Hehe. I may very well be wrong as well.....s'why I asked. Like I said, last time I checked it was illegal...but it may very well have changed at this point as it was quite a while ago (read some years) that I last really looked at it.
That does bring a question to mind though...last time I wanted a copy of an adult-rated anime dvd (not hentai) it had to be ordered from the only Canadian distributer in Montreal. Makes we wonder if the anime/hentai is all coming through Quebec because of the more lax censorship laws.
And agreed that the law isn't very well enforced if it still stands the way I remember. Though ya gotta question why the importers have to claim an age for cartoon characters at all.....
Hmmm. Have the Canadian laws changed that dramatically?
Last I checked it was illegal to "portray" a minor in such situations as well.....ie a 21 year old porn actress can't portray a 16 year old cheerleader, it would still be illegal.
Granted I haven't looked at those laws in a few years now.....
Yep, it's real....applied for in January 2003, granted in May 2004.
That said, I'm a little surprised it was granted a year ago and no-one noticed/complained then.
And, on a side note, anyone taking bets on what other companies have already joined the rush for patents on vapourware?
I have, over the years, found BD needles to be dull as dirt, and far more often barbed.
If you can find them in the right gauge (is 28g still the common size?), then Monoject would be the ones to look for. Much, much sharper, and maybe a barb every 500 or so. Then there's the Teflon coating for that non-stick feeling.:)
Congratulations, after a long time of lurking....yours is the post that finally sets me off and running....er....foaming at the mouth?:P
Granted, part of it is that several ill-informed monkeys have modded you informative as well.......
same movie companies that put the painter and stuntman out of work by producing as many movies as possible outside the United States
Nope.....well, to be honest yes AND no. You are completely correct that many TV shows, Made-for TV's, and movies are made outside of the US.
In fact, last I checked the number was about 25% depending on year, etc. This would be the total outside of the US globally. ie filmed everywhere else in the world. Canada seems to garner about 75-80% of that from what I can tell.
Now, bear in mind we're talking percentage of number of productions, not percentage of monies spent. If you want to talk total money spent.....the most expensive productions do not leave the US, except for on-location stuff. When I was actively paying attention to this stuff, total monies outside the US were more along the lines of 10-15%.
Doesn't really sound like too much from an out-sourcing standpoint, does it?
In fact, it's not, as even with those productions, the vast majority of post-production, special effects, etc are still done in LA. That means that (okay lets be honest here) Canadian produced shows are still only half produced in Canada in many cases.
Also, please, lets be honest about it as an out-sourcing issue as well......we are talking about SOME (and not a large number from what I can tell) people having problems finding work in LA only. This is not a national (US national, I mean) issue by any means, only one city, or perhaps 1 or 2 counties.
In future, as well, please try to keep in mind in such discussions that other parts of the US also "steal" jobs from the monolith that is the LA film industry.
The thing is....nobody ever complains about that aspect of it....why is that?
Oh, wait, maybe it's because that would show them to be the hypocrites they really are. Much easier to blame those EVIL canadians that are "stealing the food from our children" (yes, an actual quote from an interview in LA a cpl years ago, when this was all a big issue in the media).
The sad truth is that there are really several factors involved with productions leaving LA, and no-one ever mentions most of them. Most of them are monetary, but quite different from each other.
1/ Yep...it's cheaper to produce in Canada.
1/ A/ This is partly to do with the fact that that the Cdn dollar is weaker than the US dollar (not as much of an issue now as it was pre-Bush, since the Cdn dollar has climbed quite a bit). Things (payroll, props, locations, etc) simply cost less because of it. Not much to say about that, cause it's definitely true.
1/ B/ Wages. Like little piggies at what they thought was a never-ending, ever-increasing trough of food, IATSE members in the LA area have voted to have higher and higher wages in their contracts with studios.
While that is to a certain extent a natural function of unions, in LA this has become so extreme that it literally costs 100% more in crew wages to film in LA. When a low-end wardrobe person (read shopper) in LA makes $29US (last I checked...could be more by now as it's been a cpl of years) and it's equivalent in Vancouver (highest paid IATSE local in Canada) makes $20CDN (read $16.60US), that's a huge difference. Starting to see the problem?
These wage differences are all across the board, every group involved, from wardrobe to visual effects, directors guild, and even actors guild. In many cases, they're even more extreme than the example I used.
Also, keep in mind the example I used is for a shopper in wardrobe......ie the ONLY function this person has is driving to stores and purchasing clothing in large quantities, then returning clothing that was unwanted and/or unused. How is t
" Decent set of headphones, unless you're hooking your computer to your nice stereo system. Headphones are *far* cheaper (I'd say roughly order-of-magnitude) for equivalent quality than speakers. They also give a better stereo effect. Aim for at least $80, and listen to 'em. You will lose some bass, unfortunately, which a lot of people like -- but if you live in a college dorm or play games at night, you aren't going to be able to shake the neighborhood anyway"
Yep....totally agree here........in fact, if I may make a suggestion......
a good set of sealed headphones may make a huge difference as well. Not only won't they wake the neighbors, they won't even wake the cat in your lap. And they, by nature, tend to be a bit bassy. I've found the Sennheiser HD280Pro or HD212Pro to be a nice, inexpensive choice............. $99 or $50 from headphone.com.
Slashdot Mirror
That does bring a question to mind though...last time I wanted a copy of an adult-rated anime dvd (not hentai) it had to be ordered from the only Canadian distributer in Montreal. Makes we wonder if the anime/hentai is all coming through Quebec because of the more lax censorship laws.
And agreed that the law isn't very well enforced if it still stands the way I remember. Though ya gotta question why the importers have to claim an age for cartoon characters at all.....
It's probably a LOT more precise than what often passes for "logic" here and......gives a whole new meaning to "slashdot" too.
Hmmm. Have the Canadian laws changed that dramatically? Last I checked it was illegal to "portray" a minor in such situations as well.....ie a 21 year old porn actress can't portray a 16 year old cheerleader, it would still be illegal. Granted I haven't looked at those laws in a few years now.....
Yep, it's real....applied for in January 2003, granted in May 2004. That said, I'm a little surprised it was granted a year ago and no-one noticed/complained then. And, on a side note, anyone taking bets on what other companies have already joined the rush for patents on vapourware?
Maybe too late for this, but....
:)
I have, over the years, found BD needles to be dull as dirt, and far more often barbed.
If you can find them in the right gauge (is 28g still the common size?), then Monoject would be the ones to look for. Much, much sharper, and maybe a barb every 500 or so. Then there's the Teflon coating for that non-stick feeling.
Granted, part of it is that several ill-informed monkeys have modded you informative as well.......
same movie companies that put the painter and stuntman out of work by producing as many movies as possible outside the United States
Nope.....well, to be honest yes AND no. You are completely correct that many TV shows, Made-for TV's, and movies are made outside of the US.
In fact, last I checked the number was about 25% depending on year, etc. This would be the total outside of the US globally. ie filmed everywhere else in the world. Canada seems to garner about 75-80% of that from what I can tell.
Now, bear in mind we're talking percentage of number of productions, not percentage of monies spent. If you want to talk total money spent.....the most expensive productions do not leave the US, except for on-location stuff. When I was actively paying attention to this stuff, total monies outside the US were more along the lines of 10-15%.
Doesn't really sound like too much from an out-sourcing standpoint, does it?
In fact, it's not, as even with those productions, the vast majority of post-production, special effects, etc are still done in LA. That means that (okay lets be honest here) Canadian produced shows are still only half produced in Canada in many cases.
Also, please, lets be honest about it as an out-sourcing issue as well......we are talking about SOME (and not a large number from what I can tell) people having problems finding work in LA only. This is not a national (US national, I mean) issue by any means, only one city, or perhaps 1 or 2 counties.
In future, as well, please try to keep in mind in such discussions that other parts of the US also "steal" jobs from the monolith that is the LA film industry. The thing is....nobody ever complains about that aspect of it....why is that?
Oh, wait, maybe it's because that would show them to be the hypocrites they really are. Much easier to blame those EVIL canadians that are "stealing the food from our children" (yes, an actual quote from an interview in LA a cpl years ago, when this was all a big issue in the media).
The sad truth is that there are really several factors involved with productions leaving LA, and no-one ever mentions most of them. Most of them are monetary, but quite different from each other.
1/ Yep...it's cheaper to produce in Canada.
1/ A/ This is partly to do with the fact that that the Cdn dollar is weaker than the US dollar (not as much of an issue now as it was pre-Bush, since the Cdn dollar has climbed quite a bit). Things (payroll, props, locations, etc) simply cost less because of it. Not much to say about that, cause it's definitely true.
1/ B/ Wages. Like little piggies at what they thought was a never-ending, ever-increasing trough of food, IATSE members in the LA area have voted to have higher and higher wages in their contracts with studios.
While that is to a certain extent a natural function of unions, in LA this has become so extreme that it literally costs 100% more in crew wages to film in LA. When a low-end wardrobe person (read shopper) in LA makes $29US (last I checked...could be more by now as it's been a cpl of years) and it's equivalent in Vancouver (highest paid IATSE local in Canada) makes $20CDN (read $16.60US), that's a huge difference. Starting to see the problem?
These wage differences are all across the board, every group involved, from wardrobe to visual effects, directors guild, and even actors guild. In many cases, they're even more extreme than the example I used.
Also, keep in mind the example I used is for a shopper in wardrobe......ie the ONLY function this person has is driving to stores and purchasing clothing in large quantities, then returning clothing that was unwanted and/or unused. How is t
" Decent set of headphones, unless you're hooking your computer to your nice stereo system. Headphones are *far* cheaper (I'd say roughly order-of-magnitude) for equivalent quality than speakers. They also give a better stereo effect. Aim for at least $80, and listen to 'em. You will lose some bass, unfortunately, which a lot of people like -- but if you live in a college dorm or play games at night, you aren't going to be able to shake the neighborhood anyway"
Yep....totally agree here........in fact, if I may make a suggestion...... a good set of sealed headphones may make a huge difference as well. Not only won't they wake the neighbors, they won't even wake the cat in your lap. And they, by nature, tend to be a bit bassy. I've found the Sennheiser HD280Pro or HD212Pro to be a nice, inexpensive choice............. $99 or $50 from headphone.com.