November 18, 2003
Hollywood's Stupid New Anti-Piracy Plan
I hate Hollywood. In their efforts to reduce the amount of movie piracy (not to be confused with pirate movies), they have done all kinds of stupid things that affect my movie experience. I have to endure ads before the movie, in which a carpenter asks me not to pirate movies because it will affect him, not the bigshot producers. I am going to have to endure an Oscars stacked against independent films: the MPAA banned "screeners" from being sent out, which is often the only way independent films with limited theater appearances get seen by potential voters. Now I have to endure actual diminishing of the quality of the film.
The studios are adding patterns of brown dots to the film surface. They blink on for a second, then they disappear. They appear all over the screen, at a rate of about once every 20 seconds. They appear in threes, fours, and once as a group of six. They show up on the sky, on the wall, and sometimes even on someone's face.
I noticed it during The Matrix Revolutions, but it was much more apparent in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. It was so apparent that, as you can see already, I was distracted from my movie-watching experience wondering what they were, then counting them, then timing them.
Roger Ebert featured a letter from a film projectionist about it here. It's called the Cap Code, or better as the Crap Code. It's another panicky attempt by the studios to punish all of us for the sins of those studio insiders who are likely responsible for 90% of movie piracy. Thanks a lot, Hollywood. You suck.
Posted by mike, November 18, 2003 1:10 PMNot to argue with you, as I agree with you on all of that CRAP they are pulling, but I read SOMEWHERE that the studios were taking a step to assure that Independent films did not get screwed too much at Oscar time. There had been a lot of complaints from big named people, like Robert Redford and such. But I can't freakin' remember where I read it or what exactly the plan entailed. Hmm...
Posted by: shane at November 18, 2003 2:09 PMYeah, they're allowing videos, not DVDs, and only Academy members get them. Still, other critical organizations, whose early picks probably influence the Academy voters, are not to receive screeners, so their votes will lean toward the bigger Hollywood movies, which might influence which movies are pushed as Oscar hopefuls. It might be the same effect, but diluted. Or I might be completely wrong.
Posted by: mike at November 18, 2003 2:17 PMIt's Jack Valenti's fault. He's the president of the MPAA. It was this moron's idea to ban screeners. He's also the idiot who won't make any changes to the ratings board, like coming up with a rating for adult oriented films that won't stigmatize them. He refuses to get rid of the NC-17 rating in favor of a rating that won't keep them out of mainstream theaters. Most publications refuse to advertise them, equating them with pornography. Therefore, they get no business. The man has got to go. He cares nothing for the smaller films. All he cares about is helping the big studios. As if they need it.
Posted by: Shawn at November 18, 2003 4:01 PMGood news: Jack Valenti plans on stepping down as CEO of the MPAA in January. Bad news: He wants Billy Tauzin (R-LA) to be his replacement. More bad news: He wants to stay in charge of the ratings board.
Posted by: mike at November 18, 2003 5:04 PMGood God. Careful what you wish for, as they say. I'm so glad I live in Chicago. I can see any movie I want. If I had the time.
Posted by: Shawn at November 19, 2003 12:26 PMthe RIAA wants you to send back your pirated MP3s too - http://www.sendthemback.org/
Posted by: travis at November 20, 2003 10:56 AMThat page is hilarious. I like how nowhere does it say you should delete the files from your computer. You can overload the RIAA's inbox with huge attachments, you can fill their mailbox with CDs and nonsensical hex keys, or you can tie up their fax line with garbage, but you don't have to delete them. I love it.
Posted by: mike at November 21, 2003 9:15 AM