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This topic comprises 7 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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Author
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Topic: Anti Piracy Trailer Disappointing
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Frank Angel
Film God
Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 08-14-2003 10:06 AM
Still, before I would play ANY trailer, which is essentially an ad (especially for free), and especially if I think it is insulting to my audience, I would like to see hard, substantiated proof of the claim that an almost unwatchable video tape of a film, even if it is put out on the street within the first week of a major film's release date, could possibly be a major economic impact to the studio. Where is the market for such poorly pirated tapes? Is it out there, yes, but in what numbers? Are there hundreds of thousands of people who would forego seeing a major release in a theatre because of a junk video tape that costs nearly the price of a theatre ticket? I don't believe it. And until MPAA can justify their claims, don't ask exhibtion to subject the entire moviegoing public to such a campaign which will have, IMHO, a negative impact on presentation (I know I'll be sitting in my seat fuming that I have to be subjected to such drivel after paying 10 bucks). The MPAA needs to come up with more than just vague proclamations about the billions their members loose to this kind of sitting-in-a-theatre-with-a-camcorder piracy.
Let them do their CAP codes and put in place any and all high-tech security mechanisms they can muster, as long as they are TRANSPARENT, but let's not insult the audiences that are PAYING to see the films. If they are in the theatre, then they haven't bought a pirated video copy on a street corner. I don't see it as a widespread problem that needs such a draconian, wide spread solution.
If the MPAA thinks the entire population needs to be reached with a message that piracy is illegal, then let them take out TV
ads or, as I suggested, run the spots during the Academy Awards. If they really believe what they claim, put their money down on the table; I am sure ABC will give them a break on few dozen 30 sec. ads -- as many as they want, in fact. Or they can BUY screen time from exhibitors. Which ever works for them.
The real threat as we all know are GOOD video transfers -- the ones that make it to foreign markets or to unscrupulous video retailers, and those, I submit, come from the very people who are doing all the gnashing of teeth and rending of garments. When a studio executive wants to show off to his friends and lends his perfectly transferred tape of the latest blockbuster to a neighbor who then makes a dozen copies for his friends, one of whom has another friend who runs a trucking company that delivers supplies to video rental stores, which suddenly has an endless supply of this blockbuster available under the counter, it's the bigshot studio exec who needs to be educated and see some trailers on the evils of piracy -- "Just Don't Do It!" Not my patrons.
Frank
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Martin Brooks
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 900
From: Forest Hills, NY, USA
Registered: May 2002
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posted 10-20-2003 11:53 AM
Frankly, I don't think the audience could care less about this trailer or any other advertising trailer. I totally agree with Frank that camera recorded bootleg copies are absolutely NOT a threat to the business. Personally, even though Frank makes an excellent point that the people in the theater have obviously not bootlegged or downloaded the film and have paid for their ticket, I still don't find this trailer insulting -- it might not do any good, but I don't think it does any harm. I think it's a much better approach than the heavyhanded RIAA approaches to the problem. And the truth is that if illegal digital downloading of films ever happens in any scale, it will affect jobs in the film industry, just as it has in the record industry. Universal Records, which is probably going to be sold to EMI, announced thousands of layoffs last week.
I'd bet most of the audience wouldn't even remember seeing it. Sometimes I hear a few groans at the number of advertisements and sometimes they'll be a reaction to a new trailer, but most of the time, the audience doesn't react at all to this stuff.
By the way, I attend at least one film a week (in NYC) and maybe I'm not very observant (although I seem to notice scratches, specks, splices, automation cues and reel change dots easily enough), but I never notice the CRAP code. Are they not putting these on prints destined for prime Manhattan theaters?
quote:
They didn't look the other way. There was a toll-free number to call, & frequent stories with pictures in the news of bootleg tapes & albums being confiscated & destroyed.
That's absolutely correct. In fact, at one time American Can owned the Sam Goody record store chain. They got caught dealing with bootlegs and had to sell the chain as a result.
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as part of rolling stock. I had to put up with the anti-piracy trailer in front of Dirty Pretty Things at the AMC Hamilton.![[bs]](graemlins/bs.gif)
reminds me of the music industry crying wolf 25 years ago about bootleg albums. According to one interview I read back then, the music industry was getting ripped off by tape piracy. They looked the other way when the Mafia put out counterfeit 8-tracks and sold them to wholesalers for less than what the major labels charged for the real stuff.
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