MPAA Calls for Ban on Screeners

neoThoth writes "The MPAA is calling for a ban on all screeners for awards ceremonies. They state piracy as the rationale for killing of this tradition of the industry. It's interesting how this is never mentioned in their cries for tougher piracy laws. It's own members are the main source of piracy. 'The Directors, Writers and Screen Actors Guild all get screeners, as does the Golden Globe-selecting Hollywood Foreign Press Association and various critics' groups.'" Remember, movie piracy doesn't just hurt actors, but also camera operators, key grips, makeup artists, and costumers.

Makes Sense

[focitrixilous P]

Their fight against piracy should begin at home. You can't sue people randomly if your own members are copying the stuff you send them. When the start sueing people, I will feel ever so slightly less annoyed with them.

Re:Easier solution

[Anonymous Coward]

I've seen tracking numbers on screeners before, but usually the group who releases it smudges a couple numbers out before uploading it -- so the ID can't be traced back to anyone.

Also, I think there are literally thousands of Academy screeners sent. It would be a real bitch to do.

Re:IANAL

[c0dedude]

I am not a lawyer. I just attach it to my sig incase i forget to put it in the post. It prevents you from getting sued for giving out legal advice, even if you aren't.

Re:Easier solution

[e5z8652]

Didn't they do exactly that with The Hulk?

It was released early & they knew exactly who to go after.

www.4law.co.il (pdf) [4law.co.il]

Canary Trap

[overshoot]

Someone needs to give these idiots a clue or two. With only a trivial effort in steganography they could "watermark" each copy uniquely. That way if if some reviewer leaked his copy they'd have evidence to nail him to the wall.

Re:Canary Trap

[t_allardyce]

They do, ive seen a divx of Bowling for Columbine that includes a warning to that extent. Maybe soon they'll stick that in all films and make sure you enter your name and address at the store so it can be tied to your dvds unique number - it would have to be pretty rugged tho - able to with-stand divx-ing and resizing and anything else rippers could think of, even then people would just do it outside america.

Re:Easier solution

[dapuk]

This has already been done - by using dark dots in a specific pattern on some frames....

See here [vcdquality.com] and here [vcdquality.com]

Though that site seems a bit dead right now - so just have a look at google [google.com]

Re:Don't forget.

[VCAGuy]

Actually, it doesn't really hurt the sound/video/light/CGI/FX/whatever crews [i.e. the celeried/salaried workers]--they get paid regardless...it's the people who's pay is a percentage that see less money. And why not? If they were stupid enough to go for a job offer with a percent sign...well, you know. ;-)

Disclaimer: I'm a lighting tech with a low opinion of directors, actors, acresses, and PR people...

Re:Easier solution

[bigfatlamer]

I can't see David Letterman actually going and PAYING to see all the crap movies that his guests make!

And he wouldn't have to. SAG, Director's Guild, etc. members and other eligible Oscar voters get into see films nominated for awards for free in the time leading up to the voting. This is why so many candidate films are re-released (at least in NYC and LA) so that they have more chances to be seen by voters just before they vote.

This is smart

[Teahouse]

They need to do this. I live in LA, and every friend I know in the MP Industry has loads of free movies they get from screeners. They often have them before it's released in theatres. You can't bitch about people bootlegging your material when you send out a buttload of copies before it's even released just to get votes for an awards show.

It's good discipline on the part of the MPAA. They need a little.

isn't it only "perfect" copies that "hurt" sales?

[kaltkalt]

In theory. Nobody cares (or at least, they shouldn't) if you record a song off the radio because it's far from a perfect copy. In the same token, I don't see how a fuzzy, downloaded, ultra-compressed screener with all sorts of "THIS IS THE PROPERTY OF MGM STUDIOS" warnings popping up all over it (I do realize some screeners are better than others but they're all far from a DVD you'd buy in the store) can be said to hurt DVD sales. If the movie is good you'll buy the $14 DVD (for less than the price of the movie's soundtrack on CD, but that's another issue). If the leaked screener causes people to realize that the movie sucks and they don't go pay to see it in the theater, that's a good thing because it encourages studios (at least it should) to make better films. Thus, pirated screeners not only do not hurt legitimate sales of the equivalent product (the DVD form of the movie) but they help to act as a muse for the industry as a whole. This is why people in the industry probably share their screeners. It keeps them on their creative toes.

Re:As much as I hate the MPAA,

[NanoGator]

"Piracy happens become the product/work/whatever isn't free in the first place, and some people would rather thieve it than buy it."

Correction: Piracy happens when something is unreasonably priced and there's an audience for it. Piracy isn't a big issue here in the USA. The price is a little on the high side, but still affordable. DVD retailers are making money quite comfortably. Now, go somewhere with a lower cost of living, and piracy is rampant.

Piracy is an extension of supply and demand, though the MPAA or RIAA will never admit to that.