[Cdnone1]

People in my business (film, TV shows, commercials) are really suffering. A lot of people I know that use to make a decent living working in these fields have lost their jobs or have left because they can no longer support their life styles off the industry.
Rates are plummeting, work is evaporating and the industry is struggling to find a way to produce content without relying on the traditional income sources.
Not all the money goes to "greedy corporations".
I've been in the camera department thirty years. I spent a long time learning my craft and honing my skills to become a Director of Photography.
The amount of competition for jobs that don't pay anything close to what they did a few years ago is scary, and a lot of us are wondering how things are going to work out when the public expects what we do for a living to be provided for "free" to them. In a way it has been for years because TV and MOW's where paid by the Networks or Cable providers and recouped by advertisers, but by downloading that source of revenue is eliminated.
So who is going to make these shows in the future if you can just get what you want when you want, bypassing any ROI on the product. It makes for a pretty tough business model!
I don't expect my lawyer, Doctor or the guy flying the plane to my shoot in Vancouver to work for free. I'm just curious why what I do should be?!
Most of you would be as completely lost stepping onto a sound stage or arriving on location and lighting a set and running a crew as I would be in your job, yet most people have no problem at all with me not being paid for what I do.
Not all shows make money and most shows that enter development ( spending money on them) never get made or reach the screen or tube, just like a CD. Everyone thinks the public is going to love their work, but they don't always, and unfortunately you still have to develop them and produce them to find out. That usually means a lot of people working and we would like to be paid so we can continue to provide you entertainment.
I know someone will always want to do my job and people (myself included) are doing it for a lot less than we use to charge, but there may be a day when you just get someone who can take a picture not craft a series of images enhancing the escapism you are trying to enjoy. Then wait till you hear the complaints about the "crap Hollywood puts out".
Stealing is still stealing and if the people who paid for the production wanted to give it away that should be their choice not yours.
That's why it's illegal, they paid for it, they own it, not you.
Steve Vernon csc