Cam (bootleg)

Cam or Camming (also "CAM" and meaning simply, Camera) is a specific method of motion picture copying, usually infringing upon a copyrighted work. Unlike the more common DVD rip or screener recording methods which involve the duplication of officially distributed media, "cam" versions are original clandestine recordings made in movie theaters.

Typically, the person filming the movie will smuggle a compact digital camcorder into the theater by hiding it in their clothing or in a bag such as a purse or backpack. For this reason and people bringing outside food in, some establishments now ban customers from carrying bags or other containers into theaters. The filmer then records the movie using the camcorder as unobtrusively as possible. They may try to pick a seat as far back in the theater as possible to avoid the attention of other patrons or may choose sparsely attended showtimes. The filmer may also know employees of the cinema who deliberately overlook infringement activity. Sometimes cam versions are made by projectionists themselves, either for home use or to distribute it for profit. These versions can be recognised easily as the audio sounds 'original', as opposed to 'muddy' or noisy. This is owed to the fact that program audio is not recorded by the built-in microphone of the camera, but rather by a direct electronic link into the stereo monitor output of the audio rack. These versions are typically referred to as Telesyncs. This way the frame rate conversion can also be avoided as the projectionist can speed up the projector to 25 fps and then use a standard PAL camera.

Starting in 2001, many major motion pictures started to arrive at the theaters with unique patterns of tiny dots embedded throughout the film, known as Coded Anti-Piracy technology. If the cammer is unable to catch and blur all of these sequences, the studio will be able to determine at which theater the cam was recorded.

A cam uses audio recorded via the camera's microphone. Because of the nature of the audiovisual recording method, the audience can often be heard laughing, or silhouettes can be seen as people head for the restroom or concession stand.

The overall quality of cam bootlegs is highly dependent upon the quality of camera used, the skill of the operator in framing the screen, minimizing camera movement, and the method of encoding used before distribution (Which is most commonly XviD). Cams are generally considered to be the lowest fidelity method for duplicating video and film content, somewhat behind Telesync and markedly worse than DVD rips or screeners. For newly released films, however, cams are often the only illegal copies available. One can often find these DVDs available from street vendors for prices equivalent to US$1-$2 (PPP) in the developing world.

Bootlegged copies of movies, normally taken using the cam method, can be found on the streets of almost any major city in the world.Fact|date=August 2008

ee also

*The Scene
*Warez
*List of Warez Groups

External links

* [http://www.legalaffairs.org/issues/May-June-2005/feature_lasica_mayjun05.msp The Prince of Darknet] - feature story in "Legal Affairs" regarding movie copyright infringement, May/June 2005
* [http://www.fightfilmtheft.org Information for cinema employees on how to fight CAM piracy]