Illegal Streaming of Movies

Some kid from the UK was running an illegal streaming site, called TV Shack, and he's in the process of being extradited so he can face trial in a US Court. Read about it here.

Now, that's fair enough. He broke numerous laws, probably lost the studios hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he profited through advertising.

So, he's the bad guy.

But watch what happens two years from now, when the studios make websites that look exactly like the illegal ones. Why? Because It's what the people want, and soon the studios will follow.

These kids who set up video sites are catering to what the people are demanding. The studios could do the same thing now -- cut prices and stream the films online. Give the public what they want.

That's what we learned from the music industry. The argument was "people just want to steal", but it wasn't true. People just wanted mp3's. And remember when they tried to stop music being on YouTube? They used to ban your account if you put a track online. Now they welcome it with a big advert on your video, because they found out how to monetize it.

I'm tired of this game. I'm tired of the crazy prices. When I was a teenager I saved up week after week to buy 'FRIENDS' on VHS. It was £19.99 per video. Each video had four episodes. I spent hundreds and hundreds.

And then the DVD'S came out, and they put eight episodes on a disc and a deleted scene or two. And we accepted it because the technology was better.

And then eventually they put it on a single box set, which cost a couple of hundred but now only costs £40.

But if I go on a website tonight and stream an episode because one of my DVDs won't play properly, I'm breaking the law?

Netflix just launched in the UK, streaming only, £5.99 a month. This kind of thing is the future, but right now their catalogue sucks, it's half-assed. Same goes for lovefilm.

But all the major broadcasters in the UK stream their programmes the next day online. And you can get them through your Xbox. Netflix is here from the USA and maybe someday we'll get Hulu.

The point is, everyone is coming up with answers, but the Studios sue the kids who supply them. But a year or two from now, they'll copy them. One way to look at the people behind these sites is as lawbreakers, but in my opinion, they're just leading the way. The studios will follow, right after they've put them all in jail.

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ONLINE STREAMING: The Future Of Film Distribution?

1. Streaming movies online, illegally, for free - nearly everyone I know does this.

2. The music industry tried to kill Napster, they thought it was just people stealing -- but something else was happening, a revolution of music distribution. This is why we have iTunes and Spotify.

3. Physical media isn't needed anymore. I keep going to buy DVDs but then realise I don't want them taking up my space. Discs are dead.

4. Everyone loves YouTube.

5. People's computer screens are getting bigger. People don't need the giant TV to watch a movie, they can do it on their computer.

6. We harp on about the cinematic experience, but this is not everyone's cup of tea. The majority of people are happy at home.

7. Yes, free streaming and bit torrents do hurt the film business. But we need to start looking at it in a more open-minded way.

8. People are tired of getting conned. The bankers stole, the car insurance went up, and have you seen how much it is to see a film in 3D!?

9. Louis CK sold his new show online for $5 and the people flocked to it, he's made nearly $2million. This is not an anomaly, people pay for things when they're of value. That's why the DVD rental sites did well, they were a good deal.

10. But DVD rental is a thing of the past. People can go to the cinema, spend a days wages in tickets and popcorn, and still the movies suck. Or they can sit at home and stream them for free. They're doing the latter. Why?

a) The cinema is too expensive.
b) They like being at their computers.
c) So many films are terrible.
d) Cinema is changing. People like to stream and now the quality can be amazing.

The industry can go after people, sue them, and try to force them to watch movies in the cinema, but the people don't want to! If they did, audiences wouldn't be in decline and everyone wouldn't be streaming illegally.

There are legal options (not for new releases), we're slowly getting there. There are sites where you can stream films, and video on demand is growing. But the technology isn't fully being embraced. Sure, I'd love to keep the cinema's packed day and night, but that's not going to happen. And who can afford to go?

I never liked the multiplexes anyway. Too much junk that doesn't even deserve an audience. If the big chains died, maybe we would see the resurgence of the independent cinema? A place for community and good films? And sure, people would still come out for the superhero movies, but it'd be more of an event.

SUMMARY

The cinema isn't dying. They still build them and when they advertise the latest big budget let down, the audiences flock.

But something is changing. People are feeling less inclined to leave the home. They like watching films from the comfort of their sofas. The technology is there now. People can stream, illegally, and It's all great quality.

In the modern era, we shouldn't be condemning those who do this, we should be finding a way to give them an incentive to do it legally. And that probably means brand new releases being streamed online legally for a small price.

The studios think people are skipping the cinema and watching films for free on the internet. This is true, but it doesn't mean what they think it means. Most people are happy to pay.

They just want value.

Especially now, people are getting hip to the marketing BS.

And they're tired of the same old movies. You can't remake 'Valentines Day', call it 'New Years Eve' and expect audiences to give a shit.

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Me

For my heart I go to Charlie Chaplin. 

For my creativity I go to Bruce Springsteen. 

For my happiness I go to New Orleans jazz.

For my heartbreaks I go to Counting Crows. 

For my optimism I go to Ally McBeal.

For my artistic discipline I go to Woody Allen.

For my politics I go to The West Wing. 

For my coolness I go to Ellen Page. 

For my rhythm I go to Aaron Sorkin.

For my insomnia I go to Ryan Adams. 

For the sweet and sour I go to Billy Wilder.

For my dreams I go to New York City. 

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2012 Weblog Awards

I have been extremely fortunate in recent years to be nominated for 'Best Entertainment Blog' in the Weblog Awards; Kid In The Front Row was nominated in 2010 (and won) and 2011.

I am generally not the award type - I am a bit shy about it and see it as distracting -- but the flip side of that, is that the nominations in 2010 and 2011 greatly increased my readership, and helped my blog in numerous ways, getting me out into the blogosphere as a respected voice on film.

You can vote on the bloggies here. If you are interested in voting for me, please do so in the 'Best Entertainment' category. If you do other categories, the votes won't accumulate.

Thank you all for your continued supports!

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Advice Culture

There's so much of it and I kind of despise of it.

And I know I'm a part of it, how hypocritical!

But do you think Woody Allen and Spielberg sat around sharing self-help books and Godard quotes? No, they were too busy building their careers and working through their failures!

Failure is not optional, it's a MUST! No writer, director or actor (who you care about) got anywhere without huge amounts of failure.

And I'm not talking about the kids from Harry Potter or the actress of the week with the perfect boobs.

I'm talking about the people you really care about who shaped your passion for cinema.

Your bad scripts, you're depressive days, your films that flopped, they're part of it! Everyone who ever did anything went through the same and more. You can sit around reading the story about Edison and the lightbulb ten more times or you can be practicing your art every spare moment.

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