'Hurt Locker' producer blasts 'moron' pirates

[Sporkman]

'Hurt Locker' producer blasts 'moron' pirates

by Greg Sandoval

Nicolas Chartier, who produced the Academy Award winning film, "The Hurt Locker," doesn't appear to be backing down from criticism he has received for planning to sue those who downloaded his movie illegally.

In response to an e-mail he received from someone complaining about his litigation plans, Chartier called the person a "moron," "stupid" and said "I hope your family and your kids end up in jail one day for stealing so maybe they can be taught the difference," according to a story in the blog Boing Boing...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20005522-261.html

[wilee-nilee]

So what is your point.

[Ebere]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20005522-261.html

I'm guessing that he has never done anything dishonest in his own life.

[daimaru]

that movie sucked soooo much. Its always the crappy patriotic *snip* movies that win the oscars... never watched a more boring movie :popcorn:

[Sand & Mercury]

Hahaha. Guy sounds like an utter tool.

[KiwiNZ]

Lets keep the name calling out of here please

[markp1989]

that movie sucked soooo much. Its always the crappy patriotic *snip* movies that win the oscars... never watched a more boring movie :popcorn:

+1, the movie sucked, it never seemed to get started

[sydbat]

I took this from my own post in another thread (which, according to some, makes me a pirate)...
What is "illegal" in one country might not be illegal in another and trying to impose your country's laws onto others is wrong.Making copies of music, movies, etc is not illegal in most countries outside the US. SELLING those copies is normally illegal however.

The "entertainment" industry are far too greedy for their own good. They make record profits every year, yet cry about "piracy". Why? Because they are greedy. They want even more money, so they claim to have "lost" money, when, in fact, they just did not make as much as they wanted. This has been going on forever - "we projected to make 1 billion, but only made 900 million, so we lost 100 million". It's all BS.

I am getting sick of this greed mentality, and I know that most other people are too. Unfortunately, governments continue to fall to the pressure generated by this greed. Most recent example - http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/05/20/copyright-legislation-drm-debate.html

[PhoenixMaster00]

I don't get his response though. I have read the original email sent to him and it does in no way warrant a response of that tone. Basically a guy registers a disapproval and says he will not be buying from a company who will be using that money to sue other people. Then he gets blasted a moron and a wish for his kids to be jailed :/ wtf.

Because we all know suing your audience works as well... Worked well for the Music Industry. Oh wait...

Plus I dont get his comparison to people stealing from your house. Piracy is not stealing in the same sense. The comparison would only work if people walked into my house copied the furniture and then walked out my house leaving the original still there.

Overall though I don't see what his problem is. He was part of a film that gave him a lot of exposure, won a lot of rewards and would have lined him up some great jobs for the future.

[gnomeuser]

I honestly had never heard of The Hurt Locker before it won 6 Oscars. I checked it out and ordered the DVD. I guess that makes me one of those moron customers he is ranting against.

Thank you?

[Jay Car]

Oddly enough, the Hurt Locker movie folks are being sued for plagiarism. The movie industry is a mess...but they can be truly creative when it comes to making up statistics out of thin air, and law suits.

[jperez]

The guy is just a grump and a loud-mouthed, doom-saying tool. That movie trailer I saw...I saw about 1 minute of it and was already confused about the premise of it.

Would I watch it in theaters? Nah.
Would I rent it? Nope.
Would I download it (pirate it) and watch it? Not a chance.

Why? Looked super boring to me. I've seen movies that sucked and won "awards" for such and such. Does that make them good movies? No. Does that make them blockbusters? No. Does that mean other non-Oscar winning movies should not be getting as much if not more revenue? lol...no.

While the pirating of movies and stuff is a questionable and yet very complex topic for me to really discuss, in this case, the guy just sounds like someone who wants to look good in the eyes of the RIAA/MPA. Inevitably, he won't win and people will now see that he wants to punish his audience. Bad move.

Jesse~

[PhoenixMaster00]

I honestly had never heard of The Hurt Locker before it won 6 Oscars. I checked it out and ordered the DVD. I guess that makes me one of those moron customers he is ranting against.

Thank you?

Same. I watched it online to check if it was worth the hype then bought the dvd after enjoying it. Were just morons apparently, even though on average those who pirate are more likely to buy the legal equivalent.

Basically those 'morons' are the people who are his main audience. Go figure.

[Letrazzrot]

Inevitably, he won't win and people will now see that he wants to punish his audience. Bad move.

Jesse~

I agree. In fact, it seems to be so obvious that there will be a PR backfire here, that I have to wonder if this guy is secretly pro piracy, and donating more $$$ than I will ever see in my life to starving lawyers just to make some sort of point.

One thing I don't understand about the article is the part about him being upset because even though it won awards it didn't do well at the box office - presumably because of piracy. But this is an indie film, put out amid a market already saturated with desert war films, with less-than-AAA advertising. Was he seriously thinking this to be an Avatar, or is this less-than-ideal logic just being inserted by the writer of the article?

[Dayofswords]

Rrrrrrrrrrrrggghh!

Ye movin' picture makarrs be suin' the lights out me mateys!, steer westerly less to be sent to Davey Jones' lockup!



obligatory xkcd 'fore sun hits horizon

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/steal_this_comic.png (http://xkcd.com/488/)
Disclaimer: dis here poster be in a joking mood me hartys!

[MaxIBoy]

He's just jealous because he couldn't get a torrent client working on his computer.

[Frogs Hair]

Movies are quickly forgotten , this lawsuit will just ensure media coverage for a little longer . Having seen the movie I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

[Shpongle]

The guy is just a grump and a loud-mouthed, doom-saying tool. That movie trailer I saw...I saw about 1 minute of it and was already confused about the premise of it.

Would I watch it in theaters? Nah.
Would I rent it? Nope.
Would I download it (pirate it) and watch it? Not a chance.

Why? Looked super boring to me. I've seen movies that sucked and won "awards" for such and such. Does that make them good movies? No. Does that make them blockbusters? No. Does that mean other non-Oscar winning movies should not be getting as much if not more revenue? lol...no.

While the pirating of movies and stuff is a questionable and yet very complex topic for me to really discuss, in this case, the guy just sounds like someone who wants to look good in the eyes of the RIAA/MPA. Inevitably, he won't win and people will now see that he wants to punish his audience. Bad move.

Jesse~

exactly!

[pwnst*r]

Not sure what the issue is here.

[NMFTM]

How many people would have even heard of Hurt Locker if it weren't for all the "piracy" controversy?

[murderslastcrow]

Don't pirate, AND don't buy from iTunes/local stores.

Just subscribe to a movie/music service that allows you to download movies and music for a monthly fee. That way you save tons of money and you're still contributing to the content producers, legally. I suggest signing up for one of these services, getting all the music/movies you want, then getting out. There's no shame in it if they're encouraging you to do it.

However, if you really like a certain movie/musician, there are other ways to contribute. Go to their future films in theaters, buy their merchandise, go to concerts, etc.

We need to be rethinking how we consume media and how we contribute to musicians/authors/artists/producers, anyway. The way we're doing it now isn't working out and many people want it to change. Just like diaspora, I think music and movies should be easily accessed, but that the ownerships should be personal and decentralized, not owned by a single company who can tell you what to do with your work.

I really wish more professionals would promote Magnatune, since it could change the music industry if some mainstream artists joined.

[buddyd16]

I think with all this publicity negative or otherwise it puts the studio behind this film in a very unique position.

The studio could provide a dvd and blue ray quality digital release priced to match current market value with an incentive attached that if they reach a certain profit margin the lawsuits/settlements would be dropped. In the process they could prove that pirating only dominates because it is convenient and that a digital distribution platform can indeed yield profit.

or they can continue with the lawsuits/settlements and not issue a digital release and basically deal with negative pr among the younger generations of our era.

Although my first option is highly unlikely I really hope it is something that goes by as at least a passing thought in some of the decision makers minds.

[oobuntoo]

I checked this movie out after it won an Oscar and I truly don't understand why it won the award. I wouldn't have known about this film if not for the Oscar and I understand why that is; it's just an average movie at best.

[handy]

I think that the reason Chartier is so cranky, is that he has lost a LOT of money on the film:

Chartier's movie was produced by his indie production company, Voltage Pictures, which means that it doesn't see any of the security or legal backing from the Motion Picture Association of America, the trade group representing the largest film studios. After the movie leaked to the Web five months prior to its U.S. debut, "The Hurt Locker" went on to gross only $16 million in this country. According to reports, that likely makes the movie the worst box-office performer of any "Best Picture" Oscar winner.

Chartier can't understand that such a great film (in his mind, as he made it; winning best picture & all would reinforce his view), is not liked by a large percentage of the public. He thinks that they have mostly all seen it for free via stolen .torrents.

Sounds like it is just a movie that doesn't appeal to a wide audience to me. Many people having seen it probably tell others to go & see something else.

[Sand & Mercury]

Lets keep the name calling out of here please

But! But! *points at Nicolas Chartier* He started it! :(

[3rdalbum]

I think that the reason Chartier is so cranky, is that he has lost a LOT of money on the film:

Chartier's movie was produced by his indie production company, Voltage Pictures, which means that it doesn't see any of the security or legal backing from the Motion Picture Association of America, the trade group representing the largest film studios. After the movie leaked to the Web five months prior to its U.S. debut, "The Hurt Locker" went on to gross only $16 million in this country. According to reports, that likely makes the movie the worst box-office performer of any "Best Picture" Oscar winner.

Chartier can't understand that such a great film (in his mind, as he made it; winning best picture & all would reinforce his view), is not liked by a large percentage of the public. He thinks that they have mostly all seen it for free via stolen .torrents.

It's the Prince syndrome.

The Artist Formerly Known As Prince released some albums that didn't sell very well, mainly because he hasn't had any fans since the 1990s :) He started making threatening noises towards "pirates".

The producer of The Hurt Locker is not a very nice man. Wasn't he the guy who sent letter to the Oscar judging panel, telling them that they should vote for his film rather than Avatar? Against the rules.

It doesn't surprise me that he'd take the failure of his movie out on those supposed pirates.

[Grenage]

Nice man or not, good film or not - piracy is still wrong. :)

People here preach about freedom and open licences all the time, but when it comes to real-world application - they're hypocrites. People are free to release media in any format or licence they choose, you don't have to buy it.

I can only assume that most of the people who whine about film studios chasing after pirates, are children and hypocrites.

[Johnsie]

Yet another cheesy cliche flag waving film.... yawn

[bigseb]

Interesting thread... my two cents: Piracy is wrong and theft is not answer to greedy corporations milking every last cent out of us. If it bothers you so much then stop buying their products. I've found there's almost always a free, cheap, open source, end-user friendly, etc alternative.

Long live RMS

[gnomeuser]

Nice man or not, good film or not - piracy is still wrong. :)

People here preach about freedom and open licences all the time, but when it comes to real-world application - they're hypocrites. People are free to release media in any format or licence they choose, you don't have to buy it.

I can only assume that most of the people who whine about film studios chasing after pirates, are children and hypocrites.

Actually, I "whine" because I am a customer. I have in my collection currently maybe 400 DVDs, 300 CDs and a couple of hundred books. Most of the stuff I buy these days I wouldn't even know about if it wasn't for it being available for downloading.

Study after study show that downloaders are also the industry's biggest customers. Yet they hunt us down, threaten us with bankruptcy sized fines in the millions for personal use, non commercial downloading. In the process they undermine freedom of speech, the right to privacy, they use their power and money to change the law to benefit themselves... If that is whining then yes I am a whiner. I'm a whiner because I am a ridiculously good customer and yet they threaten me, worse though is their assaults of fundamental liberties and rights.

Oh and when it comes to using the content I paid for in the way I want, they actively prevent me from doing so. I am currently backing up every one of my DVDs to my new NAS. To do so I have to break the protection (which is legal here), though the format I get it in is still horribly inaccessible and cumbersome in use. Nothing I can do to change that without degrading the quality currently.

I should mention I also have a Magnatune download subscription, I wish all of the content industry worked as well as Magnatune does. Sadly this is rather the exception than the rule. I am happy to take every chance I get to support moves in this direction.

[rudihawk]

I hadn't heard of the movie until it won.

I've seen it, its ok. Not great, but ok.

[lin73]

I don't get it. Poor people, for example, shouldn't be able to watch a movie? The whole world doesn't live by Hollywood's standards, and someone earning 10$ a day wouldn't be able to buy a 20$ DVD. When studios set reasonable prices for their products, they could start expecting people with low or middle income to buy their products. Otherwise, I judge more by fair than by legal. No hypocrisy in that.

[98cwitr]

repost

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1485899

[mobilediesel]

It's funny that the movie companies all claim their stuff is being stolen by pirates. I've yet to see a report of shiploads of movies being stolen at sea.

[Grenage]

I don't get it. Poor people, for example, shouldn't be able to watch a movie? The whole world doesn't live by Hollywood's standards, and someone earning 10$ a day wouldn't be able to buy a 20$ DVD. When studios set reasonable prices for their products, they could start expecting people with low or middle income to buy their products. Otherwise, I judge more by fair than by legal. No hypocrisy in that.

Someone earning $10 a day probably doesn't have a TV/DVD or BlueRay player; even if they do (it was ok to steal one, they're poor), it's still hypocritical.

[tmette]

It's funny that the movie companies all claim their stuff is being stolen by pirates. I've yet to see a report of shiploads of movies being stolen at sea.

Haha, I always think the same thing when I hear the term "pirates" referred to people who illegally download movies.

[McRat]

If Hurt Locker was the Best Picture, it was a very lousy year for the movie producers. It's probably why that producer is so angry.

To put Hurt Locker up there with Gone with the Wind, Ben-Hur, or the Godfather seems a bit strange.

Avatar should won. It will be remembered a jump in movie making. Hurt Locker was just another 1990's war movie. Hurt Locker wasn't as good as Blackhawk Down which wasn't even nominated.

[JDShu]

Software piracy is wrong.

Hurt Locker losing money is not because people are pirating it.

[98cwitr]

Software piracy is wrong.

Hurt Locker losing money is not because people are pirating it.

...and?

[sydbat]

...and?Because it sucked?

And to those wondering how a mediocre film won the Oscar - Hollywood politics. It was "the IN thing to do".

However, because it is a mediocre movie, and no one outside the incestuous Hollywood community wants to see it, so it 'loses' money.

[gnomeuser]

Because it sucked?

And to those wondering how a mediocre film won the Oscar - Hollywood politics. It was "the IN thing to do".

However, because it is a mediocre movie, and no one outside the incestuous Hollywood community wants to see it, so it 'loses' money.

Just look how the Secret of Kells won the best animated feature.. being a bit of an animation fan I had to check it out and it utterly sucked. Poorly animated and seemingly scripted by a 4th grader, unfulfilling in every way.

[chris200x9]

Someone earning $10 a day probably doesn't have a TV/DVD or BlueRay player; even if they do (it was ok to steal one, they're poor), it's still hypocritical.

no, but I'm pretty sure sony wouldn't sue them if they went into the store used their own tools and materials (bandwidth) to build one, but ripped off sony's design and left leaving the bluray player unopened in the store.

[earthpigg]

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/05/eff-seeks-attorneys-help-alleged-movie-downloaders

I Love the EFF.


Are you an attorney licensed to practice law in the United States? If you are, EFF needs your help to fight spam-igation.

The U.S. Copyright Group has quietly targeted 50,000 Bit Torrent users for legal action in federal court in Washington DC. The defendants, all Does, are accused of having downloaded independent films such as "Far Cry," "Steam Experiment," and "Uncross the Stars" without authorization. U.S. Copyright Group has recently announced that it will also be targeting unauthorized downloaders of the film "Hurt Locker." News reports suggest that the attorneys bringing these suits are not affiliated with any major entertainment companies, but are instead intent on building a lucrative business model built from collecting settlements from the largest possible set of individual defendants.

The lawsuits proceed similarly to the RIAA lawsuits against unauthorized music downloaders: US Copyright Group files a copyright infringement suit in federal court in Washington DC, against thousands of Does, identified by IP address. Then it presents ISP's with the list of IP's and dates and subpoenas the billing address of the user who had that IP at that date. The ISP's then contact then contact their customers, inform them of the subpoena, and give them an opportunity to file a motion to quash.

In the event that no motion to quash is filed, the ISP gives up the identity of the user. US Copyright Group's attorneys then contact the user and offer a settlement, usually starting at $2500.

EFF is seeking as many attorneys as possible to advise the targets of these lawsuits and, where appropriate, file motions to quash. Respondents' contact information would be added to a website that will act as a resource for the targets of these lawsuits.

If interested, please contact eva@eff.org with your contact information or the contact information for your firm, and the states in which you are licensed to practice law.

[Grenage]

no, but I'm pretty sure sony wouldn't sue them if they went into the store used their own tools and materials (bandwidth) to build one, but ripped off sony's design and left leaving the bluray player unopened in the store.

Lol, I'm pretty sure they would. A lot of money goes into the development and production of such things; who are they to determine that it has no value? They're more than welcome to go design their own.

[Legendary_Bibo]

The guy is just a grump and a loud-mouthed, doom-saying tool. That movie trailer I saw...I saw about 1 minute of it and was already confused about the premise of it.

Would I watch it in theaters? Nah.
Would I rent it? Nope.
Would I download it (pirate it) and watch it? Not a chance.

Why? Looked super boring to me. I've seen movies that sucked and won "awards" for such and such. Does that make them good movies? No. Does that make them blockbusters? No. Does that mean other non-Oscar winning movies should not be getting as much if not more revenue? lol...no.

While the pirating of movies and stuff is a questionable and yet very complex topic for me to really discuss, in this case, the guy just sounds like someone who wants to look good in the eyes of the RIAA/MPA. Inevitably, he won't win and people will now see that he wants to punish his audience. Bad move.

Jesse~

Yeah reminds me of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The only thing that movie did was cure my insomnia for a day.

[Dixon Bainbridge]

The guy is just a grump and a loud-mouthed, doom-saying tool. That movie trailer I saw...I saw about 1 minute of it and was already confused about the premise of it.

Would I watch it in theaters? Nah.
Would I rent it? Nope.
Would I download it (pirate it) and watch it? Not a chance.

Why? Looked super boring to me. I've seen movies that sucked and won "awards" for such and such. Does that make them good movies? No. Does that make them blockbusters? No. Does that mean other non-Oscar winning movies should not be getting as much if not more revenue? lol...no.

While the pirating of movies and stuff is a questionable and yet very complex topic for me to really discuss, in this case, the guy just sounds like someone who wants to look good in the eyes of the RIAA/MPA. Inevitably, he won't win and people will now see that he wants to punish his audience. Bad move.

Jesse~

The Oscars, like any award ceremony or prize, is a marketing tool, nothing more. People buy stuff when it wins something - simple economics.

Secondly, the pirating debate will never be resolved. I'm a creative artist that relies for alot of my income on people purchasing my work. If they take it off me without paying, I lose my livelihood. But at the same time, you have to let people disseminate things amongst themselves.

I agree with a previous poster regarding the movie industry always crying piracy whenever one of their crappy movies they stuck millions into bombs at the cinema. People will pay for good products, if you get the product right and you pitch it at the right price.

Problem is, the entertainment industry consistently gets it wrong on both counts.

[earthpigg]

Secondly, the pirating debate will never be resolved. I'm a creative artist that relies for alot of my income on people purchasing my work. If they take it off me without paying, I lose my livelihood. But at the same time, you have to let people disseminate things amongst themselves.


would you mind sharing the details of your income model and what your experiences have been?

ie: a painter earning income from selling originals has different concerns than a musician.

[jperez]

I agree with a previous poster regarding the movie industry always crying piracy whenever one of their crappy movies they stuck millions into bombs at the cinema. People will pay for good products, if you get the product right and you pitch it at the right price.

Problem is, the entertainment industry consistently gets it wrong on both counts.

I agree with this. I don't think the Entertainment Industry will ever understand the concept "Quality over Quantity". Ah well.

Jesse~

[chris200x9]

Lol, I'm pretty sure they would. A lot of money goes into the development and production of such things; who are they to determine that it has no value? They're more than welcome to go design their own.

yes alot of work goes into development and manufactoring, however as I said the person only ripped off the design / how it works so sony did not lose "anything". The only difference I can see in this example is building your own bluray is not feesable but downloading a movie is. Neither lost "anything".

[witeshark17]

I took this from my own post in another thread (which, according to some, makes me a pirate)...Making copies of music, movies, etc is not illegal in most countries outside the US. SELLING those copies is normally illegal however.

The "entertainment" industry are far too greedy for their own good. They make record profits every year, yet cry about "piracy". Why? Because they are greedy. They want even more money, so they claim to have "lost" money, when, in fact, they just did not make as much as they wanted. This has been going on forever - "we projected to make 1 billion, but only made 900 million, so we lost 100 million". It's all BS.

I am getting sick of this greed mentality, and I know that most other people are too. Unfortunately, governments continue to fall to the pressure generated by this greed. Most recent example - http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/05/20/copyright-legislation-drm-debate.html IMO you're complely right about that theoretical income loss, plain and simple.

[Grenage]

yes alot of work goes into development and manufactoring, however as I said the person only ripped off the design / how it works so sony did not lose "anything". The only difference I can see in this example is building your own bluray is not feesable but downloading a movie is. Neither lost "anything".

You're not alone in having that view point, but it is flawed. Let's assume that you're an artist, and you spend 4 months on an epic painting; it's a really good painting. You go to sell the painting, but after a day, copies have saturated the market - that wouldn't make you angry?

If someone produces something and applies a license to it, and you ignore their terms, that's wrong. Can you imagine how many people here would kick off if Microsoft started using GPL code in their closed-source products? It's the same thing.