Hurt Locker Producer Nicholas Chartier: Criticizing Our Piracy Lawsuits Makes You A Moron And Thief

Boing Boing:

If you've heard the name "Nicolas Chartier" before, it's probably because the Hurt Locker producer was banished from the Oscars after sending an earlier round of impulsive emails. Here's another gem to remember him by.

Read the whole story: Boing Boing

Comments

[kedikat]

12:34 PM on 05/22/2010

In 1995 ticket revenue for movies in the US was 5.29 Billion. The revenue generally rose year on year till it was 10.65 billion in 2009. A 100% increase in ticket revenue.
The number of tickets sold each year from 1995 to 2009 was between 1.22 to 1.58 Billion.
So they sell about the same number of tickets each year, but double profits. Hmmmm price increase? Pirating does not seem to hurt ticket sales. It certainly isn't hurting revenue from ticket sales.
DVD sales continue to make major profits as well.
The truth is, most downloads don't affect the industry that much. A lot of the downloaders would not have bothered to see the movies they download. They could not afford it. A lot of them also spend a lot of money going to see the movies, as well as downloading ones they would have passed on.
A lot of the so called losses to the industry, would never actually have been made. People can afford to see just so many movies.

[kedikat]

12:42 PM on 05/22/2010

By the way, 1.25 billion tickets a year. If 370 million people in the US, every single one of them would go to a movie 3.5 times a year.
I like to think they walked out in the middle of that fourth stinker and got half their money back. HA.

[Emile Masqurez]

08:26 AM on 05/20/2010

Awesome. Anyone interested in starting a email campaign/Voltage pictures boycott?

[RTIII]

02:17 AM on 05/20/2010

.

The Boing Boing reader who posted his own letter and Chartier's response was clearly in the wrong. There's no question that he (I presume male!) was absolutely advocating theft. However, Chartier's response was definetly over-the top and badly written. -shrug- At least he took the time to write personally!
.

[Soundofthunder]

06:27 PM on 05/19/2010

If you pirate movies, you are hurting the people who make them, star in them and all the supporting members. It dilutes their profits, thus their ability to fund future movies. It's easy to focus on the well monied interests at the top and ignore the TRUE trickle down economics at work, that pirating is money out of the hands of EVERYONE who works in the industry at all levels.

Also, if you're a pirate with a paying job, you are nothing but a maggotty cheapskate.

S

[RTIII]

02:18 AM on 05/20/2010

"Also, if you're a pirate with a paying job, you are nothing but a maggotty cheapskate."

Nice touch. It implies some kind of leniency for those who pirate but who are broke.
.

[Soundofthunder]

04:12 PM on 05/20/2010

Not leniency but perhaps a tinge of empathy for broke people watching a pirated DVD in Nepal on a community owned entertainment system. As for college kids, straight to prison with them! I was broke in college, too. But I didn't use that as an excuse for stealing intellectual property.

S

[deezus]

03:14 PM on 05/19/2010

Well since he is being such a d-bag about it, I will make sure to download and not pay for any movie that Nicholas Chartier has anything to do with.

[Temsi]

02:31 PM on 05/19/2010

Don't forget, this guy is the same boob who was banned from the Oscars for negative campaigning.
I said it back then and I'll say it again: this guy is a do. uche.

It doesn't matter that he's legally on the right side of the argument. What matters here is that he's being a complete p. rick.

[florida121895]

04:53 PM on 05/19/2010

I totally agree.
There is a major difference between what the law says and whats right and smart.

[Jack Barron]

01:24 PM on 05/19/2010

I would download a car if I could, but then again I see pirating as a hobby/sport. ;)

[florida121895]

04:52 PM on 05/19/2010

haha nice

[gimmeabreak444]

09:04 AM on 05/19/2010

was this the same bozo that was forbidden to enter the academy award ceremony?

[florida121895]

04:53 PM on 05/19/2010

Yes he is crazy.

[RabidRightRebel]

08:47 AM on 05/19/2010

Why should only the honest people have to pay for their entertainment. Surely calling those that illegally download, thieves is just telling the truth. If you are offended by being called a thief there is a simple solution, just don't do it.

[secretagent81]

02:24 AM on 05/19/2010

I simply do not understand why people think it is okay for them to steal movie downloads. And Why would someone who is selling something not have the right to sue when it is stolen? Because the thief is poor? Because the business makes to much profit? Really? Ridiculous. Pirating sites are social networks for thieves.

[Alien Nation]

09:02 AM on 05/19/2010

When their products are worth buying people will put money down for them. People pirate, its a fact of life. If you don't want your product pirated don't release a product that can be pirated. Get into the dishwasher detergent business or something.

[secretagent81]

11:00 AM on 05/19/2010

So you are saying that if a product is able to be stolen then it is okay to steal it?

Thievery happens therefore thievery is okay?

My lock was not good enough on my house, so its my fault someone breaks in?

Your defense of this subject is ridiculous. People product movies. They own the copyright and distribution. Movies are not "owned by the people." Nor is music or paintings or photography.

[kedikat]

01:36 AM on 05/19/2010

I just can't support the movie and music industry's side in this, due to the ridiculous salaries involved in the industry.
As the average persons wages stagnate and even drop. Jobs disappear. Inflation goes up. Businesses such as movies, music, pro sports etc, keep paying astronomical and growing wages. The average person could live several financially comfortable lifetimes on the profit a single actor, musician or athlete makes for less than a years work.
Yes they have specific, and maybe rare talents. But enough is enough! They are pricing themselves out of the market. The consumers desire the product, but balk or simply can't afford it. So they look for other methods to get the product. Does the industry step back and take a hard look at how out of control the pay and costs have become? No. They decide to punish the fans, before trying to help the fans.
Could a big name star survive on ten million dollars for six months work, instead of twenty million? I think they could still scrape by. Can a fan spend a big chunk of this weeks grocery money to see the movie? More often these days, the answer is no.

[CompulsiveCollector]

02:11 PM on 05/19/2010

This pathetic attempt to justify taking something without paying for it is rooted in unimaginable ignorance. Sure, big movie stars, producers, and directors make a lot of money. The overwhelming majority of the people who work on films, however, do not. They get an upfront salary, and they depend on residual payments for a large chunk of their income. These are working men and women with bills and families, just like anyone else. Because a few people on the same projects take home millions, someone like you says it's okay for people to help themselves without compensation, despite the fact that, "the average person," who worked on the set suffers for it.

What a crock. Get over your sense of entitlement. If you don't want to fork over the price for admission or a Blu-ray/DVD, then do something else for entertainment.

[kedikat]

09:49 AM on 05/20/2010

Personally, I don't download movies. I buy all mine on disc. I seldom go to a theatre anymore. I wait till the disc is on sale.
But my point is valid in many respects. Greed at the levels above the average consumer and worker ( including the average worker on set ) is overpricing products. As the price increases, theft or not using the product increases.
Making a movie, involves a lot of workers. The disparity in pay is ridiculous for some.
Actors and others that get the huge salaries, need to remember, the product is not a necessity.
I hope that pirating stops. And in it's place, just not seeing movies happens. The actors and other high priced folks will have to lower their greed level.
Of course that will happen after they slash every little persons wages involved first.

[kedikat]

09:52 AM on 05/20/2010

I also have been buying far fewer movies. Due to both cost and quality.

[studmoose]

10:55 PM on 05/18/2010

The the biggest worry are those home networks, the ones that people think are secured with WPA security. They can be cracked by your neighborhood teenager in minutes. Then they can download any content they want - using your internet account.

It won't be those kids who get sue, it will be innocent adults and senior citizens who don't even know this stuff is occurring. Just like Google was snooping in on people's internet sessions, the neighborhood kids can do the same thing.

It is the burden of the accusers to prove BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT that the people who downloaded these files were the ones who own the internet account and were the ones who actually did it.

[studmoose]

10:43 PM on 05/18/2010

Sure torrent downloads are theft, but...

What a way to end a good movie...

Have their producers personally and desperately try to grab as much money as they can.

Pathetic is the only word that comes to mind.

[alenaspoppa]

12:53 PM on 05/19/2010

Nicholas Chartier needs to concentrate on his next film. He has an Oscar. He's working. Move on. It's not the "copyright infringers'" faults that people didn't want to spend their money on a film about the Iraq War, even a really good one like this. The Hurt Locker also had the misfortune of following 20 other war films that failed.

When the world seems to be going to hell, people want escapism. That's the simple reality of the marketplace. That's why Avatar earned a billion dollars and The Hurt Locker made $19 million on an $11 million budget.

Frankly, that's not a bad return on investment...

[STUPIDgit]

08:18 PM on 05/18/2010

I assume those who are in favor of never paying for movies or music have never actually created any sort of intellectual property.

Maybe they assume movies and songs appear from Harry Potter's magic wand and that all the actors, directors, camera operators, sound technicians, producers, writers, craft services, grips, hair and make-up artists, costume designers, editors, production designers and the rest of the team of talented people spent years learning their craft and struggling through the cut-throat industry for the sole pleasure of trying to entertain you with no desire for any monetary compensation. This mentality is the same as school children who are shocked to find out their teachers are real people with lives outside school. These people need to make a living too. Yes, some of them make much more than they deserve, but many more scrape by.

Unless you want the entire industry to become nothing more than product placement and marketing you may want to support actual artists. Otherwise we'll live in a world of nothing but videogame crossovers and Burger King jingles.

[Alien Nation]

09:04 AM on 05/19/2010

Then you would assume incorrectly. I release electronic dance music on vinyl and digital download and I've pirated - hell everyone I know in the business has either pirated software or music.

You should also do a little research. Ever heard of Fairlight? One of the largest game cracking groups in the late 90's? Well guess what - the one supplying that cracking group with EA games before they were released were upper level executives at EA. Do you know why they would release them? Because in the end more people would be exposed to the product and eventually buy it!

[cybolt]

12:53 PM on 05/19/2010

Your rationale is that crimes justify crimes that justify crimes.
Look at the very definition of "pirate" (verb): To steal or take without permission.

[Jack Barron]

01:26 PM on 05/19/2010

Wow, what an accurate screen name you have.

[oberon123]

06:38 PM on 05/18/2010

Getting sued for illegally downloading Hurt Locker. If that does not add insult to injury, i dont know what does. Hurt Locker could not carry Avatar's jockstrap. The darn movie had no plot, no acting, no story line, no compelling characters. I keep hearing people say it was a great movie. I must be watching a different movie, because the movie I saw was a waste of 10 dollars (plus concessions). This Chartier guy needs to shut up, thank god for his incredible luck and go away.

[Whatnow]

06:46 AM on 05/19/2010

Avatar is the worst movie ever.

[CompulsiveCollector]

02:15 PM on 05/19/2010

And this individual was apparently very impressed with it. At least we know better than to take him/her seriously.

[florida121895]

04:56 PM on 05/19/2010

This movie sucks i totally agree it wouldent even be worth my time downloading it for free. I saw it in theaters and i now regret wasting my time watching the first 45 mins of it.