Maybe these bad short horror films will teach you not to pirate other, better movies
How does one go about creating an effective public service announcement about the evils of video piracy in 2016? These things are practically begging to be memed and mocked to death by internet trolls. What PSA, however sincere, could possibly withstand the indignities of 4chan and Reddit?
The Australian multimedia company Village Roadshow thought it might have a solution to the problem with its ongoing Unscene Short Film Competition, which asked aspiring filmmakers to create and post their own five-minute anti-piracy videos. It’s a legitimate contest with real cash prizes, but it seems like some filmmakers may not be taking the competition all that seriously. Mashable’s Johnny Lieu has been examining some of the Unscene Short Film entries, and it turns out that they range from “mildly ridiculous” to “utterly, bat-shit insane.”
Take Natalie Carbone’s You’ve Been Warned, for instance. Here, a young woman blithely bootlegs Scream 4, only to find herself plagued by a mask-wearing killer in a black cloak. Lesson learned?
You’ve Been Warned from Natalie Carbone on Vimeo.