An anonymous interview with a former participant of the cutting scene. Part 3

I present to you the last part of the interview, in which I selected all the remaining questions. Of course, there is a chance that I missed something interesting, as side discussions have arisen in some branches, it’s unrealistic to read all 1600 posts of the topic, including other people's answers. In this part there were a lot of controversial and unexpected statements for me. There were also just funny facts, which I also included in the translation, for the story, I hope not too tired readers.

1 part , 2 part
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ps I tried to smooth out the available coarse expressions, leaving only the original in some places, so that the emotional coloring could be clearer.

How did you find out about the scene?

I still remember very well how I downloaded my first movie through a 56k modem for 4 days. It was something. I really liked it, and I quickly realized that there was some kind of hidden structure that controls all this. This sparked my interest, and I decided to get to the top. Then it seemed difficult to achieve, and so far I have not quite realized how far this has gone, but nevertheless it was cool.

Why camripa, etc. so popular? Is the opportunity to see a movie a little earlier worth it to watch a shoddy quality, would it not be better to wait and download a good DVD rip?

Patience is a virtue ... most people lack it. The ancient wisdom “all good things come to those who wait” is unpopular today.

Has the struggle between groups ever reached the point where they put competitors under arrest?

Of course. There were several cases in German groups when they betrayed and substituted each other. = O

As a person who is involved in P2P, I want to ask: do you think that the problem is in the simplified access of people to pirated content, or in the devaluation of works that are piracy? Or, in fact, the latter - the result of the first?

Probably one of the most insightful thoughts that I read here. Congratulations, hit the nail on the head. I don’t think that “problem” is the right word here, but it also lies in the outdated distribution methods.

Interesting to know, have you ever pirated Bollywood (Indian) movies?

For each language, as a rule, there is a “stage”. The French have their own, the Spaniards have their own ... and also the Indians. As a rule, any available video is taken (usually English), and an audio track in the required language is screwed to it.

I have never dealt with Bollywood, but there are groups that deal exclusively with Indian material. Bollywood is huge :)

Can I get access to topsight if I don’t be a courier and don’t pay?

Who knows. Maybe your wife works on a music label. Or your uncle keeps a disc shop. Maybe you are the admin in the data center and no one will ask questions if you insert an extra block in the rack. Maybe you write reviews of games. Who knows. Do something!

What is this law that was passed sometime in 2005-2006, by which you can now go to prison for filming in a cinema?

I know a man who was once caught in a projector box with a huge camera on a tripod. They simply confiscated the equipment (which the group had given him) and in general there was nothing.

Several laws were passed, including the draconian 'Camcorder Law', which Bush pushed through, and there were also changes in Canadian laws and in several European countries. It is just a matter of time.

Where do you get the pure sound? Is someone sitting with a microphone at the very speaker?

In many cinemas, it is required by law to install headphones for the hearing impaired. They can work on FM / IR / RF, etc., sometimes they can be connected directly, sometimes they need modification. Either from the autokines (drive-in). There are other ways ...

Also, the sound is sometimes obtained from other groups who have no money for expensive equipment.

Have you considered drive-in, at least for the sake of sound? You can record a good quality stereo sound through the FM radio channel, and if you shoot videos there, it would be harder to catch you.

Shooting in a drive-in is useless. In the hall, the light reflects from the walls and enters the lens. In the drive-in rays go into space, the result is a dim picture, which is impossible to watch. Look at the STN releases - this was the experimental branch of a major film group that was shot in a drive-in. However, the sound is much better there than through FM: P



Have there been cases when another person made releases under the name of your group? How did you react, or how would you react to that?

Releases can be made only by the group, in accordance with the rules and standards of quality of the scene. Usually, many hands work into the release to make it perfect, each with its own special handwriting. Understand what I mean?

With all these watermarks, if I just go to the cinema and shoot a movie for the camera, what are the chances of being caught? Well, that is, if you do not delete any watermarks, do not process anything, etc.

Most likely, no.

There will be problems if you decide to repeat this adventure. By that time, MPAA will know that the pirate release has gone from there, and messages will be sent to the owners and managers of the cinema. If releases are repeated, MPAA agents usually appear there and try to catch a cammer. I know a case when 2 Kammera acted in one place and in the end they were framed.

Thank you for your work. Are you proud of the years you spent working in this field?

Good question. I do not think that “proud” is the right word. I bow to what I saw and what I participated in. So it will be more correct.

Can you compare the release of the film by your group with the publication of your interview here? In terms of fame on the Internet?

Frankly, I just ohrenel from such a proposal. I somehow doubted whether I would ever ask questions. Do I like internet fame? Not especially, although there is such. Playing along with your ego is a sure way to be caught.

What was the volume of the largest site you were on?
How many sites have access to better times?

The largest I personally was on was about 120TB.

There were too many of them. It is enough to be limited to only a small number of favorites, since I’m not at all interested in Korean porn or Spanish MP3.

Have you always repeated trips to the same cinema? How did you choose him? How did you choose a session?

I mean, it's much easier to record a novelty in a morning session somewhere in Muhosransk, Iowa, than at midnight in Disney's premiere or something like that. But on the other hand, if you come several times a week to a half-empty hall in a gray coat and with a suitcase, you will probably be suspected.

Ideally, of course, you will want to take care that you are not tracked for any reason. We must try to remove all the watermarks. As for how they go to work ... I heard people walk in groups of 20 people, friends, and with his wife, and one by one ...

What is your opinion about some of the people who put the scene releases on elite torrent trackers within seconds? And that the slots on topsites are now sold for only $ 20 ...

It's nothing you can do. Can there be respect between thieves? Not. Respect between friends, but not between thieves. When I look back, it seems to me that the fact that I never moved greed, served me as a kind of guardian angel. But each capital has its own red light district.

What was the best TS in your memory in 15 years and why?
How do you choose which groups to send greetings to nfo?
What is your favorite nfo drama?

Release "Flight of the Phoenix" telecine from Centropy. It was actually a telesync, shot in 24p in a controlled environment. Cool.
(comment of perev.) about nfo he did not answer



You do not think back to the scene?

At some point I decided to do something decisive in real life, which changed the course of events, time was lost, and most importantly, I saw how everything collapsed. Do not whip a dead horse. Leave while you can, and don't look back. Now I am a simple internet user. I’m sure I could launch IRC and start sending messages by the names I know — but why? Pull yourself back into the world from which I left with such difficulty?

Are you watching movies now?

Of course. I have a paid cable and DVR. Seriously. To squander. I don’t download almost anything right now, unless it’s something very special, or if my wife asks.

What is your position on the illegal exchange of films, music, programs and books?

Once I was completely on the side of downloading, but now I'm somewhere in the middle. For a person who sees both sides, this is a difficult question. The position that film companies and large companies in general occupy against their own clients, to put it mildly, is terrifying. However, this does not mean that you can steal their products.

How did you maintain secrecy / anonymity within the group, and at the same time identification, authorization, etc.? How could you verify that the person with whom you communicate is the one he calls himself (certificates? Code words, passwords, responses?)

Perhaps the stage and release groups could very much borrow from the spyware community, did this happen?

All communication takes place on the IRC channel with SSL and the blowfish encryption package installed. You usually know all the people with whom you have been dealing with for many years, or they have been recommended by the people with whom you have been working for many years.

The scene is as full of clandestine deals as it is full of honesty. Competitor groups that are seemingly in a state of “war” often deliberately create drama, although they actually work together, or are in general one group. It seems they all hate each other, it’s harder to accept the fact that they are at the same time. But it is so.

Of course. There was a lot of secrecy. Encrypted vaults / ripboxes. Encrypted member discs. Servers in Namibia. Anything and everything that can only throw a veil of legality on what is happening and to some extent complicate detection. It is the secretive nature of the scene that supports her life.

How many people are usually in a group?

There are small groups of 1-3 people, and there are 30-40.

Were there cases when you stuffed your face to a competitor who was noticed in the same cinema?

No, but I know one scener who really burned the car because of his tricks online.

How many cases do you know when agents of different organizations in 3 or 4 letters tried to enter the scene, successfully or unsuccessfully?

I heard only about one real case when the FBI managed to introduce his man into the group. Usually they find a weak link among the existing participants and begin to put pressure on it. Most often this ends up being the informant.

I am very interested in technical details. When you are recording in a movie theater, what efforts must be made to synchronize the camera with the frame rate of the projector? I think that in your time in compact cameras that are convenient for sneaking, there was no 24p mode yet, and if it was, it would be problematic to make the camera take shots with exactly 24 fractions. You do not know, new CMOS cameras with Rolling shutter are suitable for anything? And yet, do not share what models you used, and your opinion, how they were suitable for work?

Ooh yeah. Tech crap! That's what I like to talk about.

24p is an excellent mode, because it coincides with the frame rate of the projector - 23.976. Prior to this, the closest option was PAL cameras (25fps), we used them. If you shoot on an NTSC camera (29.97 fps), the difference with the 6fps film causes constant epileptic blinking / strobing. In 24p there is no such thing, but problems are still possible if the projector is not synchronized and does not work at the frequency that it should. CMOS, I believe, has always been worse than big CCDs. CMOS tends to shitly display dim colors, I think.

Favorite line of pirated cameras: Sony DCR - ** E

Why when I downloaded Toy Story 3, everyone spoke English there, and all the inscriptions were in Russian?

Because the video was from Russian R5, and the sound from the English track.

Have you had any nuke conflicts ?

Fuck yeah. Sheepnet was the curse of the whole movie scene. A bunch of freaks who themselves could not do anything, but they liked to criticize.

Nuke-nets and pre-nets are needed in the historical / clerical aspect. It is impossible to live without them, but it is impossible with them.

Are you satisfied with how much time spent on stage? I know many former sceners, and they all left because of health problems, or because they regretted that life is passing by, etc. Did you have this? Sorry if the question is too personal.

And yet, do you experience depression due to years spent on stage?

Depressed? This is too much. I prefer to think that I have a normal happy life. It seems to the majority that the people involved in this are some kind of criminals. I would say for the most part sceners - people from the middle class under the age of 35 years. You can not do one thing forever, at some point you need to think about risk, and understand that there are other important things in life. I would not recommend anyone to repeat my adventures, laws and technologies have changed a lot now.

Why did you do this? According to your answers it seems that you regret it.

I do not regret, but when I look back, I realize that it was stupid. It would be foolish to continue doing this for many more years. I do not renounce what I did - it is a reality, it is a dark world, hidden from most people.



Do you miss the stage? Do you keep in touch with any of your friends?

I do not miss the hours I spent on it, but I miss communicating with my friends and of course I miss the feeling of danger and excitement associated with it.

Do I keep in touch? Not. I know where to find them, if you suddenly need it. I am sure they also have clues, how to contact me, if that. People live their lives, just like me.

Did your real life friends know? I saw you mentioned that one ex considered it a second job.

Of course they did. It was impossible not to notice: p

Did you meet personally with someone from your group, or only via the Internet?

Yes, I personally met. But most can never do it because of the distance, etc.

Those who became informants, they tried to pass you or your partners? Or have you been warned in advance?

The informants do just that - inform. In the case of me and my partners, yes, it was. Some immediately fled, some decided to stay, and some wanted revenge. Many were scared to death. When you consult with a lawyer, it really becomes uncomfortable.

Yes, we were warned. You did not think that the police and employees in the bodies also love to download movies? :)

I wonder how you managed to leave. You were an integral part of the group, it would be difficult to leave just like that. Are other participants angry with you?

Are they angry? Of course. I still occasionally get bits of hate over the Internet. This comes from the belief: “I’m not leaving, and you should not !!”

Does language knowledge play a role on stage? Are there many people who do not speak English? Do you know any other languages, maybe you learned them from the scene?

There are people from all over the world. This desire to contribute, enhance the reputation to access. Yes, I know two languages. English is my primary, and the second language is very broken English :)

Did you have a plan in case the police caught you at the cinema, or did the FBI knock on the door?

Plan? A bag of chips and 5 cans of cola in the fridge to refresh when you get up at 3 in the morning to replace the guy from Germany who couldn't do his damn job because his daughter got sick or something. In fact, you do not think about such things. If I thought, I probably would not have done it.