Comments on: What was Warner Brothers thinking ?

By: JC

JC — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:35 +0000

We need to fight the system. I am only commenting here because y’all shutdown the comment on the one that actually commented on officiating. Officiating is foul in every sport and in the biggest games. And now OWNERS can’t EVEN BLOG about it. That’s not freedom of speech.

Bloggers of the world UNITE!!! http://blogs.foxsports.com/sportsnuttz

fight the power. We wan’t 1,000,000 comments in the blogetition.

sportsnuttz

By: Bill Cunningham

Bill Cunningham — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:35 +0000

As someone who works in the DVD industry as both a screenwriter and marketing director, I’ve got to say this is at least a step in the right direction. People want legal and simple ways to get movies when they want them. BT also addresses your issues about how VOD is limited by available bandwidth. The software gives companies time to build more infrastructure.

Also, you don’t mention that the fact that one of the conditions WB had in the deal was that BitTorrent clean up its act.

The pricing is totally unrealistic considering that the cost of burning a DVD5 size disc at a replicator is only about 40 cents. The whole package for a standard one disc release is at most $3 a disc/packaging. Why not charge 99 cents per download for the movie only? If they want the extras – you have to buy the disc.

That separates the two revenue streams…

By: JC

JC — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:35 +0000

Bloggers of the world UNITE!!! http://blogs.foxsports.com/sportsnuttz

fight the power. We wan’t 1,000,000 comments in the blogetition.

sportsnuttz

By: Jelp

Jelp — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:35 +0000

Yes, The answer is to realize that this technology exists, people are going to use it illegally , and then adjust your business accordingly.

By: Adam

Adam — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:35 +0000

“Now I did have to go through some interesting chinese porn to get Scary Movie 4, but i got there.” – Absolutely classic Mark.

The whole thing really does add legitimacy to the bit torrent name, something that all of hollywood was trying to take down. WB has undoubtably done more to promote illegal downloading than legal.

As far as what Jelp said above: just because people are going to use bit torrent illegally, doesn’t mean you have to work WITH them to provide your legal content (and therefore promote their illegal content for them). You could partner with iTunes, Google Video, or start your own site to allow fans to download your content legally. There’s no need to serve people illegal and legal in the same spot.

By: IceManJI

IceManJI — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:35 +0000

Somebody think about legal produce ? I don;t think so… pirate production unfortunately is flourish

By: Blake

Blake — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:35 +0000

Mark, how much would you like to bet that the chinese porn is pulling in a bigger audience than Tomkat’s love-scandal-driven MI3?

Just a thought.

Give em hell.

By: xpp

xpp — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:35 +0000

“Now I did have to go through some interesting chinese porn to get Scary Movie 4, but i got there.”

There is No chinese porn at all.
The bigest pron country is Japan.

By: blyx

blyx — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:35 +0000

I think this is all much ado about nothing in the short term.

Piracy will continue unabated as long as the industry continues to consider the product itself a saleable commodity.

Media will continue to be devalued as long as bandwidth grows and costs drop.

Media is going to be corporate sponsored; media will be sold, but because the media is going to serve as long form commercials, it won’t matter that piracy is an issue. In fact, the more downlaods the better because more people are watching the advertainment.

Microsoft is exec producing Halo. In fact, they commissioned the script by Alex Garland (wrote 28 Days Later – one of my favorite flicks) and have oversight over the whole production. The Hollywood machine is merely being used for its movie-making and marketing expertise… hired guns. Microsoft has control over what will be seen on screen.

It won’t be too long in the future when Aston Martin commissions a new James Bond script and develops it with the Broccolis in order to introduce a new world car. Or a fashion designer will commission an edgy thriller and outfit all actors in the fall line (instead of wasting the cash on runway shows that seven people get to see). With DVRs and pop up blockers, adverts need a way to hit their audience.

In this paradigm, the audience can’t TIVO commercials out. There are no ads to dodge. The entertainment is the ad.

McDonald’s already is offering cash to rappers so that they mention products or the brand in songs. That’s right, McDonald’s is commissioning mentions in songs – at a set price per mention. I know because I recently freelanced for New York labels working out deals in this regard.

All of which is to say: When McDonald’s pays your favorite hip hop artist 500 grand to do an album filled with various brand references, it doesn’t matter how many units it sells. You want downloads – in fact, you’d encourage it.

Time for a plug: Our documentary, MIXTRESS X, needs distribution. It chronicles the travails of female DJs in hip hop, a traditionally misogynistic music form. http://www.mixtressx.com for a trailer. Check it out, Mark.

By: farlane

farlane — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:05:35 +0000

Jason & Elliot make a lot of sense and so does this move by Warner. It’s all about the audience and I’m pretty surprised you would even question this.

Americans like media, and they’ll buy it.

They won’t, however, pay $10 for a movie AND $5 to rent it AND $20 for a DVD AND another $8.99 to replace it in a year and a half when their 6 year old decides to play frisbee with the DVD collection AND another God knows what they’ll have to pay when DVD is obsolete for the next format.

Buy once, read everywhere.

—

re: NBA officials
They can watch the games with the 40-42 teams.

…and since I’m on your blog, I have to say that I hope you didn’t take this comic with you in it seriously.
https://farlane.wordpress.com/2006/04/24/nba-comix-they-never-said-it/