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Author Topic: Anti Piracy Trailer Disappointing Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 07-22-2003 08:08 PM                    The one that is supposed to play starting Friday 7/25 had a set construction worker explaining how he's just a regular guy who wants to keep working, not a millionaire and how piracy is naughty naughty. Then a tag with the antipiracy web site. I don't know if there are others with other behind the scenes workers as I only saw the one. Frankly, it's rather dumb. Yes, I suppose if piracy starts sapping the strength of the industry then in the long run fewer films will be made. But to suggest that the little people are hurt more than the stockholders (and points holders) is rather silly. What I would like to see would be something straight and to the point...not unlike the anti taping warning on WB screening prints. Tell the folks that if they see anyone taping the film to let a member of the staff know and they will get a reward--passes, coupons, cash, etc. Don't rely on sympathy; make greed work in our favor! Combine that with elimination of pre-release screener tapes and substantial rewards to encourage lab and post house workers to turn in the pirates in their midst and the big sources of piracy would be reduced.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-22-2003 10:16 PM                     I haven't heard anything about this. Is it coming with a certain film, or are they being drop shipped to theaters, or is this just a few particular chains going to run them?  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 07-23-2003 12:20 AM                    We are supposed to start running them this friday in our pre show ad pack.  |  IP: Logged Andrew Duggan Expert Film Handler Posts: 127 From: Albany, NY, USA Registered: Jun 2002 posted 07-23-2003 01:51 AM                        heh, I love the topic title to this thread. It sounds like it should be an Onion arcticle...  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-23-2003 06:56 AM                        There is also a new website: http://www.respectcopyrights.org With on-line versions of the trailers: http://www.respectcopyrights.org/hear-artists.html I agree with Steve that rewards can be very effective. Saddam's eldest two sons would agree too.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-23-2003 08:23 AM                        According to their web site, the MPAA does offer rewards that lead to the conviction of video pirates: http://www.mpaa.org/anti-piracy/contact/index.htm Perhaps they should publicize this in the trailer. Personally, I think that running anti-piracy ads in theatres is like preaching to the choir, though. I would argue that a much better way for distributors and exhibitors to reduce the piracy problem would be to do more to differentiate the theatrical experience from the home viewing experience by improving picture and sound quality and by trying to keep ticket prices reasonable. Why would anyone want to download a crappy compressed version of a film when there is an option of seeing a 70mm print at a local theatre with a big screen and killer sound? When television became popular in the 1950s, the motion-picture industry didn't respond by running PSAs featuring set carpenters complaining about how they might lose their jobs if people watch TV instead of going to movies; instead, the response was to increase the value associated with the theatrical motion-picture experience by offering customers dye transfer prints, magnetic stereo sound, 70mm prints, and other things that most people could not have at home. Now, why must the industry respond by complaining instead of by actively improving the product (both technically and artistically).  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 07-23-2003 08:49 AM                    I will be straight up I have only seen one bootlegged video and it came from over seas. the source was a release print because it had the reel change cue marks in it. But it had to be a telecine transfer because there was no apparent flicker caused by the 24 frame per second movement of the film if you were to use a camcorder that is what you would get all this flickering.  |  IP: Logged Paul Konen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 981 From: Frisco, TX. (North of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-23-2003 08:49 AM                     Brad, I believe that they are being drop shipped. Cinemark starts playing them on Fri 7/25/2003.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-23-2003 09:00 AM                        quote: But it had to be a telecine transfer because there was no apparent flicker caused by the 24 frame per second movement of the film if you were to use a camcorder that is what you would get all this flickering. I have seen pirated videos that were shot from a 24fps theatre screen that had almost no flicker.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-23-2003 09:42 AM                     Maybe someone could borrow the Lucas idea and start the trailer semi-quietly (here the poor sound should be emphasized and the picture very small on the screen), then have it switch to the "theater" with full screen and sound? Whatever they do, this subject is hard to make an effective trailer. You certainly do not want to give people any ideas from it, and you don't want to insult the audience either. IMHO things like this effectively accomplish both. Used to a telecine was required for an off-print quality copy. Somewhere along the line I think people started using PAL cameras since they shoot at 25 frames per second. Back in the mid 90s all of the example bootlegs I saw on tv reports were shot this way. Now with "24P" cameras readily available it would be a perfect framerate match, yet nowadays I keep hearing of the problem with studio screeners, not actual camcorder bootlegging. That being said, the couple of times I caught customers trying to bring in video equipment I made a pretty big stink about it. Don't know if they took it as a warning not to pull that crap in my theater and went to another or not, but it didn't happen on my watch! By the way, the weirdest thing is looking at video of a projection room (platters) shot with a 24P camera. You see the decks spinning, film is obviously running, yet the film does not appear to be moving! Weird.  |  IP: Logged Scott Jentsch Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1061 From: New Berlin, WI, USA Registered: Apr 2003 posted 07-23-2003 10:19 AM                        Scott Norwood wrote: quote: I would argue that a much better way for distributors and exhibitors to reduce the piracy problem would be to do more to differentiate the theatrical experience from the home viewing experience by improving picture and sound quality and by trying to keep ticket prices reasonable. Why would anyone want to download a crappy compressed version of a film when there is an option of seeing a 70mm print at a local theatre with a big screen and killer sound? Exactly! I think many people pirate movies and music because they see little differentiation between the actual product and their pirated copy. Music piracy is compounded by the ease at which it can be done, and that ease-of-use is knocking at the door of every movie studio. Scott's position is the same one that I've had regarding the movie industry in general with the advent of home theaters. Currently, the only major advantage movie theaters have is exclusivity of the product. I have better sound in my living room than many theaters I've been in, and I will soon have an equivalent viewing angle. That leaves only availability of product, and the pirates are taking care of that situation by doing their deeds. I've never actually watched a pirated movie so I can't say from personal experience, but if the sound and video quality are acceptably decent, people will want them. Even the studios are challenging movie theaters with ultra-short times between theatrical and DVD release. I agree that movie studios and theaters should be working together to improve the product and maintain pricing at a point where a pirated version will be of unacceptable quality and not worth the time to download or the money to purchase. This would be the most effective way of combating pirates, but it seems that the industry would rather preach than do something to raise the bar for the industry overall. Publicity efforts like these trailers place the blame on consumers for piracy, which conveniently alleviates any responsibility from the people doing the preaching. If nothing else, these antipiracy efforts are going to do the same thing that the fight against Napster did; publicize the fact that pirated versions of movies are available and all you have to do is go looking for them. The lawsuits against Napster did more to harm the music industry than Napster was doing. Telling paying theater audiences that there are people out there getting movies for free is going to make them feel like they just paid for something they could have gotten for free. Probably not the best message to convey...  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 07-23-2003 11:28 AM                    Andrew opined: heh, I love the topic title to this thread. It sounds like it should be an Onion arcticle... How about Anti Piracy of the Carribean? If you think that's funny wait until you see the trailer itself which ends with: "Put an end to piracy." then "Movies. They're worth it." I wager this will get bigger laughs than a lot of what passes for comedy these days.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 07-23-2003 11:33 AM                        So what are the studios doing to prevent screeners from being copied? Doesn't look like they are doing anything, and if they are it is not very effective because tons of screeners still get duped and they seem to be the main source of any given pirated movie.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-23-2003 12:18 PM                        What can be done to protect the screener tapes/disks/etc., other than coding each copy separately to identify which copy was used as the master for widely circulated pirated copies? Macrovision and other copy-protection schemes are essentially useless and trivial to defeat, while inconveniencing legitimate users (by causing poor playback quality on some equipment).  |  IP: Logged Michael Gonzalez Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 790 From: Grand Island , NE USA Registered: Sep 2000 posted 07-23-2003 12:28 PM                     Every one seems to be missing the logic (of lack there of) that is used to justify these trailers. You see these policies are not aimed to prevent piracy, they are aimed to educate people to not use or download the pirated copies. It is almost the same philosophy of the anti-tobacco and drug ads. "Even though you can buy this stuff on the street corner, please don't"  |  IP: Logged

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