Pirates A'hoy!

Is it wrong to steal from thieves?

By that I mean film piracy.

Here’s the thing, in this new age I think its really time the PTB pulled their fingers out of my pockets and re-thunk their entire system.

Do I think film piracy is wrong? Actually yes and no. 

In my opinion it’s like the prohibition era of the 1920’s, and about as uncontrollable. 

Yes going into a cinema and filming the film then uploading it, is costing the film industry millions... or so they try and make you believe, but come on lets face it we are in the middle of a depression, who can afford to dish out a twenty just to see a film?

And if the answer to that is, then you just don’t get to see it until it comes out on DVD? I’d be fine with it, if the PTB did not rage a physiological war on all my senses practically mind controlling me to need to see that film. 

Every billboard, every advert, every interview, every trailer and every single one of the millions of posters all over the town are a subtle but undeniable push on your subconscious until you are convinced that dolling out your last twenty bucks is the only way to find true happiness.

True story. Today’s advertising and promotion companies have become coldly and calculatingly scientific in their hunger to sell their product, and the film companies pay for the best in those fields. Every word, every image and even the colors of those images are carefully created to tempt you beyond common sense into parting with your hard earned money.

I remember as a kid (and yes it was in the last millennium!) it cost 25cents to see a film in the evening and 10cents for the matinee. 

Nowadays it does not matter what time you go, you pay up to 20€. What could possibly justify that kind of inflation? New technology? Films costing more to produce? 

I agree the actors are jumping on that band wagon and charging ridiculous amounts of money for each film they work on, but that’s another rant.

There are so many more cinema’s all over the world today than there were back then, they are bigger, and the films themselves have become shorter, there are also a lot more people going to see the films now than they did back in dark ages of my childhood. Computers have made special effects and stunts a mere mouse click away. I think if you worked it out penny for penny, the film industry today is robbing you blind.

Television is another medium that’s firing it’s guns on illegal downloads, and one I am completely and utterly against. I think they are the pirates and not the people downloading their favorite shows.

Those shows are aired openly, you are permitted to set your recording devise to record it, and watch it whenever you want, but if you download it from the internet that is illegal... WTF?

Why? 

Because they want to be able to charge you upwards from 30€ when they bring out  the DVD’s that’s why. Despite the fact that those shows have already paid for themselves, and made a profit. 

Television shows make a killing in commercials. Depending on when it’s aired, and what the viewer counts are. If the show is at the top of the ratings range one 30 second slot can cost up to $2.4 million, even the less watched shows cost $100 000/30 seconds. 

There are about 8 minutes of adverts for every 30 minutes of show time, which is not counting the adverts before the start and after the finish of the show, between show commercials can take up to 6 minutes..... 

And then there is the re-runs, those same shows will be re-shown over and over for years to come and every time the commercials are making money. 

So anyone with a calculator can try and work that out. For me its clear enough to see that they are making enough money without charging me an arm and a leg for the box set!

DVD production of TV shows are pure profit with absolutely no expense for the Networks, no air time, no advertising, and nowadays with amazon download and itunes not even the cost of DVD production. 

And they call us Pirates? 

Which brings me to my theory. These companies are paying billions in legal fees against Torrent sites, Peer to Peer download sites and even individuals that have been caught pirating. While I agree making DVD’s of downloaded films and shows and then selling them is illegal and deserving being called Pirating, charging me for the DVD or download of a show that has already made it’s profit is just as bad. 

I think Cinema’s should go back to much cheeper matinee and morning shows during the week, even evening shows during the working week can be brought down in price, (and someone should really sue them for the prices they are charging for popcorn...).  

That way if people absolutely want to go see a movie, making it more affordable during certain times would actually increase their ticket sales. 

I mean lets be honest if I had a choice between paying say 3 € for a movie, or downloading a crappy Cam-recording that I can’t see, I’d pay the fiver, and I know my kids would rather go see it at the cinema with their buddies. I think the profit in increased teenage sales alone will make it worth the lowered ticket price.

As for TV shows. The networks need to open their online site’s to international viewers, allowing everyone to download and watch shows run the previous night for a small fee. Hulu charges $6 a month (but no downloading and not for international viewers), I’d go as high as 15€ for the right to watch my favorite show the day after it’s aired and the right to download it to watch on my big screen. 

Logically all TV shows can not be shown world wide at the same time, I realizes that, but there is also no reason for the rest of the world to be a year behind, and honestly in foreign speaking countries the fact that you can jump onto NBC and watch Castle in english is not going to cost them any viewers since people will still want or need to watch it when its Dubbed.

Win win. It might not be the most profitable solution for the Networks or the PTB, but it is the most honest one. 

So yeah stop the Piracy... theirs not ours.