(photo courtesy of the telegraph)
Illegal Dvd sales and
consumption are a staple feature of the Jamaican cinematic experience. When I
say illegal dvd I am not speaking about the disc itself I am speaking about the
illegal movie content that is on the disc.
I just say illegal dvd because most Jamaicans assume that the primary
thing stored on a Dvd is a movie. Cinematic in this sense is not limited to the
established movie houses of the Palace Amusement Co. Time to take a step away
from the establishment. Illegal dvds are, actually, the only way that some
Jamaicans consume movies and for those Jamaicans that only consume movies
illegally going to the established movie house is like going to a amusement
park like Six Flags. Well maybe it’s not like going to Six Flags but it is a
thrilling experience for them. This obviously applies to those Jamaicans in the
rural areas that are not exposed to the established movie houses that are
located in the two major cities Kingston and Montego Bay and the tourist town of Ocho Rios. It
does also apply to some of those people in the areas where the established
movie houses are located. It may be a
stretch to call their consumption of illegal dvds as an illegal practice in the
strict sense because it is a reflection of Jamaica’s great poverty and
destitution or low average per capita incomes.
The dvds are so cheap that it would only amount to a moral crusade if
the major film companies sought to halt the practice by putting pressure on the
government to enforce the law. Even if they remove the illegal dvds from the
streets people won’t automatically run to the established movie house because
in this impoverished and derelict economy it is still considered a luxury by
the many to buy a ticket at the formal establishment. Obviously there are those that use the
internet to watch and download films for free but that is not a trend limited
to Jamaica because that is a global issue. I am discussing the illegal dvd
sales and consumption from a Jamaican perspective i.e. how these dvds have
become a staple of the Jamaican cinematic experience from a cultural
perspective. The sale and consumption of
these dvds are representative of a particular form of interaction among Jamaicans.
In this case the more things change the more they remain the same….somewhat.
This is because these dvds might be a reflection of our great poverty as a
nation, poverty being a lifelong partner of most Jamaicans, but it does
represent some form of progress or acknowledgment by Jamaicans of the
activities in the wider world. As I have stated repeatedly film is an advanced
industrial product and our tiny market cannot support a significant growth
spurt for any film company through sales of the real thing. A lot of Jamaicans
are, however, fully aware of the trends in movies but can only experience them,
in some cases, in the most ragged form. In some cases dvd sellers are more up
to date than the Palace Amusement Co. and have more variety on display in a
ragged form. They remain up to date but cannot make significant returns and
still reside in destitution. They cannot escape the trap of Jamaica’s great
poverty.
Firstly, let me discuss the sale of dvds from an illegal
standpoint. The sale of these dvds are illegal in Jamaica as it is in most
countries. The campaign that is used by the police in Jamaica to target illegal
dvd sellers, and to convince members of the public not to buy, centres on how the proceeds of these sales
are being used to finance criminal activity. This is just a commentary so I
have not interviewed dvd sales men or any police officers involved in rounding up
the usual suspects and their contraband. This is not an academic exercise but
it is clear from general experience that this notion about financing gang
activity does not apply for all cases. I know that sales of these dvds cannot
be a special form of financing gang warfare in some cases because the product
itself is so cheap that at best, those selling these dvds are no better than
the itinerant vendors that sell box juice or soda. If illegal dvds are used to
finance gang warfare then so can the sale of box juice or soda. A simple
example will suffice here: the price of a soda, as sold by the itinerant
vendors, is JM$100 and this is a marked up price and considerably more than you
will pay in an established supermarket where the cost is around JM$60-$70. An
illegal dvd now costs between JM$50-150. In some areas dvd sales men ply their
wares in a similar fashion to those vendors that sell box juice or soda. ‘
Movie man here. Get yuh movie here. Only 100 dolla. Whe yuh seh? Mi have the
latest movie mi general… ‘American Snipa (Sniper)’ or ‘The Avengas’ (the avengers).’ Another option
for a lot of sellers is to lay out their dvds on a piece of tarpaulin at a
convenient spot on the roadside and people will stop and survey the titles
considering if they will buy. Again I have to question how this activity can be
a significant activity that finances gang warfare because when you go to
downtown Kingston, particularly the squalid areas, there are illegal vendors
that lay out their goods on tarpaulins anywhere in the road. They sell very
cheap women clothing (very ragged) and cheap women footwear (pulls apart
immediately after the first step for a lot of women). Their items cost just as
much as an illegal dvd and yet I don’t hear them being condemned for financing
gang warfare. It would be just as possible for the proceeds from the sale of
these clothing and footwear products to
finance gang warfare. This is because they are also operating illegally but yet
they dominate certain spaces in downtown Kingston. There are also the sellers
of agricultural products that operate in an illegal manner and a lot of those
individuals selling mangoes right now stole them from other peoples trees.
Nature is the kingdom of god after all and so it belongs to all. The police campaign
against the illegal dvd sellers is, therefore, questionable for many reasons
when compared to other illegal sellers. There is also a similar campaign
against illegal cable operators who definitely earn the kind of money that can
finance organized crime but it was recently revealed that an established
company called FLOW was also illegally broadcasting the content of some
American channels on its network. Could
it be that they are also financing organized crime? Let me think. It is all a
reflection of the gutter state of our economy and is not only linked to
organized crime. It is also a reflection of the perpetual cheapness that has
condemned several producers in the economy to the bare minimum.
The illegal dvd sellers are targeted because they are
selling a ragged version of an advanced industrial product in the form of
movies. The illegal dvd, therefore, looks like a more blatant rip off than very
cheap clothing or foot wear or agricultural products. Also a lot of them are
not in the streets by the way. Everyone knows that instead of going directly
through the seller you can go to the source where the dvds are produced. These
men can give you a ragged version of a film recently released like, The Age of Ultron, with Chinese subtitles,
straight from the internet. The product screams cheap from the case with a poor
quality picture of the film’s poster, to the cheap dvds on which the films are
burnt and the quality of the material on display in some cases. If a good
version exists on the internet be sure that the producers will find and
distribute it for sale. The product is also so cheap because the cost of set up
is just as cheap. You can go into any electronics store and by a set of blank
dvds very cheaply. The sale of blank dvds is big business for some electronic
stores. You would also need a computer
with the necessary software to copy or rip the the film to the cd. You also
need the knowledge of how to do it, which you can probably find in some youtube
video. The cost of set up is so cheap that the product is also cheap and if
they were good businessmen these operators and sellers would not waste it on
buying guns but on keeping the business going. The idea of taking over another
man’s business is out of the question because so many are doing it. You can
only survive as a seller by how you position yourself and whether or not you
have the latest films on display. Offering a reduced price is out of the
question because the product is already dirt cheap across the board. In some
cases the production and sale of the so
called illegal product is no different from the man that steals mangoes to sell
in the street to get cash. He does not make a profit. He just needs the cash or
he would have just eaten the mango he stolen. The difference is that with
illegal dvds stealing is more sophisticated and you require a more advanced set
up in order to steal so that you can sell. This is discussed in the strictest
sense because as said before the sale of these so called illegal dvds are the
only way for a majority of Jamaicans that consume the product particularly in
the deep rural areas. The film companies
could lead a moral crusade and claim that this practice is abominable etc but
halting the sales from a legal standpoint will not make most Jamaicans decide
to run to the established cinema house or buy the regular dvds. It is through
the sale of these illegal dvds that the majority of Jamaicans are exposed to
movies.
The variety on display by the so called illegal dvd sellers
is quite impressive. The variety is not matched by the quality in some cases
but for some people that is sufficient.
The sellers have most of the hit current releases, pornographic films, a
wide range of children’s films past to present and some Tv series. You can even
place orders for films and they will get it. I have several experiences that
made me respect the work ethic of these sellers and fellow producers. I will
share a few here. I remember being frustrated at not being able to watch The Kings Speech because, as usual, the
Palace Amusement Co. was not carrying it. Palace Amusement carried the film
much later after it was nominated for several academy awards. I wanted to watch
it because I read the rave review by the critics. The establishment let me down
so I consulted an illegal dvd seller on the street. I told him what I wanted
and the next day he had a pretty good version of the film ‘for awards purposes
only’. It was a big relief for me as a
movie lover. I also remember trying to order Boyz ‘N the Hood on amazon but it was unavailable at the time. I went to an illegal dvd seller and there it
was in its ragged display form of course but the quality of the film was pretty
good because the official Colombia
pictures dvd that I was looking for on Amazon was what I received in its
illegal form. Fully adapted. I used to avoid those dvd sellers but they
serve a purpose for movie loving
Jamaicans like myself that are limited in our exposure by the formal
establishment in some cases. When it comes to awards season if you don’t have
regular access to the internet you have to go through the illegal dvd sellers
or you may never get to see some of these films touted to win several awards. The Artist was a big hit with critics
in 2011 but if I did not go through the illegal route I would never have seen
it before it won all of those awards. Illegal dvd sales also apply to those
films already out on dvd but you’re still in no position to consume all of
them. I used to have dealings with a man from about 2005-2008 (much younger
back then and those were the years when illegal dvd sales really kicked off in
Jamaica. We were making the transition from VHS tapes) who would deliver illegal dvds to my house and most of them were of
high quality because they were dvd rips.
At the time I could not afford to buy all the films newly released on
dvd because when some films are newly released on dvd they cost considerably
more than what you would pay to watch them in the cinema. This is because they
have a lot of extras.
Well how are these illegal dvds consumed by Jamaicans from a
general perspective? Obviously I cannot speak for all Jamaicans specifically,
on an individual basis, because most of my comments are based on my own
observation of how people consume these dvds and what I have been told by fellow
Jamaicans regarding their position on illegal dvds. It is clear however that a majority of
Jamaicans from the lower income groups unsurprisingly support the sales of
illegal dvd sales because illegal dvds are designed to target them. In most
poor areas of Jamaica, of which there are many, illegal dvd sellers will be
there like the Jackson 5. In some cases the lower income groups in Jamaica
accept the ragged form of the dvds even when the quality is quite low. This
applies to some of the less well off salaried workers or the wage slaves who
don’t necessarily make the bare minimum but regardless of their qualifications
they still work for peanuts (those with bachelors degrees) in a stagnant
economy where the growth in per capita income is non existent in most sectors.
I have spoken to several of these less well off salaried workers and they
support the sales of illegal dvds. A lot of them only go to watch movies at the
established palace amusement cinemas when the 2 for 1 special is being offered.
There is a rank in terms of quality and Jamaicans will
consume them all. The lowest in the ranks in terms of quality are those films
recorded in the cinema itself. In those recordings you can see silhouettes of
people in the cinema moving around and you can also hear the laughter of the
audience. Many Jamaicans that buy these dvds will grin and bear it and it goes
to show how universal the idea of illegal dvds are in the poor areas of the
world because a lot of the illegal recordings in the cinema are not made locally.
They are made overseas and distributed over the internet. The Jamaican
producers find this version and offer it for sale. This normally applies to the
films that are high in demand. When a film is high in demand the major studio
clamps down severely on any sort of leaks (here is looking at you Wolverine) and so this is the only way
for some members of the lower income groups to consume the film. A lot of these
recordings are taken from China where the illegal dvd market is also strong.
They do try to provide some captions when required but the translation is
normally off and reflects the ragged quality of the product. Once dvd rips are
available (Utorrent) then the illegal dvd sellers will normally provide you
with better quality. Other low quality versions include the stretched screen
and the ones with a hazy screen and muffled audio. Some illegal dvds from
overseas even have their own template for presenting the film. A template of
the lowest quality.
In Jamaica these illegal dvds are consumed like any other
product but they circulate in quite an interesting fashion and suggests the high prestige that movies
enjoy in Jamaica. This is why I said
earlier that for the majority of impoverished Jamaicans going to the
established cinema house is a major event. This is because movies are
considered an advanced industrial product. In some poor, impoverished areas of Jamaica,
particularly the rural areas, there is a
constant lending and borrowing of films as if it is some form of currency for
bonding. ‘Yow yuh can lend me that movie?’ or ‘Remember fi bring back mi
movie?’ Illegal dvds are also a source for social bonding in the poor areas for
when Jamaicans congregate by the roadside to watch a movie most of the films
that they watch are on illegal dvds. This is how some Jamaicans experience
blockbuster material but in a more
ragged form far removed from the established practice. You know it acts like a form of currency
because when you lend a poor Jamaican a special edition dvd they treat it with
reverence in some cases. In other cases they don’t think much of it and treat
it accordingly like another disc. In some cases though it’s like the strong US
dollar vs. the weaker Jamaican dollar. The US dollar is a sign of strength or
the ability to purchase goods from overseas whereas the local currency is limited to
circulation in a ravaged local economy highlighted by its cheapness. It has no clout overseas. The cheap movie rip off on a blank dvd
circulates with regularity in the local economy whereas special edition or
officially released dvds reflect some form of well to do and is clearly a
foreign import which could only come by calling on our US dollar reserves.
actually the comparison probably doesn’t work but I just wanted to make some
mention of it. In some poor Jamaican
areas movies are the main source of entertainment on the tv screen particularly
in the deep rural areas where cable tv is nonexistent and the satellite dish is
still a sign of great wealth.
Well illegal dvd sales and competition are here to stay unless
the economy improves. The most significant indicator of national economic
growth (not just plain economic growth which accrues primarily to the owners of
the means of production) is the growth of the average per capita income. In
Jamaica illegal dvd sales and consumption are here to stay because this is the
primary means by which the majority of Jamaicans consume movies which are an
advanced industrial product. Movies have assumed a distinct place in the
current Jamaican cultural landscape because of illegal dvds. The established
movie house is primarily for the median to upper income groups. The majority of
Jamaicans live below the poverty line. They live in destitution and an abject
state of degradation thanks to our grand yet filthy colonial heritage. The average per capita income of Jamaica is
an annual return of US$5, 000. This is a reflection of great poverty and ruin
which is only held together by grand and fanciful ideals or blessings (highly
rated foreign currency) from above. A lot of Jamaicans become integrated into the
market for advanced industrial
products like movies through the
cheapest means. The cheapest means, in most cases, is an
illegal or very ragged version of the original, highly priced commodity. Only
the small number of petty bourgeois income earners in Jamaica can genuinely
afford the highly priced product. If the product is not consumed in its
cheapest form then most Jamaicans receive the highly priced product from
relatives abroad.
Illegal dvd sales are how Jamaicans become integrated, on a
general basis, into the movie mainstream.
The established movie house of the Palace Amusement Co. is far removed
from many Jamaicans. Regardless of the efforts of the moral crusaders in the
petty bourgeois government circles to criminalize the activity it has been so
intertwined in the social fabric that it can only be removed with a growth in
per capita incomes. A growth in per capita income will encourage people to
spend on the original, highly priced product. The low growth in per capita
income is a reflection of a weak and destitute local economy. The sale and consumption of these so called
illegal dvds is therefore another element that reflects the nation’s great poverty. This is the primary reason why it is so well
supported.
As for me, a genuine movie lover, I prefer to buy the
original product either when it’s released in cinematic form or the original
dvd. I like the original, studio released dvds because of the extras. The
extras give you a lot of insight into what makes a great film socially relevant
and a great technical achievement. My
collection of dvds are mostly original except in those cases, which I
highlighted, where the established retailers let me down. When the retailers
let me down I have had to deal with the so called illegal dvd sellers. The low
level of production for illegal dvd sales is not conducive when you want to
build a collection. Illegal dvds scratch and get lost pretty easily because
there is not much regard for them. Also the so called illegal dvd sellers have
little or no idea of the classic films. They cater primarily to the here and
now. I also prefer to watch films on a big screen. I build a collection as a platform
to critique and in order to do that you need
the best product available. I don’t just watch only or I would not have this
blog. I am not ashamed or feel any
regret of my dealings with illegal dvd sellers because I used to be like the moral crusaders from
the petty bourgeois classes that prided themselves because they were able to
afford the real thing. It was only the
sting of reality and the dire state of the local established movie
industry that made all things clear. I
have been humbled and I hope that others that seek to criminalize the activity
consider all the issues before they pronounce demented judgment. Criminalizing
the activity in such a demented way is another means by which impoverished
Jamaicans, the majority of which live in utter destitution with little chance
of redemption, are meant to be oppressed
and chastised for being poor. This is
one of the great legacies of our grand yet filthy colonial tradition. Obviously when a petty bourgeois company called
FLOW decides to illegally steal content from American companies it is not
really a criminal act in the eyes of the moral crusaders but it was probably just
a mistake or just unfortunate. Business goes on as usual. A man buys a Jm$100
illegal dvd and all of a sudden he is supporting gang warfare and all manner of
criminal activity, the seller should be prosecuted for making a living and
supporting the low income buyer, the seller should be condemned for his filthy
approach to making a living. This is
just another reason why Jamaica is a gutter nation or a nation in the
gutter. Instead of uplifting we hastily
condemn without coming to terms first.
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