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Author Topic: Pirated DVD's Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 08-20-2003 08:19 AM                     In my current job, I am having to do things that I dont like to do... like go to the projects to service stereos, VCR's, etc. I was there yesterday. I suddenly had 3 DVD players that wouldn't play all discs. The problem was caused by pirated DVD's of a movie called BAD BOYZ 2, a Martin Lawrence film. One of the DVD players is a high-end unit, and after a good cleaning to get all the pot smoke, etc. off the lens, it would play the pirated disc. What crap! The image was fuzzy and whoever made the tape was talking during the movie! Not to mention that during the credits, you cant even see both edges of the projected image side-to-side, or top-to-bottom. They had letterboxed the pirate image, though. I told the "customer" to quit buying that junk and stop supporting these crooks. He laughed at me. He has lots of them. I know of NO ONE that sells copies of movies. Even when I had a fully-functioning 16mm film chain in my house, and 1000 16mm features in my collection, I never made a copy of anything for anybody but myself. The collection is gone. Lost to VS.  |  IP: Logged John Spooner Expert Film Handler Posts: 186 From: South Australia, Australia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 08-20-2003 12:57 PM                     Dear Bruce. In Australia we have the Film and Video Securities Office which is maintained by the film and video industry and they catch their fair share of pirated material, both user and seller. A lot of pirated material comes from Malaysia to Australia. Any ethical projectionist like yourself or our fellow Film-tech members would not make a pirate video, but I sometimes wonder how many would be made by unethical cinema employees. John Spooner.  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 08-20-2003 09:05 PM                     Hi John: We have that here, too. I have no use for pirated copies of films, tapes, records, etc. I've never seen one that was worth a flip anyway. Funny how the public housing complexes around here have major TV's, stereo equipment, DVD systems that rock, drugs, etc. BUT they seem unable to do anything but have kids and more kids. Sorry if I offend anyone, but as a taxpayer that got a $1000 tax notice on my home today, I feel that I dont need to support all this crap in public housing.  |  IP: Logged John Anastasio Master Film Handler Posts: 325 From: Trenton, NJ, USA Registered: Sep 2000 posted 08-20-2003 09:30 PM                        It's sad, Bruce. I sometimes feel that way myself, living in Trenton, but the people who really tick me off are the extremely wealthy ones who do the same thing.  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 08-21-2003 07:19 AM                     Thanks John. After I wrote my previous post, I had second thoughts. I was thinking that I was just in a bad mood. But NO! I have been to public housing apartments where the tenants have the biggest and finest audio systems, HDTV, satellite service, HUGE projection TV systems, and a million kids, and more on the way. I come home (Yes, it is MY home...) and look at my old 10 year old TV, and think about the new roof that I am installing, and all the hail damage that my cars took 2 weeks ago. Back to the topic. I asked my friends with DVD's if they have any pirated stuff. Guess not. I buy mine at discounts and some in the grocery store. MGM/UA is selling good stuff for $9.99 these days. I buy at least one a week. BTW: My tax bill is up almost $150 more than last year.  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 08-21-2003 07:23 AM                  I agree with you Bruce.... What really bugs me is that WE all are probably paying for that stuff...in one way or another. And John, thief's know no economic bounds...the driving force is having something that no one else has or getting it free/cheap. Sadly, it's only human... >>> Phil  |  IP: Logged Paul Cassidy Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 549 From: Auckland, New Zealand Registered: Aug 2001 posted 08-23-2003 05:46 AM                        It's usually easy to see who is doing the pirating on these videos , private pirating is when the camera is not square to the screen and the sound echos and with people laughing and talking during the film , theatre copies with the sound being taken directly off the sound system , camera square and in the correct aspect , direct of DVD with the bottom masked off to hide the warning ...... in the end it is thieft .  |  IP: Logged Dennis Benjamin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1445 From: Denton, MD Registered: Feb 2002 posted 08-25-2003 01:19 AM                        Speaking of all this: I was at a local flea market with my family the other day. While looking at sunglasses at a small shop - I noticed they were selling DVD's - "Pirates of the Caribbean", "Bad Boyz II", etc. When I started asking 20 questions - the guy got all fidgety with me. He asked me if I was going to buy anything - if not - I had to leave. At least I made him nervous........  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 08-25-2003 10:06 AM                        quote: I was at a local flea market with my family the other day. While looking at sunglasses at a small shop - I noticed they were selling DVD's - "Pirates of the Caribbean", "Bad Boyz II", etc. Report them with some details to the MPAA Piracy hotline: http://www.mpaa.org/anti-piracy/contact/index.htm Since they are a fixed-base operation, at least they can have a friendly "visit" by the authorities.  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 08-25-2003 11:02 AM                     These are the four main places in NYC that you can find Pirated DVD's and VHS's. Chinatown Herald Square (across the street from Macy's) Times Square Soho (on Broadway going towards Chinatown) They are there every day to night selling it to people. No one does anything. Every so often the NYPD drive by and they start running like roaches. But there are back selling in 10-15 minutes. The stuff they put out is day and date with the film release. They make the packages look so real, the tourists can not tell the differance. One of the scams these people are doing on the streets is selling copies of films that are available on DVD. The packaging of these copies look real, But they are color xerox copies of the covers. They are sealed like the store bought versions. But the disc inside of the package is blank or has some form of video noise on it. So these people buy it for $10.00 , thinking they got such a deal from these people. Only to discover when they get home they bought a blank disc. The FOX station ran a story about this a few months back. I have seen the packaging on one of my trips around Herald Square, when I went over to Macy's.  |  IP: Logged Don E. Nelson Expert Film Handler Posts: 138 From: Brentwood, CA, USA Registered: Nov 2001 posted 08-25-2003 11:02 AM                     Dennis, I hope you found some sunglasses to buy, I didn't mean to seem rude when I asked you to leave but you had been loitering in my booth for quite some time and it was time to close up shop and go home. I was going to take my family to see "Pirates of the Caribbean" and I hate to walk in the theater after the previews have started. I felt so bad after you left that I called the MPAA Piracy hotline and turned myself in. The video police paid me a visit the very next day, and because I had some really good stuff that they were personally looking for, I sold everything I had to them for a nice profit. Thanks for your help. just kidding, John............  |  IP: Logged

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