Is Hollywood Getting Screwed? Are We?

[ShadowBoxing]

Dude if you think the USA is so damn bad the njust move away to like where Capitalism isn't allowed. Then you won't have to worry about the evil hollywood people trying to sucker you out of your money.

We don't have Capitalism in this country though. I think that's the point here. If we did, these problems would have never arisen. He have a very manipulated and restricted form of Capitalism. It's like a ******ed step child of Capitalism.

Capitalism is where consumers set prices of goods. However in our system frequently it's the producers who set prices and consumers who feel the burden. Gas for example is a result of price gauging...

 

[The Apatow Crew]

Well you have to set prices for goods or people won't know how much to pay. You Expect everything to be give naway for free? Eventually after awhile everyones gonna be poor and have no stuff to buy anymore Cause people didn't have money to get what the people need.

 

[The Apatow Crew]

Whatever i know nothing about politics and i don't feel like getting into a fight over something i don't know.

 

[Master Chief]

Much too late for that, lol.

 

[jaguarr]

You said if it was a crappy product you don't wanna pay a lot of money to view it. If you think its crappy in the first place why do you wanna see it?

I DON'T want to see it if it's crappy, and I won't, you obtuse tool.

jag

 

[jaguarr]

Are you saying you would like to see the government get involved with how much movies cost to see?

Are you a communist? Sure sound like it.

VIVA LA NO FREEDOM!!!

No, I was encouraging people to vote with their dollars and not support the entertainment industry when they churn out garbage. You're just as obtuse as JAL sometimes.

jag

 

[Bill]

No, I was encouraging people to vote with their dollars and not support the entertainment industry when they churn out garbage. You're just as obtuse as JAL sometimes.

jag

You bring up a valid point of a power that we as consumers tend to forget. We can control the price of things if we choose to band together. But there are too many people out there caught up in consumerism.

Don't like the price of the latest video game system? Don't buy it. If we just didn't buy these items, the industry would have no choice but to lower the price. It's the same thing with cars. There's aren't too many cars out there are aren't grossly overpriced, and each and every one is a poor investment. Don't buy a new car or buy as cheap a car as possible. Don't want to pay $5 for a small popcorn at the movies? Don't buy anything. Same thing with the movie itself. Go to see matinees, wait until it hits the cheap theatres or wait for the DVD. Same with CD's or DVD's. Don't like the price? Wait until it's on sale.

We are greedy little consumers who have been brainwashed into thinking that we have to be the first to see the latest movie, the best game console, the latest CD or have the most expensive car. And we'll pay for it. The respective industries know this and they're providing the product at a price that they know that we'll pay because their marketing strategy has properly conditioned us to think that way.

We could control a lot if we banded together and just didn't fall into that trap.

 

[jaguarr]

You bring up a valid point of a power that we as consumers tend to forget. We can control the price of things if we choose to band together. But there are too many people out there caught up in consumerism.

Don't like the price of the latest video game system? Don't buy it. If we just didn't buy these items, the industry would have no choice but to lower the price. It's the same thing with cars. There's aren't too many cars out there are aren't grossly overpriced, and each and every one is a poor investment. Don't buy a new car or buy as cheap a car as possible. Don't want to pay $5 for a small popcorn at the movies? Don't buy anything. Same thing with the movie itself. Go to see matinees, wait until it hits the cheap theatres or wait for the DVD. Same with CD's or DVD's. Don't like the price? Wait until it's on sale.

We are greedy little consumers who have been brainwashed into thinking that we have to be the first to see the latest movie, the best game console, the latest CD or have the most expensive car. And we'll pay for it. The respective industries know this and they're providing the product at a price that they know that we'll pay because their marketing strategy has properly conditioned us to think that way.

We could control a lot if we banded together and just didn't fall into that trap.

Exactly! Thank you for seeing it!

jag

 

[kaylee]

You bring up a valid point of a power that we as consumers tend to forget. We can control the price of things if we choose to band together. But there are too many people out there caught up in consumerism.

I think there's a difference between saying that people shouldn't spend money on bad movies, so as not to encourage more bad movies to be made (so they don't make moneY), and saying that just because they suck, that it's okay to pirate them. I think that's a distinction that has to be very clear, IMO, becaue piracy is a legal issue, not an issue of public opinion on a film.

I do, however, think that the attitude you talk about is part of what makes people pirate, that "I have to see it right now attitude", which doesn't make it okay, either.

 

[Hades]

Yeah...If I don't like the price of something I just wait untill it lowers.

Prices are almost always lowered.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Well you have to set prices for goods or people won't know how much to pay. You Expect everything to be give naway for free? Eventually after awhile everyones gonna be poor and have no stuff to buy anymore Cause people didn't have money to get what the people need.

No, because everyone wishes to be paid for their labor. Goods are exchanged for services, services are compensated in the form of money. Naturally if everyone works, i.e. everyone produces something, then their desire for property and claim to that property will cause them to want to be paid for said work. If they are paid that means the business in question must pay for their wage, and therefore charge others to use or buy the goods they provide.

 

[The Apatow Crew]

Yeah...If I don't like the price of something I just wait untill it lowers.

Prices are almost always lowered.

That's the most best logic i've heard on here so far.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

I think there's a difference between saying that people shouldn't spend money on bad movies, so as not to encourage more bad movies to be made (so they don't make moneY), and saying that just because they suck, that it's okay to pirate them.

No one here claims piracy to be "okay", at least not any of us. You do, however have to understand the nature of a crime to prevent it.

Slapping fines on people or throwing them in jail does not really solve any major problems. People will continue doing a crime until their caught, and in many cases continue afterwards.

I think that's a distinction that has to be very clear, IMO, becaue piracy is a legal issue, not an issue of public opinion on a film.

That would be like saying murder is a legal issue, so it's okay to ignore the sociological factors that accompany it. As I said, to prevent crime you have to "fix" the circumstances that cause it. Whether that is a job for the Government or private enterprize or whomever depends on the situation.

I do, however, think that the attitude you talk about is part of what makes people pirate, that "I have to see it right now attitude", which doesn't make it okay, either.

It still makes it happen, whether you see it as okay, civil disobedience or anything else. That is part of the cause behind it.

Maybe this fast food mentality is not a safe mentality to have and should not be encouraged by either the Government or private industry. That attitude may need to be shifted.

 

[The Lizard]

I'm only OK with bootlegging movies that aren't available in one's own country. I've had many a bootlegged movie from Japan, but as soon as it's officially released in the US I buy it.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

I download movies I want on my computer. But the only reason I want the movies in the first place is because I own them already, but have no DVD player attachment on my computer.

I also download episodes of TV shows, however all I have are JLU, X-Men Evolution (neither of which are on DVD yet) and ATHF (which I own all of).

 

[kaylee]

Thought I'd bump this back up because I actually found the specific study the WaPo was talking about - and I'm interested to see what people think after they've taken a look at it. I enjoyed reading this thread before, so I hope y'all don't mind.

The actual study is here: http://www.ipi.org/ipi/IPIPublications.nsf/f726f4998ba46f86862567d80074727a/3a96a4db6593a691862571f7007c2518?OpenDocument

To me, it seems as though their methodology is pretty sound, and that they actually DO take into account the fact that there are some people who pirate who would never buy the movie that they are currently pirating, and the numbers reflect that. And it is only based on domestic numbers so it's not even dealing with piracy issues in China, and that kind of thing. And..really, I'm pretty stunned. There are a lot more people out there stealing stuff than I'd ever thought.