Foreigner Held For Taping Hit Movie

[george]

Man held for taping hit movie

BANGKOK: -- Letting his enthusiasm over the new movie “Tom Yum Goong” go a little overboard, a Cambodian tourist was arrested in Bangkok’s Phya Thai district for recording parts of it with a digital camera.

Police yesterday slapped the cuffs on tourist Dos Sop Heak as they caught him filming parts of the movie at EGV Metropolis, said Major Wichai Poramesnetikul of the Lumpini police station.

Dos Sop Heak – who failed to present his passport to police – told officers that he and some friends had been visiting Thailand for six weeks and had come to see the film.

He faces one charge of reproducing a copyrighted movie. He said the movie was so good that he couldn’t help himself and record parts of it to watch again later. He said it he did not know he had broken the law when he captured some two-and-a-half minutes worth of footage on his camcorder.

Cinema employee Sitthiporn Charoenkwan said management had been tipped off about the erstwhile copycat after the camera flash disturbed others in the theatre. His three friends slipped out of the theatre before police arrived.

Since its launch this week, several people have been caught filming the movie at cinemas in Bangkok, Udon Thani and Samut Prakan, said Atchariya Rumdech, Sahamongkol Film’s director of business development.

--The Nation 2005-08-13

[britmaveric]

Bootleg Thai films errr is a huge NO NO!!! Amazing they dont apply the same standards with western cinema.

[loong]

Cinema employee Sitthiporn Charoenkwan said management had been tipped off about the erstwhile copycat after the camera flash disturbed others in the theatre. His three friends slipped out of the theatre before police arrived

Camera flash? on a movie camera?

[Crossy]

Cinema employee Sitthiporn Charoenkwan said management had been tipped off about the erstwhile copycat after the camera flash disturbed others in the theatre. His three friends slipped out of the theatre before police arrived

Camera flash? on a movie camera?

I'll bet this guy was using a regular digital camera with 'movie' facility. The flash fired coz he didn't set it up right.

Probably also means that his story is the truth. Bootleggers used real video cameras on tripods having paid the cinema staff (or even are the cinema staff).

Edited August 12, 2005 by Crossy

[cbatson]

Let me get this straight... a lone tourist snaps a 2.5 minute grainly low-resolution clip of a Thai movie and gets handcuffs, while elsewhere nearby perfectly reproduced DVDs of American films fly off shelves at 80 baht each with nary a police officer in sight?

Chuck

[meadish_sweetball]

That's right. But sorry, there's no prize.

[Dakhar]

Steal from a Thai, you get the cuffs, Steall from a Farang... no big deal

[ernieK24]

Steal from a Thai, you get the cuffs, Steall from a Farang...  no big deal

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sounds fair to me.....Take you gal out to MINI_SIAM.....pay the bus fare for both of you.....then when you get to the ticket booth.....OOPS ! They charge HER 50 bt, but charge YOU, the farang, 200 baht. Sure wouldn't want someone stealing 2 1/2 minutes of video, (after paying to get in the theatre in the first place), and using their own camera. TIT

[wild1]

Steal from a Thai, you get the cuffs, Steall from a Farang...  no big deal

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sounds fair to me.....Take you gal out to MINI_SIAM.....pay the bus fare for both of you.....then when you get to the ticket booth.....OOPS ! They charge HER 50 bt, but charge YOU, the farang, 200 baht. Sure wouldn't want someone stealing 2 1/2 minutes of video, (after paying to get in the theatre in the first place), and using their own camera. TIT

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I really think that's stupid....Why ruin some1 over a movie

[thaibebop]

Why would anyone buy a bootleg? They are always crap. Bad sound, bad visual, why waste the money?

[No beleeeeve!]

Hey Thaibebop,

You obviously do not have the good hook up for bootlegs. I have a great one off of Silom if you need it.

[britmaveric]

Bought maybe 30 films last time - 2 were bad. Returned for good copies!! Normally ones I get happen to be studio copies.

Edited August 12, 2005 by britmaveric

[thaibebop]

You guys must know someone who does it well. I have never come across a bootleg that was worth a fiver. But than I am an audiophile, videophile, kind of guy.

[dezeure]

Cinema employee Sitthiporn Charoenkwan said management had been tipped off about the erstwhile copycat after the camera flash disturbed others in the theatre. His three friends slipped out of the theatre before police arrived

Camera flash? on a movie camera?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah I was wondering about this one too.... unless its one of those digital cameras that can record movie clips in bad quality and for no longer than 2.5 minutes... and get arrested for that?!?!?!

I still think they (the police) outta get their priorities straight...

[The Skipper]

I hear there is equipment used by theaters that scans the audience and detects video recorders nowdays.

This kid sounds fairly innocent but I bet the movie is already on Cable in Cambodia.

[ThaiPauly]

Why would anyone buy a bootleg? They are always crap. Bad sound, bad visual, why waste the money?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why would anybody buy a two and a half minute Bootlag.

This guy had no intention of making any money out of what he was doing

Guess he was just unlucky

[kidtongue]

Man held for taping hit movie

BANGKOK: -- Letting his enthusiasm over the new movie “Tom Yum Goong” go a little overboard, a Cambodian tourist was arrested in Bangkok’s Phya Thai district for recording parts of it with a digital camera.

Police yesterday slapped the cuffs on tourist Dos Sop Heak as they caught him filming parts of the movie at EGV Metropolis, said Major Wichai Poramesnetikul of the Lumpini police station.

Dos Sop Heak – who failed to present his passport to police – told officers that he and some friends had been visiting Thailand for six weeks and had come to see the film.

He faces one charge of reproducing a copyrighted movie. He said the movie was so good that he couldn’t help himself and record parts of it to watch again later. He said it he did not know he had broken the law when he captured some two-and-a-half minutes worth of footage on his camcorder.

Cinema employee Sitthiporn Charoenkwan said management had been tipped off about the erstwhile copycat after the camera flash disturbed others in the theatre. His three friends slipped out of the theatre before police arrived.

Since its launch this week, several people have been caught filming the movie at cinemas in Bangkok, Udon Thani and Samut Prakan, said Atchariya Rumdech, Sahamongkol Film’s director of business development.

--The Nation 2005-08-13

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I reall the IPCIT (Intellectual Property Court) being responsible for this kind of case. Guess we'll find out if they're up to it or not. An argument's there for "fair use".

[dr_Pat_Pong]

All 2 and a half minutes of it

[bazmlb]

the top bootlegers pay the projector operator and plug into the digital output straight off the projector so there is little loss in quality of their rips.

[Sunny Valentine]

You guys must know someone who does it well. I have never come across a bootleg that was worth a fiver. But than I am an audiophile, videophile, kind of guy.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I rarely ever have problems with Sound and Video Quality of "Streetware" DVDs, as long as it ain't the very latest movies. Much more quality problems, missing languages, strange dubbed language tracks, quirky pictures with legitimate Thai releases. Bought "Beautiful Boxer" legitimate, no English Sound or Subtitles (but both were mentioned on the cover). 80 Bt "street edition" was flawless.

Sunny

[cdnvic]

So where were the cops when pirated movies are selling within 50m of where they're currently playing in the cinema at Kaad san kaw?

Oh yeah.... the endless motorcades.

cv

[Greer]

the top bootlegers pay the projector operator and plug into the digital output straight off the projector so there is little loss in quality of their rips.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But why would an optical film projector in an optical cinema have a digital output? I am not saying it wouldn't but I can't think why it would have one.

I'm not trying to flame bazmlb for his comment either - he may be perfectly correct, and perhaps these projectors do have a special output that is used for electronic monitoring or something - quite possible... although I wouldn't expect anything like that to be very high quality...

Just wondering, because in order to have a high quality digital video output, the projector would have to have sophisticated electronics built in - not cheap either. I can't think of any reason for a projector manufacturer to do this as the electronics required are VERY expensive if the output is to be high quality.

As far as I have heard, they also get hold of copies of the original high quality DVD and copy that - in fact you may have seen the identification supers warning that the copy they are watching is a promotional copy only - so this is another source of early copies - often prior to, or just at the same time as, the movie is released in cinemas.

Just as a matter of interest, a high quality digital telecine chain (the machine that scans film and outputs a high quality digital video signal) usually runs to a bit less than a million US$, including the colour grading equipment (used to "tweak up" the picture to compensate for the limitations of the digital video environment compared to the original optical copy). These machines are mainly used in post production houses to move material shot on film into the electronic environment for editing etc.

I think the police may have over-reacted a little here - certainly the guy should be fined as it is against the law, and they do have a warning telling people not to bring cameras into the cinema, but this is obviously for his own use, so perhaps they could be a bit lenient.

If it has been mis-reported, and he actually had a video camera with capacity to record the whole movie, and that was what he was doing, then fair enough, he deserves whatever the court decides.

[buadhai]

If this is the same case that was on Thai TV news yesterday, the guy was actually recording it with the video function of his mobile phone. They showed some of the video on TV and the quality was incredibly poor -- major pixelization, horribe focus, etc.

He certainly had nothing marketable.

[cdnvic]

If this is the same case that was on Thai TV news yesterday, the guy was actually recording it with the video function of his mobile phone. They showed some of the video on TV and the quality was incredibly poor -- major pixelization, horribe focus, etc.

He certainly had nothing marketable.

But the buyers wouldn't know until they got home.

cv

[buadhai]

He certainly had nothing marketable.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But the buyers wouldn't know until they got home.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So, you've been stung as well, eh?

[thaitanic]

the guy was actually recording it with the video function of his mobile phone.

Remind me not to buy my bootleg DVDs in Cambodia

Can't believe they arrested him over this. How petty.

[cdnvic]

So, you've been stung as well, eh?

Twice. The cover was good quality so I assumed it was legit.

The price difference if you shop around a bit (and let your wife buy it ) between real and copied just isn't worth buying the bogus stuff.

Besides, I grew a concience. (Dang it!)

cv

[toss]

A flash in a Mobile?

Must be another incident I suspect...

[~G~]

CHANG YOO NAI?

[silentsoundcentre]

Hey guys,

If the police cuffs some one, you are complaining, they don't you are complaining too! That it was again a foreigner, maybe they are to stupid too do it the Thai way.

And by the way elligal is elligal, so don't do, only because many Thais do too.

I'm a musician, and I hate when people tell me, they are making copies from my CD. Should give the dead penalty for such offence!