John August is the writer and director of The Nines, a film starring Ryan Reynolds that...well...is kind of complicated but really good, or so I believe since I haven't seen it as yet.

However August is suggesting that now I can as it's available on BitTorrent, and from his perspective it makes no difference if I rent it or download it, as long as I see it.

Let me clarify, he's not at all suggesting that you turn to illegal methods to watch the film, in fact he does say that...

“Sony, Interpol and the MPAA will do their best...”

Yet as the man who made the film he just wants the people to see the film, and if the only way they will see it is through an illegal copy, then that's the way they'll see it.

“In fact, for a writer/director, there’s not a meaningful financial difference between someone watching an illegal download and getting it from Netflix, which distributes a limited number of discs to a large audience. Discuss.”

Of course there are a number of other great rental companies around, including Amazon and LoveFilm – and I'd recommend both through the links on the site!!

However he does offer up an alternative on his blog, that of the official DVD of The Nines and the extras, and here are the reasons why:

“- It has a ton of the usual special features: two audio commentaries, a making-of, gallery, deleted scenes (with commentary), and a bunch of Easter eggs.

- It has one thing I’ve never seen before. For the opening sequence, you can see the script scroll by in the upper half of the screen, matched up to the movie and the storyboards for each shot. It’s a lot to process at once — you’ll probably need to watch it a few times — but it’s very cool.

- You can loan a DVD, without passing along that troubling knowledge that you’ve done something illicit.

- If you’re seen buying (or renting) The Nines, you’ll immediately identify yourself as someone drawn to challenging, divisive movies. So make sure to put it at the top of the stack as you slide it across the counter.

- Hidden in five DVD cases are magical golden tickets.”

Of course he points out that the last item is indeed a lie, however the rest isn't.

I find this an interesting argument, and I have to admit that I have seen BitTorrented films before, however they were ones I had no intention of ever renting or going to see, and they had been passed on through friends.

Personally I like the experience of seeing a film in the cinema, and absolutely love a DVD in my home cinema with a whole heap of additional extras. I see that as a complete package rather than stuff I'll never watch, and I really do watch everything.

However, the studios are making their own bed by staggering releases. I truly believe that if worldwide releases were happening more often then we'd see less demand to see a pirated copy. Sure you'll never stamp it out, but having to wait months longer to see a film after it has been released in the US is just fuelling the fire.

What do you think?