Luddite Frank
Well-known
Sorry for dragging the dead horse a little further down the road.
A few thoughts from someone who works on the "exhibitors' end" of the cinema equation...
I have worked for a not-for-profit performing arts center for over 15 years, and we present the full gamut of art and entertainment, from symphony concerts, ballet, legit and Broadway theatre, to rock & pop concerts, to Films.
While a few posters to the original thread mentioned "standing up for rights", and mentioned "rights to personal privacy", and "concern for property rights"... what about the rights of the copyright holders of films and other forms of entertainment?
Performance venues' rules about "no recording equipment" have arisen from the publics' unauthorized recording and disemination ( sp ?) of copyrighted material, sometimes for profit.
This is theft, and breaking the law. Period.
Creators & copyright holders want this activity stopped.
Copyright laws have been around for well over a century here in the US.
As the good sisters used to say to us in grade school, " a few rule breakers have ruined things for the rest of you..."
The pimpled ticket-taker at the Cineplex does not create the company policy regarding "recording devices"; he's also not being paid very much for what he does.
Yes, "everybody's cel phone has a camera" these days, and they are a true pain to police. They also take fairly lousy-quality video.
The venue operators are primarily concerned with patron activity that disrupts other patrons' enjoyment of the attraction ( talking, crying children, snoring, flash pictures, noisy shutters, light bleed from somebody's LCD view-screen, cel-phone distraction, etc.).
The copyright police aren't worried about folks with M-2s, Barnacks, Spotmatics, Brownies, Ikontas, Speed-Graphics, etc. in cinemas.
They're looking for video/film equipment capable of recording high-quality moving & sound images that could be used to create pirate video.
Even posting "spoiler video" to places like you-tube is still violating the copyright (breaking the law).
If you're going to try to take what is technically a "recording device" ( are notepad and pen included? ) into the cinema, be discreet about it.
Leave your film camera in your bag, and say "no sir". If they want to search the bag, and they ask "what's this?", referring to your film camera, just say "oh, that's my old film camera", and chances are, if anything more is said, it will probably be "please leave it in the bag."
If they want you to check the bag, then go from there, and ask if they are insured against theft / damage, and will they give you a receipt ?
Now, if you want be a "patriot", and stand-up for your rights, or argue semantics with the venue staff then that's your decision... prepare to enjoy a "hassle-sandwich" . ( Not saying folks shouldn't defend their rights, just be prepared for what goes along with...)
Original poster is certainly justified in sharing his displeasure with the cinema organization and their policy...
But, it's kind of like airline travel these days... if you think something that you'd normally carry on your person ( I usually carry a Leatherman multi-tool and a small (three-inch pen-knife) ) is going to cause delay / questioning at the Security booth, then you pack those items in your checked-baggage.
I'm sure everyone on this forum who's ever printed / posted a photograph would be very concerned about "unauthorized use" of that image...
Okay.. got that off my chest; life is short, time is precious; choose your battles carefully.
Regards,
Luddite Frank
A few thoughts from someone who works on the "exhibitors' end" of the cinema equation...
I have worked for a not-for-profit performing arts center for over 15 years, and we present the full gamut of art and entertainment, from symphony concerts, ballet, legit and Broadway theatre, to rock & pop concerts, to Films.
While a few posters to the original thread mentioned "standing up for rights", and mentioned "rights to personal privacy", and "concern for property rights"... what about the rights of the copyright holders of films and other forms of entertainment?
Performance venues' rules about "no recording equipment" have arisen from the publics' unauthorized recording and disemination ( sp ?) of copyrighted material, sometimes for profit.
This is theft, and breaking the law. Period.
Creators & copyright holders want this activity stopped.
Copyright laws have been around for well over a century here in the US.
As the good sisters used to say to us in grade school, " a few rule breakers have ruined things for the rest of you..."
The pimpled ticket-taker at the Cineplex does not create the company policy regarding "recording devices"; he's also not being paid very much for what he does.
Yes, "everybody's cel phone has a camera" these days, and they are a true pain to police. They also take fairly lousy-quality video.
The venue operators are primarily concerned with patron activity that disrupts other patrons' enjoyment of the attraction ( talking, crying children, snoring, flash pictures, noisy shutters, light bleed from somebody's LCD view-screen, cel-phone distraction, etc.).
The copyright police aren't worried about folks with M-2s, Barnacks, Spotmatics, Brownies, Ikontas, Speed-Graphics, etc. in cinemas.
They're looking for video/film equipment capable of recording high-quality moving & sound images that could be used to create pirate video.
Even posting "spoiler video" to places like you-tube is still violating the copyright (breaking the law).
If you're going to try to take what is technically a "recording device" ( are notepad and pen included? ) into the cinema, be discreet about it.
Leave your film camera in your bag, and say "no sir". If they want to search the bag, and they ask "what's this?", referring to your film camera, just say "oh, that's my old film camera", and chances are, if anything more is said, it will probably be "please leave it in the bag."
If they want you to check the bag, then go from there, and ask if they are insured against theft / damage, and will they give you a receipt ?
Now, if you want be a "patriot", and stand-up for your rights, or argue semantics with the venue staff then that's your decision... prepare to enjoy a "hassle-sandwich" . ( Not saying folks shouldn't defend their rights, just be prepared for what goes along with...)
Original poster is certainly justified in sharing his displeasure with the cinema organization and their policy...
But, it's kind of like airline travel these days... if you think something that you'd normally carry on your person ( I usually carry a Leatherman multi-tool and a small (three-inch pen-knife) ) is going to cause delay / questioning at the Security booth, then you pack those items in your checked-baggage.
I'm sure everyone on this forum who's ever printed / posted a photograph would be very concerned about "unauthorized use" of that image...
Okay.. got that off my chest; life is short, time is precious; choose your battles carefully.
Regards,
Luddite Frank