“The old model of acting is that the rehearsal is great and then things change when you say ‘rolling’ –usually for the worse. Now there’s no film in the camera. You can shoot everything. So there’s no rehearsal. Or perhaps it’s all rehearsal. Either way, it’s far more natural.”
There is something powerful about this. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it when I was watching the War of the Worlds (Spielberg Version), but the above quote triggered it for me. It was his first forray into digital film making, and there was a certain authenticity in the faces of the actors.
And this seems to be the trend. As more and more directors adopt digital film making techniques, and become comfortable with these tools, the human condition will finally be reflected on the silver screen in a way that here-to-fore has rarely been seen.
That’s something I can really digg. another long tail insight
Peter Brown of the Free Software Foundation speaks with Ray Beckerman, lawyer for defendants in RIAA lawsuits about the impact of the RIAA’s legal strategy on the internet, copyright, DRM and our digital freedoms. He leads the discussion with the reason why only small law firms, or individual lawyers will ever take up the cause of those being sued by the RIAA.
He also dissects a typical RIAA “investigation” that form the basis of their suit against their customers. In essense the RIAA creates an account with a p2p network, finds users with RIAA tunes in their shared folder, and files the report. However, and this is the kicker, there is no proof of wrongdoing. That is, there is no proof that the user did not obtain the song through legal means (purchasing them, or making a back-up copy from a CD they legally own), nor is there proof that other users have ever downloaded the song. In other words, most of the RIAA lawsuits brought against consumers are mere ploys to extort money.
Many users have settled out of court. The few that fight it get into long drawn out court cases where every dirty trick in the book is used by the RIAA Legal Team to make it prohibitively expensive for the defendant to continue fighting the case. Lawyers, such as Ray Beckerman, are working pro bono or for significantly reduced rates on the behalf of the few brave souls willing to stand up and challenge the RIAA. Especially since many of the defendants have never used p2p software before, and until their subpoena arrived in the mail had never even heard of Kazzaa and the like.
If you want to help, you can donate money to the Free Software Foundation.
Keep up with Ray and his fight against the RIAA at his blog: RIAA vs. The People. Download The MP3 recording of the call digg this story originally published on dr.xnlb.com
Yahoo!, who owns and operates Yahoo! Music – a digital distribution store built with Microsofts ‘Plays For Sure’ DRM technology, is toying with the idea of selling unprotected, DRM-Free MP3s. In a recent survey, they asked participants the following question:
“Would you consider paying $1.09 for a single, unrestricted MP3 download that would have absolutely no limitations on its use and could be transferred to any portable audio player or computer?”
Don’t get hung up on the price. To me that’s irrelevant. The fact that not only a major content distributor would consider MP3, but is willing to face down Apple and the Big 4 Labels is a major step forward. Though you could liken it to DRM poisoning the water supply and suppliers are now going to sell ‘clean’ water on the side, I consider this to be a bold move on their part, and since Polyvibe Recordsdistributes music with them as part of a larger digital distribution deal, I am awaiting their next announcement concerning this with much anxiousness.
The RIAA has sued more than 20,000 music fans for file sharing, yet file sharing continues to rapidly increase both online and offline.? When will you stop suing music fans?
The RIAA has sued over 20,000 music fans for file sharing, who have on average paid a $3,750 settlement.? That’s over $75,000,000.? Has any money collected from your lawsuits gone to pay actual artists? Where’s all that money going?
The RIAA has sued over 20,000 music fans for file sharing.? Recently, an RIAA representative reportedly suggested that “students drop out of college or go to community college in order to be able to afford [P2P lawsuit] settlements.” Do you stand by this advice? Is this really good advice for our children’s futures?
The RIAA said that it only went after individual file sharers because you couldn’t go after P2P system creators. After the Supreme Court’s Grokster decision, shouldn’t you stop going after music fans?
Major entertainment companies have repeatedly brought lawsuits to block new technologies, including the VCR, Digital Audio Tape recorders, the first MP3 player, the ReplayTV PVR, and now P2P software. Why is your industry so hostile to new technologies?
DRM has clearly failed to stop songs from getting on file sharing networks, but it does prevent me from moving lawfully purchased music onto my iPod and other portable devices.? Unlike the major record labels, many popular indie labels offer mp3 downloads through sites like eMusic.? Why won’t you let fans purchase mp3s as well?
The RIAA says that it doesn’t mind if I rip CDs to my personal computer and put them on my iPod.? Do I need your permission to do this or can I legally do it even if you object?
Recording off the radio is clearly permitted by copyright law and something Americans have done for over 25 years, but the RIAA supports legislation restricting devices that record from digital radio. Why are you against TiVo for radio?
Sony BMG recently implemented a DRM technology that damaged users’ computers.? But for independent researchers’ analyses, this serious flaw may have gone undiscovered. After this scandal, will record labels allow any computer scientist or security expert to examine these products and agree not to sue them under the DMCA?
Video
The major movie studios have been enjoying some of their most profitable years in history over the past five years. Can you cite to any specific studies that prove noncommercial file sharing among fans, as opposed to commercial DVD piracy, has hurt the studios’ bottom line in any significant way?
Is it legal for me to bypass CSS DVD encryption in order to skip the “unskippable” previews at the beginning of so many DVDs? Why should I have to be forced to watch these ads when I already bought the DVD?
Is it legal for me to skip the commercials when I play back time-shifted TV recordings on my TiVo or other PVR? How is this different than getting up and going to the bathroom?
Why are there region-code restrictions on DVDs? How does this prevent copyright infringement? Is it illegal for me to buy or and use a region-free DVD player, or to modify a DVD player to be region-free?
In several lawsuits, the MPAA has repeatedly said that it’s illegal to make a back-up of a DVD that I purchased.? Why is this illegal?
Is it ever legal for me to use software like DVD Shrink or Handbrake to rip a digital copy of a DVD I own onto a video iPod or my laptop? What if I want clips to use for a class report? Or if a teacher wants to include a clip in a PowerPoint slide?
Is there anything illegal about copying TV shows I’ve recorded off the air onto my video iPod?
If the MPAA-backed “broadcast flag” bill passes, I won’t be able to move recorded TV content digitally to my current video iPod.? Why should TV studios get to take away my ability to lawfully time- and space-shift?
Major entertainment companies have repeatedly brought lawsuits to block new technologies, including the VCR, Digital Audio Tape recorders, the first MP3 player, the ReplayTV PVR, and now P2P software. Why is your industry so hostile to new technologies?
Hollywood is pushing legislation to “plug the analog hole.” These restrictions won’t keep copyrighted video off of file sharing networks, but they will block me from excerpting a recorded TV show for a school report or using tools like the Slingbox to send recorded TV shows to myself over the Internet.? Why are you trying to restrict these legitimae uses?
