Pirates of the Film Industry

DVD piracy has become such a major issue in the past couple of years, that advertisers have used a number of drastic tactics, in order to deter the public from, watching, buying, selling, or being in any way involved in copied DVD’s; including linking the piracy industry to terrorism. Slightly over the top it may seem, but it appears to have scared enough people to stop buying them. But can we really blame those who buy and watch them?

Of course, those with the intent of recording a new movie, burning it to disc, and then flogging it have the one goal of making money and of course they are technically stealing from the movie industry. But what about the general public? When a trip to the cinema costs on average £15 per person when you include the daylight robbery from the pic ‘n’ mix till, it is not difficult to see why generally a £5 copy of the movie, even if slightly less impressive in quality, is the most favoured option.

The advert intended to degrade piracy claims “You wouldn’t steal a car” in a way to compare watching copied material as theft. But I will admit, if it were possible to make a copy of an Aston Martin DB9, I sure wouldn’t think twice about getting my hands on one. Illegal or not.

Of course, cinema is being hit hard at the moment, and is making a damn good effort in order to compete with copied or even rented DVD’s. Orange Wednesdays and Movie Watcher points have been around for many years now to encourage regular theatre trips. And I’m sure they will always remain popular for weekend family outings, romantic dates, and for whatever else people may enjoy doing in dark rooms.

Film is such a huge industry and it is unlikely to change anytime soon. But perhaps it has become a time where DVD’s, copied or legitimate, are more practical, and the cinema has, like in the 50’s, become a luxury.

Only time will tell. But if I were to put money on it, cinema prices will remain high, if not higher, and DVD’s will continue to flourish. R.I.P cinemas.