CinemaCloudWorks, a cloud-based system for theatrical planning, booking and settlement, has launched a secure screener service called SmartScreeners. The service runs on iScreeningRoom and is designed to make leaked review copies of films easier to trace.
Piracy remains a costly problem for the film business. A Digital TV Research report estimated that about $31.8 billion in revenue was lost to piracy in 2016, and it projected that the figure could reach $52 billion by 2022.
SmartScreeners tackles one weak point, which is the screener itself. Each copy carries a watermark burned into the picture that shows the viewer’s email address and phone number. Unlike the removable watermarks found on many online screener services, these cannot be stripped out, according to the company.
Cheaper and faster than discs
The service needs only an internet connection. Viewers can watch on phones, tablets, laptops, desktops and smart TVs, and delivery is instant, so nobody waits for a package.
Price is another selling point. SmartScreeners costs $5 per screener, while a physical DVD from a typical fulfillment house can cost up to $25. Those discs also tend to use generic watermarks that are easy to hide, and they take time to arrive.
Scott DeSapio, the company’s chief technology officer, said many studios feel safe once they see a personal watermark on a screener. In practice, he noted, most of those marks can be removed quickly.
Harmon Kaslow, the company’s president, said people in the industry tend to resist change. Still, he warned, following common practice will not protect anyone if a film leaks, and people could lose their jobs as a result.
