Movie Downloads/Bootlegs

Judging from past and current threads on the subject, most of the members here have pretty strong opinions about downloading free music (it's wrong, it steals from the artists, only if it's out-of-print, etc.). But what about movies? Do the same rules apply?

My wife brought home a bootleg copy of Gran Torino from her sister and we'll be watching it tonight. I've not seen the movie in theaters and have no intentions of buying the dvd when it's released. I would have rented it when it became available at the local Blockbuster, but I got a copy now. I'm not big on downloading music and the few times I did, I'd eventually buy the album. I've never downloaded a movie, but I've been given copies from friends and co-wokers, either with or without asking. My reasoning is because I figure the actors/employess have been paid up-front for their work, so dvd rentals or theater revenue is just icing on the cake, so to speak, unlike musicians who start out in the red and have to sell albums, tour and sell merch to make a profit.

Am I being hypocritical here? It's ok to steal this, but not this. Does anyone else feel this way?

Depends on the contracts of the actors/directors, many of them get a percentage of the box office & rental receipts as part of their pay, so in essence you are stealing money from them. Then there's the staggering cost of major motion pictures and the millions of dollars spent on advertising for them...all before they bring in a dime at the box office.

If it's something out of print or never released on DVD...then I don't have a problem with it (if the studio doesn't want to make it available for purchase then I'll find other ways to acquire it).

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Depends on the contracts of the actors/directors, many of them get a percentage of the box office & rental receipts as part of their pay

Right, that's the part I was referring to as the "icing on the cake". They're getting a percentage of the take after release, but I doubt that very few, if any, don't get paid something before the movies release. I could be mistaken here, but from the stories I've heard, it seems like most musicians signed to a contract basically start out in the hole and have to make a profit from their sales. They might get an advance to record the music, but they gotta pay that back.

I have no problem downloading an album that has been out of print for a while. You're not taking money from anyone, as the artist and everyone involved is no longer getting a cut. The only person losing out is the rights holder, and that's because he/she is no longer printing "X" title.

As for movies, downloading one or bootlegging one in my opinion is wrong. The writers get a cut of royalties, the actors, the directors, the producers, etc. You're taking money from a number of people. Maybe the actors, directors, and producers can afford it, but what about the writers? Not all of these guys (not even a majority of them) can afford for thousands of people to download or bootleg a movie. On average, these guys aren't rich. Also, movies are different than albums. You've got rental stores, both physical and "watch on you computer" kinds, you can buy the movie in different formats, the movies usually stay in circulation longer than albums (on average).

Not to mention that somebody had to hire and pay for the costume design team, the set design team, the camera men, the boom guys, the stunt doubles, etc etc etc. The trickle down effect is quite large when you stop and think about it. If people continue to steal, and yes I said STEAL, movies, those that pay to have these things made are going to be more and more reluctant to shell out that amount of cash to begin with. How many jobs would that affect?

You make some valid points there.

Do writers get residuals from movie sales? The reason I'm asking is that I seem to remember that being a point of contention when they were out on strike last year. I don't think they got anything from dvd sales and they were mighty upset about it, with good reason.

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but I doubt that very few, if any, don't get paid something before the movies release.

ALL actors are paid upfront (stars) or when shooting/their part wraps (lesser characters)...they do not wait til a movie comes out in hopes of making their "royalty"...it's the Screen Actors Guild (basically a union for actors). If a star actor thinks the movie will be huge, sometimes they'll take a smaller upfront fee in lieu of a larger back end percentage, but they still get a check upfront.

Musicians don't have anything like that.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

You make some valid points there.

Do writers get residuals from movie sales? The reason I'm asking is that I seem to remember that being a point of contention when they were out on strike last year. I don't think they got anything from dvd sales and they were mighty upset about it, with good reason.

I think that might have been true with some (maybe most). However, I think the major part of that was writers for television shows and mini-series. They never got any royalties if the show went into syndication or from DVD, VHS, or other sales. After the initial payment and airing of a show, they got nothing.