If you haven't heard about the recent WOLVERINE debacle, you will. In short, a version of the film leaked that appeared to have such a degree of polish it was mistaken for a final product. This leaked "final" version has been downloaded around the web by millions of people (by some estimates) and has naturally found its way onto the streets as a bootlegged DVD. 20TH CENTURY FOX, the studio behind WOLVERINE, is vigorously pursuing all involved parties, however peripheral, and drawing blood at every turn. The highest profile victim? ROGER FRIEDMAN, longtime writer at FOX NEWS.
FRIEDMAN'S firing shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, and both his review of an unfinished film and his rationale for viewing it (because it was out there?) are grounds enough. His actions are moronic at best and the consequences should inform the public on how seriously the studios take piracy. I've long been on the studios side of the larger piracy argument because I understand that piracy is only incidentally involved with revenue. The real reason piracy threatens the film industry is much more concerning.
Now, the list of reasons why a bootlegged version of a film is inferior to a theatrical print or DVD/BR would bore you. There are heads in the way… the sound quality is awful... you're only seeing a portion of the picture most of the time, etc, etc. Sure, no one would have wanted to see a half painted STARRY NIGHT - or a BEATLES album that was never mixed, but the people who are bootlegging films and buying bootlegs are willing to make these sacrifices, so we can eliminate quality control from the equation.
The true reason pirating is so damaging is that it eliminates the greatest consumer power we have, the act of patronage. Big studios are not unlike any major business, or retail store or restaurant - they are deeply and primarily concerned with their customer's experience and (repeated) patronage.
I'll be the first to admit there is a lot of trash released in Hollywood - and if we were going by pure percentages, I'd bet the majority is trash. It’s a sad state of affairs when there seems to be more reasons NOT to see a picture than to see it, but he best way to communicate that film is garbage is simple: DO NOT GO SEE IT. Box office duds don’t come storming back two years later with a tripled budget and humongous stars. It wouldn’t make any sense, why would a studio pour money into something that wasn’t successful? They wouldn’t. Unless they didn’t know any better.
When people opt for the bootleg, a studio is forced to accelerate their own in-home release schedule. Just to compete with the bootleg environment, studios push pictures onto DVD shelves early and pour dollars into marketing, if only to ensure an accurate version product reaches the consumer. This practice disrupts the natural barometer a theatrical release (and subsequent in-home release) provides.
10 years ago it was unheard of to release a blockbuster on video mere weeks after it's theatrical debut, but now it almost seems commonplace. Theaters are clogged with junk -in part- because studios no longer have the indicators on what the audience is looking for. Consumers didn’t see BATMAN & ROBIN in theaters or on DVD - so what did WARNER BROS do? They shelved the franchise for nearly a decade and rethought their target audience. The result? A rebooted series whose second entry is coveted as one of the greatest films released this century (THE DARK KNIGHT).
I have a bias for the theatrical experiences. It’s one of the remaining quintessential American experiences – up there with baseball games and barbeques. Let’s face it, the studios are going to make money regardless – the box office is strong and with the advancement in digital distribution – they can now provide their products in a variety of formats at minimal production costs. MONEY IS A SECONDARY CONCERN OF STUDIOS when considering piracy. You think 80% of the films released are garbage? Don’t go see it. Don’t go rent it. Don’t go buy it. The studios will listen – they always have.
