Source: Adult Industry News
By: Rich Moreland
The condom referendum, a statewide version of Measure B, is likely headed for the 2016 California ballot. As a result, shooting in Nevada and Florida is on the industry radar, though opinions are mixed about migrating out of state. Going underground is possible for some producers, especially smaller labels who can’t afford the enforcement fees.
A legal seminar at the recent AVN show and Attorney Clyde DeWitt’s the “sky is not falling” February essay for XBIZ have contributed to the discussion. Obviously, constitutional questions loom should the measure be approved.
A conversation with two of the most respected directors in the business today, Girlfriends Films’ Dan O’Connell and B Skow, offers a front line perspective on the issue.
Asked about the extra cost of the shooting under the proposal, neither director is overly concerned.
“I’m not worried about the dollar part of it,” Dan says. “I’m worried about requirements that would be prohibitive for us.” Dan mentions shooting and location permits, producer cost for “talent testing,” and the onerous provision he calls “A snitch fee.”
“You slip up and you can get fined. The person who turns you in can get twenty-five percent of whatever your fine is,” and it “doesn’t have to be a performer, could be anyone, anywhere.”
Snitching is troublesome because performers who haven’t been booked for a while might get “vindictive.” Skow mentions he gets “uncomfortable” when a performer comes up and asks, “‘how come you don’t use me anymore?'”
Porn is a supply and demand business. Directors have to juggle shoots to keep people working. Too many girls and not enough roles, something performers, especially the top girls, often don’t understand.
If the proposal gets on the ballot, a recent poll indicated that over seventy percent of California voters would approve it. Should that happen, location becomes the issue.
“I don’t see us shooting in California,” Dan says, but he fears the AIDS Health Foundation would follow the industry wherever it goes. On the other hand, Skow looks to the underground which means from the state’s point of view, the “whole campaign will be a waste,” a loss of jobs and money.
However, there may be a ray of sunshine in this political storm; a needed shake-up might occur, a weeding out process that leads to a more efficient industry. In other words, the number of shoots may drop, but the ones produced would be better.
Skow asserts film making “creativity” would improve with the added benefit of having “A smaller pool of performers that you know and trust.” In his business utopia, a select group of stars reminiscent of porn’s past would “make most of the movies” like in the old Hollywood system. “People would start following them, just like they follow celebrities,” he says.
Returning to a smaller talent pool means the business becomes “more corporate, more organized.” Unfortunately the fledgling studios would suffer, Skow explains, but for the industry as a whole, the “big companies” would cultivate a “pool of trust.”
Incidentally, the Girlfriends’ director brings up a personal concern: there’s creativity in porn that goes unrecognized. He mentions the AVN awards show, but in truth, it could be any similar gala the industry sponsors.
“There should be ten or twelve awards,” Skow says, “then it would mean something. A lot of people in this industry do some pretty cool stuff, but it gets washed away.”
The leaner message is really this. The industry could benefit from downsizing. Keep the best performers regularly employed by the strongest companies and reward movie making for its art and not its quantity.
In the long run, this may be an unanticipated windfall from the current political turmoil. Rather than threaten the industry, the condom initiative may make it stronger.
