Added: 11 months ago
From: kermodeandmayo
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  • All merely a matter of ownership, by proxy. At the cinema one feels like one has experienced the viewing of the film; via the other media methods obtain a sense of owning the experience. Empowerment. How much do you wish to pay to feel you have assimilated the film?

  • more to the point, as David Lynch said, "watching a movie on your fucking phone? Get real!"

  • It needs to be cheaper. £10 to see a movie is stupid.

  • You dont need to download them. Watch movies here for free: letmewatchthis.ch

    And its not spam.

  • Actually it will slow the number of people downloading. Music industry statistics do show many people who illegally download an album will usually buy the album if they like the music. I believe the MPAA had similar statistics which they ignored.

  • I agree 100%. Give people choice about the device they want to download it on. Cinemas have no competition so they have no incentive to improve their appalling customer service and experience. I personally hate going to the cinema these days for these reasons not to mention petrol prices rising, I would rather watch films on demand from the comfort of my own home on the PS3 or iPad.

  • I believe one of the issues with piracy is the fact that going to the cinema is just getting more and more expensive, I'm a single guy and go most weeks so cost me best part of a tenner, but when I see a father taking his two young kids to see a film and the bill for the film and the food is over 30 quid that's really pushing it, he's not going to the cinema every week probably more like once in 3 months.

  • Illegal downloads isn't about changing viewing format.  It's about watching a movie without having to pay for it.

  • In the case of simultaneous releasing, I think it could work, I am guessing that there would be a way of making the films you downloaded non-transferable. At the end of the day the cinema is expensive, specially in London where it is three times more expensive than any other European country. The real way of cutting illegal downloading is to make the films affordable and accessible.

  • As in the music industry, or even back in the days of the Spanish Main, the biggest pirates are the ones who shout Pirate the loudest. Phony Corporation, Wanker Brothers etc. Instead of trying to make hundreds of millions in the box office, hey should make a decent profit. What mr Kermode suggests would mean cheaper films, more democratic film making, wider availability of all films, a more pluralistic and inclusive culture,

    Just sack the bean counters.

  • DVDs and cinemas need to be cheaper

  • @mbagely Cinemas are definitely too expensive. Especially 3D movies ( I boycott them). but DVDs are getting cheaper, especially when you wait almost a year after they come out and buy them in convenience stores.

  • @DodgerRiley Yeah you're right, I actually bought Kickass at Christmas for about a fiver on Amazon, so it's not too bad

  • That would be a great day if you could buy a Blu-ray the first day it was released on cinema. I remember waiting from July 1993-November 1994 for Jurassic Park to come out on VHS to buy. It was horrible. It's a lot better now. But as Kermode said, it can only get better.

  • While its true legal downloading wont stop illegal downloading, and in fact will make better quality copies available illegally earlier. Look at the success stores like iTunes have had dealing with the exact same problem, there are a whole host of people there who want a legal download option that isnt available and as a result turn to illegal sources. Just because it would also benefit the "hardcore" illegal downloaders seems like a case of cutting off your nose to spite your face.

  • Been saying it for years Mark. I won't go to the cinema any more, it's almost unbearable dealing with the assembled herberts. Price point is essential, as are DRM choices.

  • I agree with this for films that dont have a general release.

  • The solution to the worry of it destroying cinema sell the DVDs at the cinema. Maybe have it so you can only buy the DVD after watching the film in the cinema.

  • Until the day they make all movie theaters quiet, all films at the cinema pausable or rewindable, and arthouse releases available at every local theater, downloading and piracy will not stop.

  • Piracy is the least of my concerns about punters who think it's legit to use their little glowing screens in cinemas. Confiscate their phones and tape golf-balls in their mouths for the duration. Thanx..

  • i dont mind funding terrorism as long as i get to see film for free

  • It's not the piracy that bugs me, it's the idiots faffing around with the mobile phones in the cinema.

  • People pirate not because of the medium - people pirate because it's quick, convenient, and FREE.

  • >implying cell phone quality is worth my time.

  • VIDEO PIRACY IS A CRIME (lol)

    DO NOT ACCEPT IT (If you say so)

    DEMAND A GENINUE CASSETTE FROM YOUR VIDEO STORE (Video store? I got it from Big Dave in Old three Crowns)

    POOR QUALITY ILLEGAL VIDEO CASSETTES REDUCE YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE AND JEOPARDISE FEATURE FILM PRODUCTION (God damn it, now I need to travel into the future sayyyyyyy around 2011 and see a world without feature film production, it must be apocalyptic).

    

  • haven't you already posted this video?

  • Sod the pirates. As long as there are people out there, like me, who would rather watch a film on a cinema screen than on a teeny phone screen, hunched over a computer or direct TV, there's going to be money. Most pirates tend to hit the big budget popular movies anyway. Some of us like to pay for their food rather than find it in bins.

  • The trouble with film piracy is it's far, far too convenient, and there really isn't a way to deal with it.

    What we need is a world order that doesn't rely on money.

  • The best thing about illegal downloads is that you don't have to FF through all the trailers, adverts and piracy warnings on a DVD i've bloody paid for!

    Get rid of those and allow the buyer to easily copy the movie from Bluray/DVD onto their HDD library and you'll cut a massive chunk of illegal downloads.

  • And for what it's worth, I think film's current model is a good one; probably about as good as it could be at the moment.

  • I agree it would increase piracy; this blog is very naive. If you release a DVD that's your starting point for a good quality rip... the earlier you do that, the more rips out there, even earlier. You don't convert people from piracy to paying for anything just by making it easy, especially if the pirate copy is the same quality... the only way to combat piracy is to make something legal and free but use advertising, like spotify. That's not viable with film. Also this WOULD hurt cinemas.

  • Sorry Mr. Kermode, but I don't fully agree with you. It seems that this would definitely get rid of the mobile phone confiscation problem of yours, but I disagree that illegal downloading would stop just because it was available legally. I do, however, agree with the simultaneous release idea, though it is not a fix-all.

  • cinema isn't dead,but it has to decline,as there becomes a more competitive market for online streaming subscriptions like netflix,lovefilmetc.and making it available the same day it comes out in cinema(as suggested). an example I wanted to see the Inside Job recently at the cinema but wasnt showing anywhere, and the DVD won't be out till June, so why shouldnt i downloadit(ifpossible)illegall­y. look at the music industry spotify has been a saviour for it,the way for all media to head isonline.

  • would cheaper cinema tickets reduce piracy

  • Well said Kermode! 

  • Multiplatform releases won't prevent piracy, when VHS and BETAMAX arrived, piracy was rampant and through the ninetees even movies that wen't straight to home video were pirated anyway, same story today.

    People who buy pirate films don't by them becuase they want a choice, the buy them becuase they are a cheap alternative. Their loss.

  • I don't think any decent critic would record parts of a movie and put in on youtube. Any respectable critic would never want a film buff to see a movie with such awful quality.

  • I don't think mark is suggesting that it would end film piracy as a whole (that's impossible), but rather that it would lower the percentage to a point of satisfactory that companies can call off their witch hunts and alleviate viewers from anti piracy propaganda.

  • The other thing that would help would be to have simultaneous release in all countries, or at least to within a week or so.

    This is one of the main reasons I've downloaded films illegally in the past, and I'll probably do it again in the future, regardless if it will be available on DVD, download, and in cinemas when it eventually gets released here.

  • Win, win for sure. I still enjoy the cinema experience more.

  • I'd still download it just because it's free.

  • YO HO Fiddle dee dee,

  • As much as i like the theatrical nature of going to the cinema, sometimes its a pretty uncomfortable experience, seats are cramped, other people ruining the experience, often by the very actions that were outlined in mark and simon's "cinema code of conduct".So I will download because home is more comfortable, however there as some films that i wouldn't want to see anywhere but a proper cinema. and if i feel it is worth it i will support the film by purchasing it at full price upon home release.

  • It'd be the easiest thing for movie companies, especially the big ones, to make their movies downloadable. They have all the rights, so they can provide it the day it's released in theatres.

    And surely this method has to be cheaper for them than putting movies on reels and physically shipping them all over the globe.

  • Mark, I don't think that simultaneous release would stop piracy. Even if a film was available on DVD/ Download legally while in the cinema I would still download it illegally because it is free. My only reason for downloading is that as a student I cannot afford all the films that I want to watch.

    If anything it would increase the ammount of pirating as DVD / BluRay rips with all the special features and quality would be appearing online from day 1.

  • @lordtufty My heart bleeds for the poor student. Surely if only these greedy cinema corporations would introduce some sort of, I don't know, card or discount scheme that would give students a discount. We could call it a students discount card perhaps. And don't give me that "Woe is me" impoverished bullshit. I've never met a student who didn't have enough cash at the weekend for a skin full of beer down the Union bar (Oh, by the way I'm a Dr with 6 years of medical school training).

  • @billyquicksp1 Sorry, I was not saying that I was poor; I definitely come from a privileged background. And as to your beer comparison, is there any way to download beer for free from the internet? could you give me the link please? It is called cutting corners. I will pay for alcohol if I have to, just like I will occasionally pay for a DVD or the cinema, but in the long run I want to keep money available AND watch films, of which I am quite a fanatic. That is why I download films illegaly

  • @lordtufty I am a student. I don't see that as an excuse. I been to the cinema eight times. I could got a whole lot more if I wanted. Your a film fanatic? Do you want to be part of industry?

  • @lordtufty Nothing is going to "stop" piracy as there will always be people who decide they want to consume something but they don't want to pay for it. Their best bet would be to lower their prices - at least that way they would have something to show from people like yourself. Downloads are cheap to distribute. I don't suppose it would ever occur to them to pass that saving on to the consumer though.

  • @lordtufty correct: it would only remove low quality captures from the torrent sites.

    A win, but not in the way intended.

  • @lordtufty amen brother

  • @lordtufty While it's true, this would not stop piracy it would reduce it. I also watch movies illegally but if i could downloads it instantly, in good quality for a reasonable price i would do it. The advantage the production company has over piracy is that sometimes, it is a faff to pirate - it's not always straight forward and you don't always get what you want. if the movie companies can make their service as easy and quick as possible, even at a cost, they will have an edge over piracy imo.

  • @lordtufty So your argument is because you don't want to pay for it, you shouldn't have to, because you want it anyway? Basically you want something for nothing.

  • @Wonno Yes, I know its selfish, but that's the way life works

  • @Wonno What is exactly wrong with wanting something for nothing? I'm not being obtuse, that's a serious question. It is usually tied into a legalistic and thus moralistic view, a question of work ethic or bizarre company identification, none of which is my cup of tea. And piracy renders 'an argument' unnecessary. There is no one interrogating you before you can click download torrent. The days of having to justify yourself ended with the mass proliferation of efficent P2P.

  • @Wonno Unfortunately it's one of the many pitfalls of the internet. This is the democratization of knowledge.

  • @lordtufty Indeed. I just bought Louis CK's latest standup for $5 from his web site. The money goes straight to him, $5 is the price of a pizza and a drink. The download is immediate to access, fast to download, high definition, and I can do what I want with the download. It ends up more convenient effort-wise, time-wise, legal, and I support the artist. The same could be done for movies EXCEPT—most movies are low quality not worth the money paid for them or the time wasted watching. That sucks.

  • @lordtufty I agree. This didn't work with music, Mark, why would it work with movies? Here's a download you have to pay for, here's the same download for free, which are you going to choose?

  • @lordtufty Netflix at £6 a month, does that make you think its worth it

    i wouldnt use lovefilm yet the online dvd's are too few

  • With the quality of home cinema systems and bluray players these days...it would be very hard to find an excuse to visit the cinema if movies were released on all formats on day one. I believe Theatres need a major overhaul in order to boost the movie going experience so that watching a new film at home is always 2nd choice.

  • Just look at the music industry, music is available for download but it doest stop people illegally downloading it... movies that are available to watch on the day of relesea will be recorded as they are being watched, then illegally uploaded the next day

  • @ehmazin

    Big fat hairy deal, you can't sell an intangible product to everyone. Information wants to taste the salt air on it's tongue, it wants the free sunlight on it's flesh, and a doubloon in it's pocket. It wants to be free.

  • Legal downloads won't stop illegal downloads

  • @ehmazin No it wont but it will make them more money. See Itunes..

  • @ehmazin They wont stop them, but the will decrease them.

  • @ehmazin They can just burn films that they bought to stream online on to DVD.

  • The cinemas will lose. Nowadays you can have a big screen at home.

  • @Andreano123 Not all people can afford a home-cinema.

  • Arg! you bring warmth to me old piratey heart Doctor Kermode...

  • I agree that that the filmmakers and film studios would benefit from this, but it seems to me that the cinemas would surely loose. The only films they're going to risk showing on a big screen to draw in the crowds are the Hollywood Blockbusters, theme park, 3D cinema. So if you did want to find Ken Loach on the big screen I think you'd have difficulty. But then again... that's probably no different to the current situation - who am I kidding...

  • Mutiplatform simultaneous release will not be sanctioned for your cookie cutter Summer Blockbusters anytime soon. But I'll support any campaign that results in expelling people that can't bring themselves to turn off their sodding mobile phones at the cinema.

  • If only Ken Loach were PM...

  • agree with everything you say there Mark

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