The Golden Rules of Illegal Downloads

I strongly oppose people my age downloading films for free off various piracy sites. The same goes for music, although I am more sympathetic to TV shows being illegally downloaded. Why the double standard you ask?

It is simple really. The hard work of hundreds, if not, sometimes thousands, of people is essentially put under threat every time someone downloads a movie or a song. The $20 million fee for the star of the film will remain unaffected, but what about the grip, the teamsters, the caterers, the effects department, the make-up, costumes, et cetera?

The simple fact is everytime you download a film illegally someone who has put nine months of their life into something, looking at half a year without work, you are taking a couple of thousand pounds out of their paycheck. The simple fact is the large blockbusters are the ones most affected and in the last year and a half their boxoffice receipts seem to have been unaffected by illegal downloads.

But smaller films with limited releases, like Moon, infinitely suffer more. As people curiously look at smaller, intellectually challenging films their viewing could compromise that film's success. Its eventual release on DVD means that some who viewed it online might buy it, feeling it is worth their hard-earned money, others will have felt confused by it and steer well away from giving it their money. Independant filmmakers do struggle to have their work seen and the internet inadvertantly can kill them dead in the water.

Similarly, music suffers. Paul McCartney is never going to feel a ding in his album sales, but what about an up and coming band that have just started out. Their fans will undoubtedly be far more likely to illegally download their songs than purchase them. some bands as a result of this never really make it out the gate. The next Beatles may never come to be under that kind of structure.

TV is my exception to the rule. Or rather American TV. This is not some defiant assault upon network TV to try and rob them of their royalties, however, throughout the world it is often far harder for a product to reach out and snare more fans. Shows like Firefly, Twin Peaks, What About Brian?, Huff all died before ever reaching our shores and if somehow an audience member in the U.K. or Australia hears about this then how do they get hold of it?

Some other wildly popular shows such as How I Met Your Mother, Mad Men, Entourage and Californication are on second tier channels that their respective audiences are never going to be aware of. Thus the internet comes in. Only a few great U.S. shows ever receive the time slots and channels they deserve. The Sopranos, Sex and the City, The OC (okay it was wildly popular) and Lost had decent time slots that respective audiences were aware of.

Truly great shows like The West Wing, The Shield and the almighty The Wire were hidden away for only die hard fans with satellite or cable could find. If they were to find a wider audience then maybe even then they wouldn't have to illegally download.

Here endeth the lesson people. Think about this crusade and the people you are inadvertantly affecting before clicking on the download button. Unless the new episode of One Tree Hill is up, then, I am like, totally going to watch it anyway...eurgh...have some self respect at least and watch something that has a lasting impact upon your lives.