Do you really think, Popcorn? I hope so!

I wonder if John Ford and Alfred Hitchcock wrote letters like that, back and forth?

JOHN FORD
Hitch, you oversexed Limey. If it wasn't for the beautiful blondes, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, your films would suck!

ALFRED HITCHCOCK
Shut up bitch. Without John Wayne and a hand-full of horses, you wouldn't be shit.

Yeah, I can hear that alright.

Mark M
Scooter Productions

I understand that downloading a program like premiere or whatever is wrong. I personally have illegally downloaded it and use it for my short films. My only problem is that i'm sure most of the films at this site have done something illegal. Downloaded a edit prgram perhaps. Most likely people have used music in an unotherised fasion and i don't believe for a second they got permission. Did all the film makers have permits to be in certain areas? I know you think you don't need this but i know a park ranger who was on the set of a movie because the government wanted to be sure no environmental problems were caused. How many of the films on this site do you think were perfectly legal? Not many. So just because some people downloaded a film editor doesn't mean it's al, free. These could be the same people who someday have their film illegally downloaded on the internet. How do they feel about that? Personally I don't care.

this is hypothetical:
lets say i was just a normal kid from Jersey(which i am) but i couldn't afford any video editing software. My high school did not have a media program, but I loved making simple, no tranition, edit in camera movies. I would see if companies like Adobe offered educational discounts, but then i still could not afford it. I researched and then decided that if i wanted to buy anything, it would be premiere. But wait! no money. And then my friend would come along and say "hey buddy! I could get you your program off the net, and it would cost ya only $10."

I think I would take it. I am a big fighter for morals, but in this case, all I would be trying to do is make a good movie or two in order to get into a good film school. No harm done to Mr. Adobe (im sure he has enough money anyway) or myself. I know downloading things like this are wrong, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices.

-jd

This is just one opinion, so take it for what it's worth!

If you're willing to sell your good name for ten dollars, you'll have no trouble selling it again for a better deal, later on! For example, when you get to college, and someone (an instructor in Film School) asks what you edited on and how you bought it, you have another choice - (1) lie; or (2) tell them you pirated the software in order to get into their school. So now you could be a thief and a liar, or you tell the truth and the instuctor never looks at you in the same way again!

Believe me when I say I know the feeling of not having the money to do what you want/need to do, but there is always a way - even if it isn't easy.

Perhaps instead of Premiere, FCP or Avid, you purchase PINNACLE 8 (from $59-$99, depending on where you go)? I have both PINNACLE and PREMIERE and use both. Why? I could only afford PINNACLE at first, until I saved for Premiere (Pinnacle is not that bad of an editing program for the price). Pinnacle has a "razor" tool, good transitions and tracks for added sound (music, foley, etc. I use it for small projects all the time.

Of course, I've painted the worst possible scenarios and I don't believe you are either a thief or liar! Heck, you could pirate the software for $10, become a major player in Hollywood, get on the LETTERMAN SHOW and tell the world you're sorry and that you've sent a check to ADOBE for $100,000 to start a student software fund, for others like yourself! Would anyone fault you? Probably not. The audience would probably applaud. But they also applaud actors who beat their wife and kids, get high, go into rehab, come out and say "I'm cured"! (I'm not comparing $10 piracy to drug addiction and spousal abuse - but that people will applaud darn near anyone that's famous!)

My only point is - your good name, reputation, character, morality, etc., is all you're going to have at the end of the day, (or the end of your career). If you damage it, you may have to work twice as hard to repair it.

The short version - think carefully and make the decision you think you need to make. That decision is between you, your conscience, God, Adobe, etc.

Good luck!

Mark M
Scooter Productions

that definitely changed my outlook