Hollywood's file-sharing plea badly backfires

An attempt to appeal to file-sharers and ask them not to download movies from services such as Kazaa has backfired on Hollywood's studio bosses - with cinema-goers deriding their efforts.

An advertising campaign to be run in cinemas shows studio staff such as make-up artists, stuntmen and set painters imploring file-sharers to stop pirating movies because it hits them hardest and not the millionaire studio bosses.

But film fans aren't convinced.

Troy Hoskison, a silicon.com reader, said: "I don't think [this campaign] will make much difference. It will only be people that are paid a share of the takings that will be affected by piracy. The light man will have been paid a wage that will have, in all probability, been set by the union. I doubt very much if these guys have had their wages cut. If they have then even more shame on the movie producers for grabbing this money when films are make making multi millions."

Other feedback we received echoed these sentiments. Robert Burkhill told us: "If the guys on the floor are affected by this, it is because they are employed by people who let them get affected. While I am sorry for this state, I don't believe my attitude towards file sharing is going to change it."

Another silicon.com reader Stuart Charman was even more cynical about the studio bosses' motives. "This story gives me the mental picture of the average 'Joe' being told by studio bosses that if he doesn't appear in the anti-piracy advert he'll be picking up his P45? I can almost hear the conversation. "You don't want to appear in the ads? Are trying to tell me you're not anti-piracy, Joe?'"

Australian reader Stephen McBride believes the ads will have the opposite effect and will actually advertise the fact that films are available to download online. "Of course it won't work," he said. "If anything it will increase by advertising the fact through cinemas."

Ed Neal, another silicon.com reader said: "While I have every sympathy with the ‘hard-up’ set painters, what makes them think that we, the ordinary consumer, are any better off?"

"Nowadays, we get to pay [£10] for cinema tickets - and we’re the ones who’re being accused of doing the ripping off? I don’t agree with file-sharing, but the belligerent attitude being displayed by the music and film companies is doing them absolutely no favours at all in solving the problem. Stop ripping us off and we’ll return the courtesy."

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