how do film pirates reproduce pirated film vcd's when the movie is not yet shown in theatres???

-- yayen portal (yayen_16@eudoramail.com), June 22, 2002

Answers

Selected organizations and individuals periodically receive what are called reviewer tapes. These are VHS and the intention varies, but mainly the studio wants critique on the film in advance to gauge response to it or in fact to edit it further to further strengthen storylines, etc. These VHS tapes may therefore be a bit different from the final edit, and those who receive them are bound not to give them to others or beyond very specific individuals no-one else is supposed to view them. Yet, somehow, sneakily, with eyes rolling to the top of the head, piraters get their filthy, grubby hands on them and duplicate them in glee. They can be identified because most often there is timecode running, or some notation in one corner like "NB", or very clearly a message periodically runs at the bottom to this effect "this tape is the property of yadda-yadda studio and should be returned yadda-yadda..." While not condoning high prices of movie admission and DVDs and VCDs ANYWHERE, and the witless, lackluster slam-bam thank-you ma'am storylines of most of these films, those who abet this brand of piracy should be drawn, quartered, and their remains fed to fireants in Lousiana.

-- Mehmet Tekdemir (turk690@yahoo.com), June 23, 2002.