Hell of a gimmicky viral campaign, nonetheless.

That wouldn't make much sense to me, because theaters actually help studios by guaranteeing that each viewer pays something. While it's true that with an $8 theater ticket, the production company is going to get about $5 to split between the companies involved in the production. If the company sells an online pass for $6, how do they control how many people are on the other end of screen?

If my GF and I go to the theater on opening night, the production company gets around $10 (using my example), but if we download it and watch it on my TV, the company gets $6.

This is viral marketing for what is inevitably a shit film. Don't be alarmed.

Kicking off a viral marketing campaign by leaking thousands of your employees SSNs, address and salaries (from a company perspective salaries are always kept quiet so the employee doesn't have any leverage when contract negotiations come up) is probably the dumbest idea ever.

Can you actually confirm that these leaks occurred, or were they just reported on?

Yes, they happened.

I'm not sure what evidence I can give that will satisfy you (I don't have any links to the initial leak that are still active). I did, however, casually sift through the initial leaked data with a co-worker had some information leaked when he worked at Sony Animation (full disclosure, I work at a VFX studio) helping him look for other co-workers that had Sony ties since we were among the more technically-savvy people at the studio.

I can also give you a link to VFX soldier, which is generally a pro-VFX-workers anti-abusive-industry-practices blog where he talks about how many people in the media are looking for help to find and/or parse the information. There is some links to torrents (I've not verified them, personally though).

http://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/keep-digging/#comments

Well I'm certainly willing to admit that I'm wrong, but I still find the timing of all these things to be highly suspicious.

Personally, I'm highly suspicious that you're too lazy to even do the most basic research before conclude what's happening.

I don't know if N Korea is behind it or not, but I can assuredly rule out that it's some viral stunt to get people to see the movie when the bulk of the information being released is damaging to the company and the employees of the company (to the point where the CEO had his outlook PST leaked) and they ended up pulling the film after theater owners became antsy.

Look, no need to get testy.

It's just as likely that it's a government op to shore up support for coming internet legislation.

Sony is probably just piggybacking their marketing campaign on the news.

Look, no need to get testy.

I made an observation based on the evidence that I had to spoon-feed you the merits of this story. Assuming you were interested in the story for anything other than a one-liner, shouldn't one be expected to at least be familiar with the circumstances? If you are offended at that observation that it seems like you are unwilling to spend the time to investigate, then, well, that's on you.

It's just as likely that it's a government op to shore up support for coming internet legislation.

Considering your OP mentions that no one needs to be alarmed, isn't the accusation that the government is leaking a private business's documents to bolster support for restrictive legislation quite alarming? Either you've flip-flopped simply because I spoon-fed you information (which would concerning in itself), or you really have nothing and are simply backtracking over your pride that supposedly don't have.

Sony is probably just piggybacking their marketing campaign on the news.

Considering the film won't be released at all domestically, I'd say the marketing campaign failed, no?

If you honestly believe Sony is gonna shitcan a movie over this...

You know my reply had more than 1 line that for some reason you decided not to reply to. Curious.

If you honestly believe Sony is gonna shitcan a movie over this...

A) I stated domestically, specifically the domestic box office. You do know what that is, right?

B) Modern film revolves around the domestic box office. Opening box office numbers essentially determine the contract that the modern streaming, digital and syndication contracts are determined.

C) Generally from my experience working on film, you're not even thinking about the home theater release date before opening weekend. All of that is determined after, because the longer a film can be kept in the theatrical run in a number of territories, the longer you want to wait for the home video version.

D) Could the Interview be transitioned to Direct-to-Video? Sure, but that sure as shit won't happen in a week, or month, or several months. Assuming retailers want to carry it, it would at least be 5-6 months from now after-which the hype would have completely died out.

I do think your lack of understanding the timeline is really affecting your judgement here. That combined with your unwillingness to address other points that I have made ultimately makes me question your motives and interest in the story.

http://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/keep-digging/#comments

Considering you took 9 minutes to write this after my last post...I'm going to guess you have a substantial interest to serve in this case.

Or it could just mean that I'm multi-tasking on a computer. But as I've mentioned, I have coworkers and friends that had their information leaked, so I have been following the case. When you work in an industry, you tend to notice and follow things that could undoubtedly have a cascading impact on the place you work for and friends you've acquired.

Again, you've failed to address any of the points I brought up. Why are you ignoring them?

http://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/keep-digging/#comments

Ha!

Dude you've played your hand. Am I really supposed to believe that the casual /r/conspiracy surfer has intimate knowledge of sales and marketing schedules of major film releases? Screenshot.

Deleting posts in...3, 2,

Why would I delete my posts? I absolutely stand behind them. It's really a shame you assume I'm a lair because apparently you don't like my responses.

It's also not hard to disseminate some of this information when the line producers generally walked me through the process on the animated first film I was a part of. You know, the questions like why are we working on the special features for the DVD now but not the menu? How do we know if the film we worked on is making a profit? Hey, producer, this data is 3 months old, can we delete it? Why did the release of film X move from this date to that date? When you ask these questions, generally after-hours at the employee hangout bar, you'd be surprised on what they let you know and the reasons for it.

Again, however, you've utterly refused to address my points. Why?

I thoroughly enjoy the fact that you think we're having some kind of "debate"

When in reality I'm just egging you on and you are divulging shamelessly that you are a movie industry shill.

Of course you're trolling, I've already figured as much.

Shouldn't you have learned I work in film when I said ("full disclose: I work in VFX")?! (or may the 30 or so times I've stated as much in the year I've been commenting on Reddit) Am I not suppose to care about the people I work with?

http://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/keep-digging/#comments

I don't give a good fuck what your "intentions" are.

You are a movie industry stooge, in a conspiracy forum, defending the altogether likely scenario that the NK hacks, and subsequent film release delay are not an absolute fucking farce.

Which, undoubtedly they will be proved to be.

It's already mainstream news

I don't give a good fuck what your "intentions" are.

Then why bother commenting to my posts, again and again and again? Who's getting testy now?

defending the altogether likely scenario that the NK hacks, and subsequent film release delay are not an absolute fucking farce.

I mean, I already sent you links to the download location of the leaks from a pro-vfx workers blog (for the record, I'm pro-vfx-workers), and within the leaks I've parsed there are shitty things (SSN, visas medical records that no one but criminals want) but there are some truly valuable things that can help improve vfx working conditions (salary listings, and evidence that suggests that government subsidies suck and aren't working). These things give the once-in-the-dark employees a ton of additional leverage when it comes to contract talks time.

From a conspiracy standpoint, it doesn't make much sense to bite the hand that feeds given the relations between the government and the MPAA. That doesn't mean I support the theory that it was NK. I just don't think that A) Sony perpetrated the leak of their own data or B) that the US government perpetrated the leak of Sony's data.

http://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/keep-digging/#comments

For the record I have not received nor viewed any of the links you claim to have "sent"

I have dealt with your kind here before. The quote/reply is a favorite amongst you. It's been fun, good luck and may the truth have it's day!

http://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/keep-digging/#comments

You mean this link that I've never 'sent' but was in my second comment after you questioned the authenticity of the hacks? Are you sure you're just not playing a game of selective reading?

And just in case you missed here, let me add it too all of my comments to you!

http://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/keep-digging/#comments

Night bro.

Hey, what's it like to sell your soul?

Night troll. http://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/keep-digging/#comments

And it got TPB shut down in the process.

Yes, they happened.

I'm not sure what evidence I can give that will satisfy you (I don't have any links to the initial leak that are still active). I did, however, casually sift through the initial leaked data with a co-worker had some information leaked when he worked at Sony Animation (full disclosure, I work at a VFX studio) helping him look for other co-workers that had Sony ties since we were among the more technically-savvy people at the studio.

I can also give you a link to VFX soldier, which is generally a pro-VFX-workers anti-abusive-industry-practices blog where he talks about how many people in the media are looking for help to find and/or parse the information. There is some links to torrents (I've not verified them, personally though).

http://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/keep-digging/#comments

Well I'm certainly willing to admit that I'm wrong, but I still find the timing of all these things to be highly suspicious.

You know my reply had more than 1 line that for some reason you decided not to reply to. Curious.

If you honestly believe Sony is gonna shitcan a movie over this...

A) I stated domestically, specifically the domestic box office. You do know what that is, right?

B) Modern film revolves around the domestic box office. Opening box office numbers essentially determine the contract that the modern streaming, digital and syndication contracts are determined.

C) Generally from my experience working on film, you're not even thinking about the home theater release date before opening weekend. All of that is determined after, because the longer a film can be kept in the theatrical run in a number of territories, the longer you want to wait for the home video version.

D) Could the Interview be transitioned to Direct-to-Video? Sure, but that sure as shit won't happen in a week, or month, or several months. Assuming retailers want to carry it, it would at least be 5-6 months from now after-which the hype would have completely died out.

I do think your lack of understanding the timeline is really affecting your judgement here. That combined with your unwillingness to address other points that I have made ultimately makes me question your motives and interest in the story.

http://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/keep-digging/#comments