Movies recorded directly from cinema screens are identifiable online by the tag ‘cam’ and for those prepared to download them, often notable for their poor quality.
As theatrical windows are now fairly short compared to those of just a few years ago, the prospect of ruining a movie for the sake of a few weeks has made cams less attractive than they once were. Yet in the summer of 2022, when at least four cam copies were spotted online and then traced back to two cinemas in the UK, this turned into a major incident.
The ‘cammed’ copies were some of the best to appear online in years so when a 24-year-old man was convicted in 2023 for fraud and copyright offenses, it’s likely that the UK cinema industry breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Film Content Protection Agency
Working alongside the Film Distributors’ Association (FDA), the Film Content Protection Agency (FCPA) is responsible for ensuring that when movies are shown in UK cinemas, nobody is able to walk away with a copy recorded from the big screen.
Given that copies have a tendency to end up on the internet, the stakes are very high indeed and could even affect day-and-date premieres in the UK. The good news for FDA/FCPA is that security is now holding up really well. Indeed, after the events of 2022, the remainder of that year through to the end 2023 was an all-round success with not a single leak from any cinema in the UK and Ireland.
“The success of the FCPA program was very apparent during 2023, with all theatrical releases being protected across the territory over the year,” says Simon Brown, director at the Film Content Protection Agency.
Two Years of Excellent Results
With 2022 fading into history, data shows near flawless FCPA performance for both 2023 and 2024.
“The last high-impact case, identified by film-forensics, was back in August 2022 involving a series of incidents at two cinemas in Liverpool. The end of 2023 marked an incredible and unprecedented 16-month period of protection from piracy in cinemas.”
The image on the right appears in the Film Distributors’ Association’s 2024 Yearbook. It demonstrates that even if ‘cammers’ aren’t caught in the act, once recordings appear online it’s technically quite trivial to identify the source of the recording, including the exact screen and time of day.
CCTV and suspects’ general conduct – including booking online, paying for a ticket by credit card, or preference for certain seating, can all play a part in their demise.
Other persistent risks concern diligent cinema staff. In addition to specific training on how to spot potential cammers, cash rewards help to keep everyone alert in the event of a live security breach.
“One of the FCPA’s core objectives focuses on the development and delivery of anti-piracy awareness and vigilance amongst those who work in cinemas across the UK and Ireland,” FCPA/FDA reports.
“In 2024, FCPA delivered 48 training events to in excess of 1,500 cinema staff, and the impact of this was evident in the 105 incidents reported by sites where staff had successfully spotted and disrupted illegal recording activity.”
Film exhibitors reported 155 piracy-related security incidents in 2023 so that may suggest that at least some would-be pirates lost interest or were deterred in 2024. Of those prepared to shoulder the risk, from a total of 105 incidents seven people were arrested and five led to police cautions.
The One That Got Away
The only incident that led to a leak in 2024 was traced back to a cinema in Scotland. In May 2024, film forensics investigators discovered that the audio track of a movie recorded in Glasgow was being made available online having been synced with the video of the same movie ‘cammed’ at a cinema in Mexico.
“The availability of local-language soundtracks often enhance a pirated film’s potential value and desirability, and cases such as this demonstrate the organized nature of the criminal networks in this field, and often internationally,” FCPA/FDA continue.
“The attractiveness of an infringing English soundtrack in particular is an added threat for cinemas here due to this vulnerability. The subsequent FCPA investigation in Glasgow quickly identified two suspects and work is ongoing with Police Scotland to progress this early in 2025.
“The recent Glasgow case represents the only high-impact case (albeit audio-only) over the past 29 months. Much of this successful protection can be attributed to the robust anti-piracy work being done in cinemas,” the cinema groups conclude.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
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