& s# YBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. + ^( V! N% R( g6 a% p" U1 g; I7 m0 J1 T% r; u) i& S _4 j
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.4 B, c1 N0 k$ N. K: F7 U3 S! j
+ u' z3 }1 b$ a- G, p* K# }She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.' r/ ~% W' I' T3 c$ t% r
: W- A: s1 u8 C" d6 ]
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 3 Q" h( |2 i+ Q$ c% l/ T' T" u5 f( Q" h2 C+ s+ f1 f2 P/ R0 w
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. ' C2 W: X8 q0 V2 X3 t; _. R , b' M4 Z+ n# g; I6 AEach day would be 15 hours long.* K4 V" A0 e5 b% g( d1 R3 {
+ z5 w, l1 D6 J: S: @1 B9 n* W/ n) {"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. j. g q5 E& q ^3 m3 Z. f, M0 R$ E6 A: n. Z; ^6 v' E: ?
"You get used to it," she smiled.- P: X: s2 s' _" C+ P+ p }( j
# y$ c* X* ~6 U: G" I0 b
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 4 S A, J5 \! x' `+ E) [# \+ r9 b& [# H/ i
"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." . s: ? x3 C' H8 `3 G! Y" d ' }5 O9 g* u- K rThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. \( ]- G9 s$ I- Y6 O9 V
) ^$ }3 k7 B( o% t# H# @* x1 L! MExpensive lawsuits 2 e* \$ X! C2 A # J- w6 J( X. K# y5 q( uIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. ' _8 {+ e% p) U. b+ E& d& a% v* q r9 O+ d) X- w' m) `
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. g) }( L; N7 V5 W; R' Z: t N( i |; T4 k6 e
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.% s1 b! _( P3 O
% H5 \8 O4 j X
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.% B/ o+ \* F0 h# x
" q& q# R0 M- N. v# k2 a0 `+ _9 W
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" ! Y, {6 O+ V& R, _) A0 A* R0 O* Y& B+ Y0 f
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 7 Z1 m; N% |5 t $ N" r: Q& n- \1 ^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? , X: ~( Y8 f. y, l# U5 H9 E% ?# } n2 w% I5 |$ \* y& Q
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection./ q& Z8 C; q K$ V$ [/ ~5 e$ Y1 v
3 @* a3 q# P2 k/ v+ @4 s
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.; q" n8 T: w M1 b
/ W- c) o* _* D1 d6 R* a5 n1 c/ I
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.; Y% Z. V8 ^9 S+ _6 J# \% X$ g& m
, l( N# H( B, e0 ?$ r- BThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 9 j3 R- S% f! @- ~3 e* M* L2 _9 x8 K2 g \- b @' ^+ V! N" ~
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.- Q8 J' x8 L! L& D0 @
; }; T& y# [$ J! d( n) O1 }- u. ]I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.9 H4 n% W: N' _+ W
- Z" E2 C+ h: u- E * J$ X3 t b2 V1 g: v1 T" n % V- R4 V& l$ p A3 [: D . X" r+ D1 ~4 V$ hCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
