View Full Version : " This screening copy is....."
Hi,
Just bought a used copy of Narc on ebay. On some scenes there was the following message written along the bottom:
"This screening copy is the property of Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved"
Any idea what this is?
Thanks.
KraGorn
20-12-2003, 9:22 AM
Yup, it's an illegal copy ... sorry. :(
It's called a 'screener' and is sent out by the studio as a promo for the movie. Screeners were totally banned for a brief time in the last couple of months by the MPAA, they relented a bit and allowed them to be sent to Academy members only.
According to the MPAA screeners are the biggest source of pirate DVDs prior to their release on retail DVDs, in the past screeners were given to many people in the studio's technical teams, cast members etc., now only voting members of the Academy and other 'trusted' media people are supposed to get them.
narabdela
20-12-2003, 9:31 AM
If it wasn't described as a screener (not allowed on ebay anyway) then you've been done. Ask for a refund and threaten to report a violation to ebay if he doesn't cough up.
Thanks very much. I`ll certainly persue this and ask for a refund!
Roughneck1
20-12-2003, 11:15 AM
Yep i get tons of these from the studios... soem ask you to return them some don't bother... either way they souldn't be sold and many do not come with extra's or finished menus etc...
KraGorn
20-12-2003, 11:40 AM
Hasn't the supply dried up since the MPAA changed their rules? .. or are in one of the chosen few? :)
I also read that each copy will be registered to the origanal viewer so if it gets copied they will be able to trace it back and impose a fine.....cracking idea...:smashin:
SagaLout
22-12-2003, 12:08 PM
Cant see how that would help with the ones that are just uploaded to filesharings services though.
ferris57
22-12-2003, 12:15 PM
Cant see how that would help with the ones that are just uploaded to filesharings services though
The encoding is digital and incorparated into the film itself so any subsequent copies of the movie files also carry the coding. Or so I believe. Basically a digital watermark.
SagaLout
22-12-2003, 12:46 PM
hhmm, well unless they stick it in the middle of the screen it will just get cropped out. Maybe they put in in occasional frames so its hard to find or something. Whatever they do they wont stop them leaking though, cos it only takes one copy to get out.
KraGorn
22-12-2003, 12:52 PM
It's digitally encoded in some random location. In the past these things were optically watermarked but the copiers knew how to remove them, they were also not tied to an individual .. the new 'branding' scheme is unique, allegedly, to each recipient and if done right the watermark will be nigh on impossible to find .. in theory at least. ;)
It's also becoming more frequent that regularly throughout the film there'll be short sequences in black and white, along with the traditional 'screener' subtitle as mentioned in the opening post in this thread.