Independent filmmaker feels the effect of piracy

It took Greg Carter (38) three years to collect $250,000 for writing, directing and producing the film 'A Love Story Gang Land´,a raw, urban retelling of Shakespeare's classic ´Romeo and Juliet´. Since the DVD release in July, the public has embraced Carter's film: more than 60,000 people have viewed the film via the internet, giving the independent filmmaker a large fan base.

This popularity on the Internet comes with a high price, Carter said to LA Times. The viewers of his films have downloaded pirated versions of the movie, without ever having to pay for it. Carter estimates that the illegal downloads him have cost him about $100,000 in revenues. He has no hope that he will ever see any profit. "The big studios can absorb it, but guys like me, we're not millionaires. We're fighting like crazy for every dollar, every nickel, every penny just to survive in this marketplace."

Source: LA Times