SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
TechDirt reports
Much of the way the movie industry looks to combat film piracy will seem familiar to readers of this site. It typically involves shakedown threat letters, games of DMCA whac-a-mole, and a paint-by-numbers approach that mostly amounts to film studios shaking their lawyers' fists at the sky. All that produces the status quo, where piracy is still a thing, films still make gobs of money, and regular observers of it all are left scratching our heads wondering how so much noise could be made over it all.
But I will give credit where credit is due as Costa Rican film distributor Romaly deserves some style and creativity points for its new anti-piracy tactic.
Romaly has employed an extremely creative tactic to reach out to would-be pirates. Their work can be seen over at LegalTorrents.net, a site that has clearly been modeled on one of the most famous torrent indexes ever. As the screenshot below shows, it is a semi-convincing KickassTorrents clone with a similar logo, color scheme, and word cloud.
[...] The torrents on the site are actually real, except they aren't torrents for the actual movies in question. Instead, the downloads play trailers for those movies along with messaging about how piracy has a negative impact on the film industry. But the coup de grace is the inclusion of an email address where the downloader can request two free movie tickets for the film they attempted to pirate.
[...] Attempting to build up some goodwill in the form of getting downloaders to the theaters is actually pretty smart.
(Score: 2) by wisnoskij on Thursday March 16 2017, @05:31PM (14 children)
Tricking people will not build goodwill.
And most people would watch movies in theaters if they wanted to, the want of a free ticket is not what is stopping them.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 16 2017, @06:04PM
Aww crap, I totally missed the "except they aren't torrents for the actual movies". I thought you would get the movie but it would include their little message.
If they included a low res version of the movie with some "message breaks" then this could actually be a good idea! Not to mention realistic digital pricing please... With those changes I think it would be more effective. Currently you are correct, fuck this lame bait switch.
(Score: 2) by dyingtolive on Thursday March 16 2017, @06:08PM (10 children)
This. I don't avoid theaters because it costs $20 to get a seat (for one even). I avoid them for the people, because I don't really give a damn about most movies they've come out lately, save for a couple of the recent Marvel ones. The fact that I'm laying down $20 on top of that and have a bunch of ads to put up with at the beginning doesn't make it any more reasonable.
Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 16 2017, @06:20PM (1 child)
Yeah, I'm sick of being advertised to after paying good money for something... MPAA take note, I avoid buying movies in any format that forces me to watch anything without being able to skip, or that won't work without bullshit software restricting my ability to use the thing I just bought.
(Score: 1) by anubi on Friday March 17 2017, @03:57AM
DRM sure broke me from buying licensed stuff.
I paid for the experience of being entertained, not the additional frustration of being compelled to someone else's business model.
In the case of movies, unskippable previews and ads ruin the mood of the moment, souring the whole presentation.
The theatrical experience to me is sorely lacking. For the price I pay for a typical movie run with friends, I expect a table and a catered meal with snacks. And privacy to enjoy most of the same things there as I would at home. Can I really "kick back" in a public place? The last experience I had at a theater is the guys on the row behind me "kicked back" and put their feet up between the seats, right close to my nose. They weren't directly adjacent to my seat, but I did not want to start an argument over it - more like a note to self regarding future attendance at theaters.
I also found the overpriced popcorn quite annoying. I make the stuff up in huge amounts at home. Same with soda-pop. I even have a CO2 tank for carbonating water and more flavors of syrups than one would find in any movie house.
In the case of software, it's gotten so I don't trust it. It may "upgrade" itself into another form I flat abhor - holding any work I did with it hostage to compel my acceptance of the new terms.
Best use my old stuff unless the new one has been vetted by trustworthy sources.
So, someone thought it was a great idea to make parts of DVD's unskippable, which leads to others to think its a great idea to just transcode the DVD content into another format where the user controls it. I have seen lots of DVD's at garage sales. Much rather have a .MP4 of the content. Very rarely will I even pay a buck for a DVD. If its just a trash DVD I never intend to see very often, ok... but I know its kinda "in the raw", and I will have to spend some time with a transcoder and editor if I intend to view the content more than once, or with friends. Best get one where someone has already prepared it for use.
Treating friends to raw DVD presentations is kinda like serving them unpitted olives, or sandwiches made with bony fish.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 16 2017, @06:20PM (2 children)
Ahhh Marvel movies, the ones that put me to sleep like mother's bosom.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 16 2017, @07:00PM
You must be the misunderstood genius who vastly prefers the Hot Tub Time Machine series for their insightful commentary and intricate storytelling, no doubt.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 17 2017, @12:18AM
Ahhh Marvel movies, the ones I never watched to begin with. Yes, I also don't have a TV.
(Score: 5, Informative) by edIII on Thursday March 16 2017, @07:45PM (4 children)
Well I do avoid theaters because of the $20. That, and they feel it appropriate to charge $6 for a drink that I can get for less than $2 at a gas station. Exactly the same. Same size cup, same quality ice, same bullshit HFCS in it, etc. Then a *small* bag of popcorn is $7. The movies costs more per hour than most people make per hour. That's fucking crazy. Even crazier, they act like they are in an airport with their pricing structures. Extra security and vetting of products? Secured spaces? Nope. They cannot even keep their bathrooms clean to the same standards as an airport. The smell of urine floats out into the hallways.
While I could smuggle all of the food and drinks in and deal with the facilities, I'm then faced with people who will not shut the fuck up. For anything. Cell phones being used while in the theater by people who literally cannot go 10 minutes without checking FaceFuck, or live tweeting their movie experience. I don't particular enjoy having the cops called because people are afraid that I will kill somebody. I've shut entire theaters and movies down because of the ruckus. I don't look forward to terrorizing some teenage fuckheads that cannot be quiet.
So what do the movies offer? Big screen? Check. Loud subwoofers and excellent sound? Check. THAT's IT. Nothing else but fuck you, fuck you, fuck you. Except for the very big movies, usually Marvel, that I'm dragged to with family, I avoid the theaters like the plague.
I have family locally with a 80" 3D TV and decent sound system. While, some of the family cannot always be completely quiet, the bonus is that they will occasionally fetch food and drinks and make something tasty for the movie. All at rock bottom prices compared to the theater, and at much, much, much, higher quality. Plus, I can smoke weed outside, and others can drink. It's a superior experience.
So I can choose between spending $30-40 (gas included) for two people, or I can get a torrent and use all of that money for snacks and tasties while watching the movie privately, in peace, and with people I love.
The theaters fucking suck, and have not got better in 20 years or so. The moment we can "paint" a wall with a TV screen roughly the size of a small theater, the movies will be dead. Nearly completely.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 16 2017, @08:38PM
Sticky floors and seats?
Check.
People who have kids, pass in front of you to sit in the middle of the aisle and then while the movie is going have to take every one of the kids to the bathroom (and have to pass in front of you, making you squeeze your feet and legs in uncomfortably) ONE AT A TIME!!!
Check.
Then you find you paid all that money to watch a fucking terrible movie because family just HAD TO SEE IT!!!
Check.
OR:
Sit at home and torrent the movie that doesn't have all the adverts and anti-torrent and previews and shit that YOU CAN'T FAST FORWARD THROUGH!!!
CHECK!!!
Let's see:
1. Kick me in the nuts over and over and over
2. Make sweet love to my fine wife all night long.
Yeah... 'What is "i'll take 2, thanks, for $1000", Alex.'
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 16 2017, @09:47PM
Not only the drinks just as good at the gas station, but some gas stations have video screens now. The oil companies are producing their own content to show at the pumps. If electric cars become the norm, they'll be ready to make feature-length productions. Return of the drive-in cinema?
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Friday March 17 2017, @02:56AM
Sounds like it's time to bring back the drive-in theatre.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 17 2017, @08:24AM
I take it you've never heard of projectors or whiteboard paint.
You're not required to eat food while watching a movie.
How much does that' 80" TV and sound system cost? The TV itself, the stand, the electricity, the time taken to keep it clean, the cost of the space in your apartment, etc... At least 80 movies ($1,600)? Most people don't watch that many movies, so going to the theaters is still far cheaper for them.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 16 2017, @06:21PM
no shit! film industry idiots act like "piracy" is why i don't want to drive to some theater and watch a movie with stinky, loud strangers in an environment that is out of my control. There might even big pigs there to treat me like a criminal. Maybe i can buy some overpriced poisonous food? screw you idiots and your propaganda films(hollywood. not random international film entities).
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday March 17 2017, @01:37AM
Does this also apply to Costa Ricans?
🌻🌻 [google.com]