link and pics

[astridv]

A clear and concise article about piracy and the future of media distrubition:
You Will Never Kill Piracy, and Piracy Will Never Kill YouAll of that is really just common sense - but of course that's exactly what the studios so far have demonstrated a sad lack of. This piece was written for Forbes.com so it stands to hope that some of the people

Comments

[sholio]

The piracy article - yes! Thumbs up to all of that. Including the points at the end about multi-million dollar blockbusters and star salaries, because this is something I've been thinking for awhile now. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that the studios are kinda right, that in a world where "cheap and easy to copy" is the new buzzword, it's harder to rake in truckloads of money on a movie, and the profits at the top end of the payment scale go through the floor. So freakin' what?! Yeah, we might look back nostalgically on the few decades when big-budget blockbusters were the norm, and a budget crunch would probably hit sci-fi harder than, say, cop shows, due to the special effects. But the BBC did Doctor Who for many, many years on what appears to be a budget of about $5 and whatever they could find in the BBC dumpsters. *g* And people enjoyed it just fine. Maybe we'll have to scale our expectations down a bit, and enjoy shows and movies for the writing rather than the slick production values. There will still be plenty of

[astridv]

Maybe we'll have to scale our expectations down a bit, and enjoy shows and movies for the writing rather than the slick production values.

Exactly. Many a time my friends and I have left the theater wondering how a studio could spend millions of dollars on whatever movie we'd just seen -- but apparently weren't willing to spring for a good script writer and a better editor. While some of the absolute best movies I've watched in recent years were productions done on a shoestring budget but with a really stellar script and acting.

Anyway I've never been a fan of big blockbuster movies full of gadgets and explosions. Some of them are entertaining, okay, but when they are it's never because of the gadgets and explosions - it's characters and storylines.

And no Star's acting can be worth 40 Million or more for a single movie. They calculate that big names will rake in the profit but I think that kind of movie economics doesn't work any more. Maybe it has worked at a point, but not nowadays.

[sholio]

Yes, exactly! I must admit that I do enjoy shiny special effects -- it's one of the reasons why I like sci-fi and superhero movies -- but it's far below my love for good characters, good writing and good acting. And all three of the latter are much more likely to be found in small-scale productions, made by writers and directors and producers who are truly in love with the story that they're telling.

I really do think that the movie studios have put themselves into an untenable position, where star salaries and movie budgets are so hugely overinflated that there's no way they can maintain them. Most Hollywood movies don't make back their production cost because the production cost is ridiculous. Yet the studios are still nurturing these emotionally tepid, repetitive star vehicles, and trying to browbeat consumers into propping them up, rather than trying to win viewers by nurturing good writers and actors regardless of star status. And it's going to come back to bite them in the end.

[horridporrid]

Really, really good article. Thanks for the link! I totally agree with the guy, of course. It's mind-boggling how much the studios don't get the new tech. Or at least, how much they're fighting against it instead of figuring out how to make it work for them. (Honestly, I'm positive there's a way to rake in money. Something less high prices and more high volume. They need to redirect their sharks. *g*)

(I notice he didn't touch on one big problem, which is the clear need for a global distribution system so viewers overseas will actually have that legal alternative to pirating, other than waiting for a year or longer which, seriously, isn't gonna happen.)

OMG, a thousand times yes! My new k-drama (and also k-movie) obsession has made it so, so clear to me that the world has shrunk too much to expect the wait to be okay. And, like the article said about domestic film, it's a distribution problem on the studio's end, not a policing problem. (Another reason I think there must be money to be made. The demand is so obviously there

[astridv]

I have ridden my bike on that lake a few winters ago. :) Got no photo of it though.

The piracy issue is really fascinating, and more complex than some people seem to think.

My new k-drama (and also k-movie) obsession has made it so, so clear to me that the world has shrunk too much to expect the wait to be okay.

Yup. I estimate that 90% of what tv I watch is produced in the US or Canada, the rest UK and Japan. I don't watch the shows produced at home so I rely 100% on the internet (well, and DVDs later). I haven't even connected my cable in ten years. The crappy dubs that are showing on our domestic channels are not something I'd ever consider going back to, and a lot of people who are even remotely fluent in English think like that. And their number is growing. I find it incredible that German tv stations can still sell that shit, honestly.

[horridporrid]

Riding a bike on the ice... I don't think I've ever done it. Is it hard? I imagine the slipperiness would be a challenge!

Apparently korean dramas have started to become quite a hit in the States -- and outside the areas with lots of Korean immigrants, too. (I've read some interesting statistics, and of course stumbled across plenty of anecdotal evidence.) The whole reason one of the more popular websites (Dramafever) got started was because of the demand. And they're starting to offer almost-same-day episodes with subs. (And also offering shows from other countries as well.)

So... if this is happening in one direction, why can't it happen in the other? And if it can happen with tv shows why not with movies (especially when you consider the shorter turn around time involved with tv shows).

[astridv]

Riding a bike on the ice... I don't think I've ever done it. Is it hard?

It was pretty iffy when I did it but there was snow on the ice then. But today I saw no less than three people riding across the lake without a problem.

Know what else I saw today?? A guy walking the length of the lake and back, wearing a t-shirt and shorts. He was there the entire hour we were skating so in the end we got a bit concerned for his health but I'd briefly talked to him (told him I was impressed...) and he seemed all there, not on drugs or anything. I don't know what that was about but I hope he didn't catch something. I mean, it was not too cold, only about freezing point, but there was a fierce wind.

And they're starting to offer almost-same-day episodes with subs.

You mean legally?

[wildcat88]

I adored The King's Speech! Such an excellent movie. And I'm shallow enough that I admired Chris Hemsworth all the way through Thor. :)

Pretty pictures! I'm afraid winter forgot to come here this year. Flowers are already blooming.

[astridv]

And I'm shallow enough that I admired Chris Hemsworth all the way through Thor. :)

I'm into beardless, dark haired, not overly muscular guys. So Thor is literally the opposite of my type. Lol

Our winter was like that until 10 days ago or so. Some trees had already started to blossom. Then, *snap*, temperature drops 20 degrees. I'm glad because I missed this. And spring is even more enjoyable when it follows on some ice and snow.

[astridv]

btw, where's that pic of the flan in your icon from?

[wildcat88]

His "Warehouse 13" episode. He was mighty handsome in it. :D

[tinnny]

Cool piracy link. The second article actually contained things I hadn't thought about before.

Thanks for linking!