Porn Industry Could Help Hollywood Survive Coronavirus Crisis: Here's How

While Hollywood continually faces film production challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, another entertainment sector might just possibly be of help.

The most home of the U.S. film industry is one of those largely affected by the global health crisis. Hollywood’s slew of film productions and movie release lineups have since been brought to a major halt, toppling over one of the world’s largest entertainment sectors.

But as Tinseltown tries to tiptoe back into its movie production affairs, it could actually seek aid from its relative, the adult entertainment industry, which seems to be better prepared in dealing with the rising challenges.

According to the New York Post, it has been suggested that the porn industry’s battle-tested solutions bred from the HIV/AIDS epidemic can help Hollywood restart production in the wake of the coronavirus.

“When we first starting talking about COVID, we felt very well prepared because we have a whole history of testing within the industry as well as contact tracing and production shutdowns,” stated Mike Stabile, spokesman for the Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the U.S. adult entertainment industry.

Although the current coronavirus battle is a “different type of threat,” according to Stabile, the porn industry was still able to work around the crisis, being able to come up with its own testing system. “We understood in general how it would work and what we’d need to do in order to protect ourselves,” he said.

The porn industry’s protocols and database were established back in the late 1990s after one of their actors reportedly faked an HIV test. Many other porn actors and actresses had been infected after the incident.

Sharon Mitchell, a former porn star-turned-physician who now holds a doctorate in human sexuality, created a system called Performer Availability Scheduling Services or PASS. The system requires porn actors to be rigorously tested for sexually transmitted diseases every 14 days.

After each actor undergoes the mandatory test, results are then forwarded into a database that informs producers and directors who are “clean” and available for work. Stabile added that what the protocols tell them are all binary and confirms whether or not the actors and actresses tested have been cleared for work.

Meanwhile, as opposed to the HIV/AIDS which is passed on through bodily fluids and blood contact, Stabile said that the coronavirus is a more complicated problem in part as it is easily transmitted through microscopic droplets when someone coughs or sneezes.

Despite this, the sex flick industry remains open to teaming up with Hollywood studios to share its expertise.

For weeks, Hollywood studios have been cooking up solutions on how to re-start production without jeopardizing the health of actors, make-up artists and camera crews.

Leaked sources and documents also exposed the industry’s ideas on imposing health measures such as quarantining all cast and crew in the duration of the shoot, sourcing medics to stay on sets, conducting temperature tests every 12 hours, as well as substituting extras and crowd scenes with computer generated effects.

Moreover, international movie and TV productions may be slated to restart sooner than expected. European countries, including Denmark, Iceland and Czech Republic, where Hollywood shows are usually filmed are expected to reopen before the United States as per the film commissions in those select nations.