Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: MPAA Anti-Theft Best Practices

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Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 11-15-2013, 08:37 AM:

I came across the PDF file linked below while surfing the net. It appears to indicate that every time someone pulls out a cell phone in your theatre, you should not just kick them out, but call the police on them and let the police determine if they are recording the movie or just texting or playing a game.

MPAA Best Practices

As this is not the MPAA's web site, is this legit? If so, does anyone follow these practices?

If this is legit, perhaps someone could add the PDF to the warehouse.

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 11-15-2013, 10:04 AM:

The MPAA and NATO's official website for Fighting Film Theft is here.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 11-17-2013, 02:03 PM:

Exhibitors do not belong to the MPAA nor are they bound by that organization's policies or recommendations, especially when they do not parallel the interests and needs of the exhibitor.

In this case, you have to ask, is the MPAA serious? The primary interest of the exhibitor is to provide a comfortable and inviting environment for patrons where a movie can be watched with the best presentation and with the least distraction. No question that cell phones and other PDs are antithesis to this end and yes, it is in his best interest to prevent their use during a presentation to the best of his ability. In that respect, his goal and the studio's desire to stop cell phone use coincide. However, that's where the similarity ends.

The studio's desire to prosecute anyone recording their product via a cell phone by way of CALLING THE POLICE every time someone whips one out is patently absurd.

Any exhibitor who goes along with this nonsense deserves the loss of business that is guaranteed to happen if even one show is disrupted by cops storming the theatre to extract a cell-phone user who may or may more than likely may not be recording the movie. And who actually thinks cops will respond to, what, a couple dozen calls a NIGHT for all the times people are on their cell phones in an auditorium and without even the direct evidence that they are recording the movie?

If this actually IS am MPAA recommendation, then they really have been smoking crack at their meetings.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 11-17-2013, 02:56 PM:

Most likely the police will be laughing their asses of rather than storm the theatre. In any event, it is such a low priority they probably wouldn't arrive before closing.

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 11-21-2013, 05:13 PM:

Do those US DCPs by FOX also have those stupid lengthy copyright warnings right in front of the main feature?

They contain stuff that roughly translates to this:
"Immediately warn an employee, once you see someone pulling a cellphone."

Those things are more like an insult to any paying customer.

They also put those suckers in front of 3D features. Well, that will be one hell of a "CAM" if you capture that thing with your cellphone [Wink]

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-21-2013, 06:56 PM:

No those notices aren't on the US DCPs, and if they ever show up I would probably put a "dowser close" cue there to make it not show up on the screen.

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 11-21-2013, 07:08 PM:

quote: Martin McCaffery
Most likely the police will be laughing their asses of rather than storm the theatre. In any event, it is such a low priority they probably wouldn't arrive before closing.

Unless your theatre has a great relationship with the local police, as I have always been lucky enough to have at a theatre I arrive at, or built to create. You'd be surprised at how cooperative the police can be when you're just plain old-fashioned nice to them.

Last year, at my previous theatre, we did catch someone filming a movie at our location. We did call the police and they were there within five minutes. Because the theatre treated the local police department well.

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 11-22-2013, 02:43 AM:

I guess the situation will greatly differ from place to place. Around here, I don't think police will be too fond of playing copyright police.

As a matter of fact, although it will be against theater regulations, the act of "recording" in itself is probably not even against the law around here, as long as you do not publish or distribute the material acquired. So, practically the only thing you can do is escort them off the premisses, if they refuse to do so, you may call the police.

Also, many of the "professional CAMs" out there, are probably being produced by rogue cinema staff around the world and not by someone smuggling in a cellphone or digital camera.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 11-22-2013, 04:50 AM:

To play devil's advocate, I can see where it's best to have an absolutely zero tolerance policy. Problems will arise if you start giving theatres latitude to determine what is or is not a crime, or to determine intent. Furthermore, a determined pirate could easily hide the components for a high res recording device inside the body of an average smart phone.

It's easy to say a kid doing a screen grab is something very different from someone pirating a movie. But where is the line where one act becomes the other?

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 11-22-2013, 01:15 PM:

No cell phones (i.e. lights) allowed in the auditorium while the movie is playing.

I don't see anything difficult to understand there. If I see a cell phone light up in my auditorium I ask them to turn it off. If they don't leave it off after that, I invite them to exit the theatre. That part doesn't happen too often, of course.

Solves the problem of piracy (to the extent that it may or may not exist) but also keeps those lights out of my auditorium, which is the objective.