The process of sharing post-production screeners with awards judges, critics and others is now being criticized due to piracy concerns, with pressure mounting that could put an end to the system.
If not restructuring how the movies are shared, a call for better information and knowledge sharing is taking place amongst studios, supposedly to help reduce piracy. However, screeners are still a major cause for concern among some in the film industry, while they look for new options.
"It's something we have to get away from," said Kaye Cooper Mead, Summit distribution services executive VP, during a recent meeting. "Those screeners are a source of leaks, and when they leak, it's a very serious leak because it's a much better copy than the pirated ones."
DVD screeners have been widely pirated for years -- and were especially popular before broadband -- but can still be easily found online. Screeners aimed for Academy and Oscar voters often are popular tools used to spread illegal copies. In recent years, the use of watermarking each DVD screener has helped prevent a large number of movies from being leaked online, as individuals don't want the file sharing leak traced back to themselves.
Summit is the independent movie studio behind The Hurt Locker movie, a film that remains widely pirated -- even with Voltage Pictures filing lawsuits. The saga has been an interesting story to watch, as USF law professor Robert Talbot volunteered to represent those sued for sharing The Hurt Locker. The film studio also recently sued a file-sharing defense attorney.
It's interesting to see a company still engaged in an aggressive anti-piracy campaign now interested in reducing the use of DVD screeners.
It's doubtful DVD screeners will abruptly stop, but alternative solutions must be considered. There is the possibility of streaming the DRM-protected movie directly to judges & critics, which would remove the need to physically share media that can easily be ripped and shared online.
