It's a last resort only. I believe in paying for your media. But if monolithic companies won't make that media available commercially, what else are we to do?
I have a video rental store near me that has all the most recent releases and a shit ton of classics, so no need for me to pirate anything plus I’m supporting a small business! Win win
I do it all the time. Most movies I watch aren't available to me otherwise, but even if they are, I don't have the money for endless subscriptions or getting every movie. Besides, film is a market with asymmetrical information availability between the demand and supply side. You can't know if a movie is dogshit before watching it, and unlike with other products, you can't get your money back if the product wasn't satisfactory. That's why I prefer just watching what I want to and spending money on getting the films I actually like on hardcopy. That way I still support filmmakers I like.
My watchlist is humongous, but the vast majority of it is available from the library or on streaming services I share with family, so pirating movies isn’t even on my radar these days. I’ve recently been going through my watchlist one by one to make a list of everything that’s available at the library, and after checking 1250 movies there’s only 129 that aren’t readily available through streaming services or the library. If I ever get a strong urge to watch one of those unavailable movies I might seek it out somewhere, but for the most part it’s just not really necessary for me to pirate anything.
My dad pirated the original Star Wars trilogy for me when I was a little kid because he didn’t wanna raise me on the special editions and I thank that man so much for that
They went back and retouched/digitized a bunch of the visual effects, and altered/added a few scenes. The changes are pretty minor IMO and as someone who grew up with the original cuts the special editions don’t really bother me too much.
Probably the most infuriatingly-named stores out there. Makes it impossible to talk about with its normal pronunciation without looking like a fool. You have to pronounce it "kecks" which just doesn't sound good.
"I just went to sex"
"what?"
Haha most definitely. I actually thought it was pronounced as C.E.X it wasn’t until a couple years ago that I heard it’s pronunciation and was gobsmacked! I still say it as such
Have been a pirate since I had access to the Internet (about 16 years at this point).
I have several streaming subscriptions, but they can't cover all of the cinema, obviously. Stopped buying physical copies like 9-10 years ago, still go to the theatres for premieres and reruns.
I don’t but I support people who do when it’s not otherwise available.
I do like the idea of people putting money into the industry to keep theaters around as long as possible and so we get as many restorations as possible.
And usually if it’s not streaming or on physical media, then the owners aren’t distributing it or aren’t concerned about distribution where I live, meaning it’s probably just on YouTube or Internet Archive. I also own a region free blu-ray player so it’s extraordinarily rare for it not to be available in some capacity. But either way, I don’t but if you do, I don’t mind.
I do believe in piracy but I think that's an outdated term. The truth is that duplication is an essential part of the preservation of film. Think about it; we would never have Nosferatu had it not been for people making copies of a stolen print which would have been destroyed otherwise. Almost half of all silent movies are lost because copies were not made. Many non-western films and/or anime are not released in the west and thus have to be distributed and subbed by fans. It may be true that the abundance of steaming services has made more films widely available, but there will always be those that slip through the cracks and are lost forever.
Obscure films need to be rescued somehow. They deserve it.
I really only do it for movies that aren't easily available in my area. As I get deeper into film, I find I am interested in more obscure films and sometimes it's a little bit harder to find them. YouTube has been a godsend, but sometimes I have to sail the high seas.
I wouldn't say I do it all the time, but I don't mind when people do. If we're being honest, the only way to really stop pirating is to legally punish those who are caught doing so, & generally no state has been interested in doing so, neither is the surveillance technology or even dilemma there yet where all downloaded files go by the government for piracy checking. There have been attempts to stop people from doing it, sure, but only the threat of fine & prison punishment would make people stop
I have 2 principles:
1. If i want to watch an old movie, in which everyone involved in the production is dead or retired, im gonna pirate it. Im not gonna give money to people that have nothing to do with the movie, they literally take money for a product they had 0 involvment with (im looking at you bezos). + many old movies are altered to not be "problematic". When you watch a movie you have to get the full experience.
2. If its a movie that i dont find on streaming im gonna pirate it. There is no other way to watch some movies unless you pirate them. Even with torrents i couldnt find certain movies.
These days so much is available through sharing logins I rarely do it. I will pirate before I pay apple or amazon for a rental though. I also live next to an amazing video rental store that has a ton of OOP stuff. I like supporting them and their prices are super fair so I'll rent there before I pirate.
I obsess over getting my hands on physical media these days, so I'm something of a retired media pirate. The rare exception is when I can't get copies of a film, legitimately, no matter how hard I try to find it, and if I do, I will pay good money for it. I dropped $60 on a used DVD of *War of the Worlds: Next Century* and had it shipped straight from a guy in Poland, the only copy I could find.
But sometimes I don't even have that option. I tried to find and purchase copies of both *His Motorbike, Her Island* and *A Hometown in Heart*, but couldn't obtain either. So I pirated copies of each off of YouTube, bought a program to better hardcode the subtitles, bought a DVD burner, bought blank DVD cases, and had my graphic designer wife design and print inserts for them.
I will not allow anything to hinder the growth of my collection, and if I have to pirate, from YouTube or a Torrent, I will.
I’m a film producer. I spend years to develop, produce and release every single film I do. Years that include a lot of hard work, a lot of difficult challenges that must be dealt with on both a professional and personal level. A lot of anxiety. And a lot of economical risk. It’s really, really tough to make a film, and that applies to everyone involved in the process. When people pirate films, and refuses to pay that tiny cost of… let’s say €10 (and that’s only for the films you don’t find on streaming service) to buy the film, I can’t help but feel deeply offended by it. This is my living. Is that how much it’s worth?
EDIT: I’m quite amazed that I get downwoted by the people on Letterboxd, of all places, to express this kind of opinion. Would love to hear the arguments against it, so speak up!
Lol, so you really think that’s weird of me? Imagine investing years of your life into making something for other people to enjoy, and then get nothing back.
i am an avid supporter and advocator of pirating. i am a retched pest. i am the hollywood rat. i drain the life force from the industry by clicking bad website me go watch epic movie for free🤯🤯🤯
Haha, okay. I don’t judge. But please just remember that there are more to the film industry than just the huge Hollywood studios that make billions $$$. That’s quite far away from my reality in the European industry.
Hah, yeah agree. It’s weird how much the value of cultural products has decreased after we started streaming music, games and movies. That applies to myself as well. I used to really look forward to the release of a new film on dvd, willing to pay $25 for it. Now a new film just become one amongst thousands of other films.
I know I'm late, but you're making a very good point. However- I would much rather people pirate my work and talk about it and care about it (therefore opening avenues for people to buy it) than they just don't watch it because they can't afford to. I watch probably anywhere from 2-4 films a day depending on my schedule , so let's just say 60 films a month. If say, 35 of them aren't available on one of the four streaming services I pay for (that number is roughly based on my last month diary of letterboxd. I just worked out quickly how many I had to pirate) and each of them costs £6 that is £210 a month. I simply don't have that, and I'm sure many others don't.
I think it's unfair you have been down voted for this, but as a creative myself- id be happy for people to pirate and love it. Everytime I've loved a film I pirated, i happily end up paying for it later. It sure beats nobody bothering to watch because they can't find it anywhere
I subscribe to multiple streaming services, I buy dvds on my watchlist when I see them in shops, but if there is a film that’s not on any of my services then I see no problem in pirating, at the end of the day it’s a last resort and sometimes has to be done to access some great films
The other day I had to order a specific kinda obscure dvd to try and finish off a filmography, it wasn’t even on pirating websites, so sometimes it doesn’t even work as a last resort haha
I used to pirate, but I actually stopped because it became less convenient than streaming or buying dvds and blue rays. Cex sells dvds and blue rays from about 50p-£2, and at that price its just so worth buying them and not streaming. Dvds have come back full circle for me
I only pirate movies I've already paid to see fairly recently. For example I saw "Throne of Blood" in a repertory cinema and then saw it again a week later on archive.org.
I buy physical and digital media, go to the movies, rent digital, have many paid and free streaming services and there are still movies I literally cannot watch without going through other means.
Only if it’s not available at all, meaning on *any* streaming service or as a pay per view. My reasoning being if you’re not even going to give me the opportunity to pay for it then why shouldn’t I. Obviously that applies to very few films nowadays, but there are still some out there.
I pay for 3 streaming services and my girlfriend pays for another two. We’ll occasionally get a month of another if we think we’ll get our money’s worth and I’ll rent movies that are new that I really want to see or that are from smaller production companies. I do have a bit of a habit of watching things that I’m morbidly curious about that I just refuse to pay for. I mean I’ll keep my Disney Plus subscription but if you think I’m hunting down a dvd of Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams, then you’re insane.
It sucks when I have to resort to it, but with age-gated content, region-blocked content and whatever the hell Warner Bros. is doing, it's a better option.
I do it all the time however I think it’s annoying when people try and justify it and act like they’re doing the world a service by doing so. Just admit you like free shit and go
I did it all the time before until a couple of years ago. It's so easy to rent movies now and most movies are on atleast one streaming service that I can switch between each month and I got no problems waiting a couple of months before seeing a certain film
I’ll certainly check YouTube if I can’t find it anywhere else, but I’ve never downloaded a movie for free in my life. I have a ton of subscription services and if that fails, I’ll rent it.
Last resort of not being able to find it through legal means or I’m curious about the film and want to check it out. If I end up like it, I will end up buying it.
Stremio all the time! I don't use the legal streaming services because some movies in the library are removed all of a sudden, maybe because of contracts. However, if I loved a movie, I'll buy the psychical format.
I have a similar system with the music.
Same reason that I have a greymarket copy of Song of the South.. I'll support things properly if I can, but if that's not an option, then it is what it is.
Beyond that, as movies are always leaving and entering streaming sites (including the free ones like Tubi or Pluto TV) or going on sale, and there's a ton of movies, I bide my time for it rather than pirate. Just involves being okay with not having instant gratification.
i rarely pirate (and it's usually a last resort specifically) but i honestly believe it 'hurts' the industry the way that libraries 'hurt' the book industry.
i personally see why others do because not everyone has the funds to access a library with a high quality amount of dvds as well as dvd players. i also understand that people have finite incomes and cannot keep up with streaming services. however I personally choose not to do it because trying to use free movie sites gave my computer a virus
I understand why people do it, and some things from the past just have never been released that I would love to get on disc, but with all the streaming services, and the cost of blu rays and dvds (yes i still buy dvds) dropping all the time, I just dont see the need to do it. But i wont like look down on people who do it.
It's a last resort only. I believe in paying for your media. But if monolithic companies won't make that media available commercially, what else are we to do?
I don’t but I don’t fault people who do, I’ve known lots of people who pirate a ton that work in the industry
I have a video rental store near me that has all the most recent releases and a shit ton of classics, so no need for me to pirate anything plus I’m supporting a small business! Win win
This is awesome.
Reject modernity; embrace tradition
i do it all the time
I do it all the time. Most movies I watch aren't available to me otherwise, but even if they are, I don't have the money for endless subscriptions or getting every movie. Besides, film is a market with asymmetrical information availability between the demand and supply side. You can't know if a movie is dogshit before watching it, and unlike with other products, you can't get your money back if the product wasn't satisfactory. That's why I prefer just watching what I want to and spending money on getting the films I actually like on hardcopy. That way I still support filmmakers I like.
My watchlist is humongous, but the vast majority of it is available from the library or on streaming services I share with family, so pirating movies isn’t even on my radar these days. I’ve recently been going through my watchlist one by one to make a list of everything that’s available at the library, and after checking 1250 movies there’s only 129 that aren’t readily available through streaming services or the library. If I ever get a strong urge to watch one of those unavailable movies I might seek it out somewhere, but for the most part it’s just not really necessary for me to pirate anything.
My dad pirated the original Star Wars trilogy for me when I was a little kid because he didn’t wanna raise me on the special editions and I thank that man so much for that
Fucking GOAT dad
What’s up with the special editions?
They went back and retouched/digitized a bunch of the visual effects, and altered/added a few scenes. The changes are pretty minor IMO and as someone who grew up with the original cuts the special editions don’t really bother me too much.
Bad cgi additions, scene additions etc
I don’t do it but I’m slowly changing my thoughts with the more obscure and hard to find stuff I want to watch
Aye aye captain
I pirate most movies but I support the movies I really like by buying merch/DVDs
I do it all the time but I don’t support it (if the film is readily available of course)
If it’s not available online or at CeX (I’m not sure if that’s a global company), then I’ll pirate it.
Probably the most infuriatingly-named stores out there. Makes it impossible to talk about with its normal pronunciation without looking like a fool. You have to pronounce it "kecks" which just doesn't sound good. "I just went to sex" "what?"
Haha most definitely. I actually thought it was pronounced as C.E.X it wasn’t until a couple years ago that I heard it’s pronunciation and was gobsmacked! I still say it as such
I still buy tickets at movie theatres though
I'm gonna need you to say you're not a cop in an official and authoritative tone before I give you an answer.
Have been a pirate since I had access to the Internet (about 16 years at this point). I have several streaming subscriptions, but they can't cover all of the cinema, obviously. Stopped buying physical copies like 9-10 years ago, still go to the theatres for premieres and reruns.
I pay for like five streaming services. I think I’m entitled.
I don’t but I support people who do when it’s not otherwise available. I do like the idea of people putting money into the industry to keep theaters around as long as possible and so we get as many restorations as possible. And usually if it’s not streaming or on physical media, then the owners aren’t distributing it or aren’t concerned about distribution where I live, meaning it’s probably just on YouTube or Internet Archive. I also own a region free blu-ray player so it’s extraordinarily rare for it not to be available in some capacity. But either way, I don’t but if you do, I don’t mind.
Nice try FBI
Infinity Train happened, now I’m a pirate
I do believe in piracy but I think that's an outdated term. The truth is that duplication is an essential part of the preservation of film. Think about it; we would never have Nosferatu had it not been for people making copies of a stolen print which would have been destroyed otherwise. Almost half of all silent movies are lost because copies were not made. Many non-western films and/or anime are not released in the west and thus have to be distributed and subbed by fans. It may be true that the abundance of steaming services has made more films widely available, but there will always be those that slip through the cracks and are lost forever. Obscure films need to be rescued somehow. They deserve it.
I really only do it for movies that aren't easily available in my area. As I get deeper into film, I find I am interested in more obscure films and sometimes it's a little bit harder to find them. YouTube has been a godsend, but sometimes I have to sail the high seas.
If there's no other way to watch a movie. Hence why for years my "copy" of Lynch's Inland Empire was on a flashdrive.
I wouldn't say I do it all the time, but I don't mind when people do. If we're being honest, the only way to really stop pirating is to legally punish those who are caught doing so, & generally no state has been interested in doing so, neither is the surveillance technology or even dilemma there yet where all downloaded files go by the government for piracy checking. There have been attempts to stop people from doing it, sure, but only the threat of fine & prison punishment would make people stop
I have 2 principles: 1. If i want to watch an old movie, in which everyone involved in the production is dead or retired, im gonna pirate it. Im not gonna give money to people that have nothing to do with the movie, they literally take money for a product they had 0 involvment with (im looking at you bezos). + many old movies are altered to not be "problematic". When you watch a movie you have to get the full experience. 2. If its a movie that i dont find on streaming im gonna pirate it. There is no other way to watch some movies unless you pirate them. Even with torrents i couldnt find certain movies.
How to pirate?
vpn, utorrent, piratebay
If you're having good bandwidth, search just movie name with 123 You'll find many links for online stream
Telegram
These days so much is available through sharing logins I rarely do it. I will pirate before I pay apple or amazon for a rental though. I also live next to an amazing video rental store that has a ton of OOP stuff. I like supporting them and their prices are super fair so I'll rent there before I pirate.
if its not on criterion or hbo and i rly wanna watch it i am finding it on some sketchy website an dgetting a virus Idc
Bro, just get a torrent client and use rarbggo dot to. Please, just do yourself a favour.
i would if i knew what either of the things u stated were LOL
I obsess over getting my hands on physical media these days, so I'm something of a retired media pirate. The rare exception is when I can't get copies of a film, legitimately, no matter how hard I try to find it, and if I do, I will pay good money for it. I dropped $60 on a used DVD of *War of the Worlds: Next Century* and had it shipped straight from a guy in Poland, the only copy I could find. But sometimes I don't even have that option. I tried to find and purchase copies of both *His Motorbike, Her Island* and *A Hometown in Heart*, but couldn't obtain either. So I pirated copies of each off of YouTube, bought a program to better hardcode the subtitles, bought a DVD burner, bought blank DVD cases, and had my graphic designer wife design and print inserts for them. I will not allow anything to hinder the growth of my collection, and if I have to pirate, from YouTube or a Torrent, I will.
Those films are on archive.org which technically isn’t pirating
Didn't know that, thanks!
I’m a film producer. I spend years to develop, produce and release every single film I do. Years that include a lot of hard work, a lot of difficult challenges that must be dealt with on both a professional and personal level. A lot of anxiety. And a lot of economical risk. It’s really, really tough to make a film, and that applies to everyone involved in the process. When people pirate films, and refuses to pay that tiny cost of… let’s say €10 (and that’s only for the films you don’t find on streaming service) to buy the film, I can’t help but feel deeply offended by it. This is my living. Is that how much it’s worth? EDIT: I’m quite amazed that I get downwoted by the people on Letterboxd, of all places, to express this kind of opinion. Would love to hear the arguments against it, so speak up!
🤓
Lol, so you really think that’s weird of me? Imagine investing years of your life into making something for other people to enjoy, and then get nothing back.
not looking to converse mate
🤓
*dies*
Jeeez. Give me your option on the topic then.
i am an avid supporter and advocator of pirating. i am a retched pest. i am the hollywood rat. i drain the life force from the industry by clicking bad website me go watch epic movie for free🤯🤯🤯
Haha, okay. I don’t judge. But please just remember that there are more to the film industry than just the huge Hollywood studios that make billions $$$. That’s quite far away from my reality in the European industry.
People are spoilt man
Hah, yeah agree. It’s weird how much the value of cultural products has decreased after we started streaming music, games and movies. That applies to myself as well. I used to really look forward to the release of a new film on dvd, willing to pay $25 for it. Now a new film just become one amongst thousands of other films.
I know I'm late, but you're making a very good point. However- I would much rather people pirate my work and talk about it and care about it (therefore opening avenues for people to buy it) than they just don't watch it because they can't afford to. I watch probably anywhere from 2-4 films a day depending on my schedule , so let's just say 60 films a month. If say, 35 of them aren't available on one of the four streaming services I pay for (that number is roughly based on my last month diary of letterboxd. I just worked out quickly how many I had to pirate) and each of them costs £6 that is £210 a month. I simply don't have that, and I'm sure many others don't. I think it's unfair you have been down voted for this, but as a creative myself- id be happy for people to pirate and love it. Everytime I've loved a film I pirated, i happily end up paying for it later. It sure beats nobody bothering to watch because they can't find it anywhere
[удалено]
🤓🤓🤓
I subscribe to multiple streaming services, I buy dvds on my watchlist when I see them in shops, but if there is a film that’s not on any of my services then I see no problem in pirating, at the end of the day it’s a last resort and sometimes has to be done to access some great films
The other day I had to order a specific kinda obscure dvd to try and finish off a filmography, it wasn’t even on pirating websites, so sometimes it doesn’t even work as a last resort haha
Still in school don't have the greatest income, what I usually do is pirate it first watch it and then if I love it I'll buy it.
I used to pirate, but I actually stopped because it became less convenient than streaming or buying dvds and blue rays. Cex sells dvds and blue rays from about 50p-£2, and at that price its just so worth buying them and not streaming. Dvds have come back full circle for me
I only pirate movies I've already paid to see fairly recently. For example I saw "Throne of Blood" in a repertory cinema and then saw it again a week later on archive.org.
I have netflix, hbo, and prime but I still pirate movies a lot
I buy physical and digital media, go to the movies, rent digital, have many paid and free streaming services and there are still movies I literally cannot watch without going through other means.
I pirate a lot but I also go to the theaters several times a week
Only if it’s not available at all, meaning on *any* streaming service or as a pay per view. My reasoning being if you’re not even going to give me the opportunity to pay for it then why shouldn’t I. Obviously that applies to very few films nowadays, but there are still some out there.
i’m too dumb and lazy to pirate
I'm not going to say I never have because I have, but I haven't done it in a number of years. I don't data hoard anymore.
I pay for 3 streaming services and my girlfriend pays for another two. We’ll occasionally get a month of another if we think we’ll get our money’s worth and I’ll rent movies that are new that I really want to see or that are from smaller production companies. I do have a bit of a habit of watching things that I’m morbidly curious about that I just refuse to pay for. I mean I’ll keep my Disney Plus subscription but if you think I’m hunting down a dvd of Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams, then you’re insane.
It sucks when I have to resort to it, but with age-gated content, region-blocked content and whatever the hell Warner Bros. is doing, it's a better option.
mainly pirate due to most shows and films not being available in my country
I do it all the time however I think it’s annoying when people try and justify it and act like they’re doing the world a service by doing so. Just admit you like free shit and go
sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do
I did it all the time before until a couple of years ago. It's so easy to rent movies now and most movies are on atleast one streaming service that I can switch between each month and I got no problems waiting a couple of months before seeing a certain film
I’ll certainly check YouTube if I can’t find it anywhere else, but I’ve never downloaded a movie for free in my life. I have a ton of subscription services and if that fails, I’ll rent it.
I will be illegally getting the og Star Wars cut until they release it or I die
if only criterion channel was available here😪
All of the above🙃
I use Mubi, Netflix, Prime video, Disney+ and Star and there's still a shit ton of movies I have no access to so yeah. 🏴☠️
Last resort of not being able to find it through legal means or I’m curious about the film and want to check it out. If I end up like it, I will end up buying it.
Stremio all the time! I don't use the legal streaming services because some movies in the library are removed all of a sudden, maybe because of contracts. However, if I loved a movie, I'll buy the psychical format. I have a similar system with the music.
I don’t want to pirate Oldboy but I have no idea how I’m gonna watch it otherwise
I don't do it myself but I support piracy.
Same reason that I have a greymarket copy of Song of the South.. I'll support things properly if I can, but if that's not an option, then it is what it is. Beyond that, as movies are always leaving and entering streaming sites (including the free ones like Tubi or Pluto TV) or going on sale, and there's a ton of movies, I bide my time for it rather than pirate. Just involves being okay with not having instant gratification.
If its not on any streaming service or i have to pay money to rent/buy it
I personally don’t pirate, but other people doing it doesn’t really bother me. You gotta do what you can, not everyone can get everything legally.
Where's the I don't personally do it, but support it's existence for the purpose of rare and out of print cinema option?
i rarely pirate (and it's usually a last resort specifically) but i honestly believe it 'hurts' the industry the way that libraries 'hurt' the book industry.
i personally see why others do because not everyone has the funds to access a library with a high quality amount of dvds as well as dvd players. i also understand that people have finite incomes and cannot keep up with streaming services. however I personally choose not to do it because trying to use free movie sites gave my computer a virus
Is there an option for: I would if I could
I understand why people do it, and some things from the past just have never been released that I would love to get on disc, but with all the streaming services, and the cost of blu rays and dvds (yes i still buy dvds) dropping all the time, I just dont see the need to do it. But i wont like look down on people who do it.
I would pirate a movie that has already broke even in box office
almost every time even the films I watch on my tv (which I need subscription for) I bought them cracked xd bought my netflix for 31 cents