Pirating Movies - Do You Do It?

[BBQ Platypus]

I couldn't find a thread specifically dedicated to the pros and cons of BitTorrent and stuff like that, so I thought I'd put it out here.  If there is one, feel free to merge it.

Personally, I don't give a shit about movie pirating.  I don't feel even the slightest amount of pity for the Hollywood executives who, because of pirating, are only making eleventy jillion dollars instead of umpteen bajillion.  On the other hand, I really don't see the appeal of downloading a usually blurry and low-quality version of a movie so you can watch it on your tiny computer or TV screen.  You can burn it to a DVD and watch it on a plasma screen, but all that does is make the faults look clearer.

Still, that part doesn't bother me in the slightest.  How people like to watch films is no concern of mine.  What does bug me a little is how some people like to treat it as some kind of moral crusade (or worse, an inherent right).  You see, they're not being cheap, they're sticking it to "THE MAN."  The most common war cry I hear some people give is "Yeah, well maybe it'll make Hollywood stop making shitty movies!  I'll pay for it when it's good!"  This is bullshit.  If it's worth watching, it's worth paying for.  If it's NOT worth paying for, then it's not worth watching.  Seriously, if it sucks so badly, why download it?

This is why I rarely go to or purchase films.  I only buy the stuff that I think will be good (or entertainingly bad).  As a result, I haven't voluntarily gone to a bad movie all year (I got dragged into Jumper, but that was it).  The closest thing was Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which was just okay.  The rest were good (even The Incredible Hulk and Get Smart, which I thought were surprisingly entertaining).  For a more current example, let's look at the new Max Payne movie.  It looks like shit.  Therefore, I am not going to see it in theaters, buy it on DVD, OR download it for free.  Simple, isn't it?  Just don't watch.

The other, slightly rarer argument (which, believe me, I have encountered) is "Well, if we bring down the big studios, then good riddance!"  At first, I didn't want to bother with these guys in this post, but I decided hey, why not point out why they're wrong?  There are two reasons why the people who say crap like this are stupid.  First of all, believe it or not, studios do manage to crank out a few good movies on a yearly basis.  Sure, there's a lot of crap, and the executives are pretty much all idiots.  But there are some movies that only studios could possibly produce.  We wouldn't have The Dark Knight if it weren't for studios (or The Godfather, for that matter).  The second reason this argument is stupid is because torrenters and pirates pose absolutely no threat whatsoever to the livelihood of studios.  If pirating makes any difference at all, it's a pretty fucking insignificant one.

This being a forum primarily for nerds, I figure there are probably some people here who frequent sites like The Pirate Bay.  I'd like you guys to know that I truly, TRULY could not possibly care any less about what you do.  Knock yourselves out.  But I certainly won't publicly stick my neck out for you, nor will I ever be convinced that this "conflict" is about anything other than money.  There are no principles; no conflict between good and evil or fascism and liberty.  As far as I'm concerned, it's just a battle of greedy bastards vs. cheap bastards.

[itsjuststeffnow]

   Rock on dude.

[Relaxing Dragon]

I personally do not, and while I'm not a big fan of it, my arguments with those who do very rarely extend beyond a joke or two (in person they get a little more heated). Personally I'm with you when you say if it's a good movie, then it's worth paying for. And I've got a strange compulsion of owning things in the right condition (so it's gotta be a good box, everything in order with the disk and cover, and so on. Don't ask why, it's some odd little OCD of mine). The main reason, though, is that I'm not a big fan of watching movies on the computer. It's just not the right environment, there's too many distractions (I keep getting the urge to surf the web when a movie's playing on my laptop, and I hate that. I want to be fully engrossed in a movie, not let my ADHD run wild when I'm trying to do something I love), sit too close to a too-small screen, and so on. I need a comfy chair a good distance away from a fair-sized screen (at least) to really enjoy a film, otherwise it just doesn't feel right. [/ramble]

[Trumpysgirl]

Guilty.

But I can't rightly say that I've done it just to stick it to the big-time studios because they've had it coming. Petty and self-serving as they tend to be, I've admired many of their films and hope to be employed by these people one day, so I'm kinda hoping that they don't go under before then.

Mostly it's just because I'm in college and being poor comes with the territory. I try to get to the theatre when I can, but nowadays I only do that to treat myself after a particluarly hard test that I studied for or something of that nature. Being curious about a movie and wanting to see it, but faced with the dilemma of either going to the theatre or eating that day, I turn to my trusty desktop.

Most of them are shot on crappy little cameras and I get fed up with it after about ten minutes, but just occasionally you get the pirate who makes a real effort at getting the good stuff.

But I do agree, nothing beats seeing something of high quality on the big screen, and those are the films that I save up to go see. Downloading movies doesn't happen as often as I make it out to be, but I can't say that I don't have it as an option on nights when I'm bored.

[kodiakthejuggler]

I'm a firm believer in the buy-it-if-you-like-the-filmmakers/actors/directors/story philosophy.

I could care less about the studios, but I do care about certain directors, actors, musicians; and I want to support them for creating things that I like, so I'll go buy them. If I can't afford it at the time, or it's easier to download it from the internet, I will.

But at the same time, I always keep the download running until I've uploaded as much or more than the download was. That way, I'm sharing it equally.

And if someone from the FBI is reading this, I disavow all knowledge of the words I just typed.

And I've got a strange compulsion of owning things in the right condition (so it's gotta be a good box, everything in order with the disk and cover, and so on. Don't ask why, it's some odd little OCD of mine).

Ditto.

[AmandaGal]

Still, that part doesn't bother me in the slightest.  How people like to watch films is no concern of mine.  What does bug me a little is how some people like to treat it as some kind of moral crusade (or worse, an inherent right).  You see, they're not being cheap, they're sticking it to "THE MAN."  The most common war cry I hear some people give is "Yeah, well maybe it'll make Hollywood stop making shitty movies!  I'll pay for it when it's good!"  This is bullshit.  If it's worth watching, it's worth paying for.  If it's NOT worth paying for, then it's not worth watching.  Seriously, if it sucks so badly, why download it?

This being a forum primarily for nerds, I figure there are probably some people here who frequent sites like The Pirate Bay.  I'd like you guys to know that I truly, TRULY could not possibly care any less about what you do.  Knock yourselves out.  But I certainly won't publicly stick my neck out for you, nor will I ever be convinced that this "conflict" is about anything other than money.  There are no principles; no conflict between good and evil or fascism and liberty.  As far as I'm concerned, it's just a battle of greedy bastards vs. cheap bastards.

That's my main point. If I ever pirate a movie or song, it's because I'm cheap and want it for free. To say you're sticking it to the studios or "I don't believe artists should charge" or whateverthehell is just making excuses.  If that was the case, do without the media.  You don't need it to live. Pirating their movie doesn't stick it to them anymore than watching/listening to it at your friend's house does.  It's like stealing, I think, but it's not like stealing a dollar from them. It's like not giving them money you were never going to give them to begin with because you're a cheap bastard. It's more like "theater hopping."  You weren't going to pay to see the movie anyway, but you're still getting kicked out of the theater.

But yeah, I admit to being cheap occasionally. Not as much now that Netflix is around, because I'm also lazy.  I have pirated my fair share, so I'm a hypocrite, but at least I admit to it.  I've also theater hopped. QUELLE SHOCK!

That being said, I hold no ill will towards those who download as long as they don't do it as a moral crusade.  There's nothing wrong with being cheap.

[Rattrap007]

I kinda have standards on Piracy.

Basically if it is a movie I want, I'll buy it. I like having the DVD to keep around. If I need a digital copy of it I may just get one off a torrent site to use on an Ipod or something. If I need a a film for a class or something then I will download it, watch it a few times and when I no longer need it, I will delete it. If it is a TV series I have no problem with it so ever. It airs on TV, can be recorded on VHS or Tivo, so it is no problem having the newest episode of Heroes on my PC. Now if a movie is out of print and unavailable except used on Amazon for about 3-4 times what it should be, then I will find a rip and use that.


Basically if it is readily available and I will watch it multiple times over a long long time I will buy it. If I just want an idea of what the movie is like, need it for a few weeks, or can't buy it from a store, then I will download it no problem. I don't like stealing movies or anything like that. I feel it is best to buy it.

The whole "stickin' it to the studio!" type stuff I feel is childish and idiotic.

I kinda own a few "pirated" anime sets. I ordered them off Amazon. When they came they were KO sets. So I guess I have pirated Trigun, Rurouni Kenshin, and FLCL. But sets like that cost an arm an a leg to begin with. The Fooley Cooley (FLCL) show is 6 episodes long and is spanned over 3 disks. Each disk is sold seperately for $20+ EACH! That $20 for TWO episodes! My KO is 1 disk and has all episodes and material from the 3 disks.

[mrbasehart]

While I personally would never think of pirating movies or TV, a friend of mine does all the time.  This is because his "life mission" is to watch every film ever made, and it would be very expensive if he had to rent or buy those films.  He does still buy quite a lot of films though, and many of those are films he has downloaded, watched, and enjoyed enough that he wants to own them.  This is a friend of mine, you understand.  Not me. 

[GregMcduck]

The only movies I get through illegal channels are ones unavailable in this country.

Fuck you Disney for not releasing Only Yesterday on DVD while you had the chance!

[MSTJedi]

There are no principles; no conflict between good and evil or fascism and liberty.  As far as I'm concerned, it's just a battle of greedy bastards vs. cheap bastards.

Yeah, I definitely fall squarely into the "cheap bastard" area. I have plenty of legit DVDs, but I have some that aren't so legit. I don't bother with downloading stuff that hasn't been officially released yet. I may be cheap, but I have standards. I usually rent movies and then if I like it (or the kids like it), I copy it, though I've stopped doing that so much since I got married and all . . . I don't have enough time to watch good movies, let alone the glut of crap that makes up 90% of the movies released every week. Now, if I really like something, I'll buy it . . . but usually only if it's on sale or used for $10 or less. Did I mention I'm cheap?

[RVR II]

I don't use any downloading sites for my flics..

I'll rent them mostly and keep a 'copy' for myself , or I will buy them if I really like a certain flick(s)

[Nick]

*This thread is now being watched by the FBI.

*Beware.

[RVR II]

*This thread is now being watched by the FBI.

*Beware.

[AmandaGal]

With your illegal Mexican tax business, I bet the FBI has better things to worry about than your copying a DVD 

[RVR II]

With your illegal Mexican tax business, I bet the FBI has better things to worry about than your copying a DVD 

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