In today’s fast access, internet capable world, it seems like everything is downloadable. This applies to movies, in both legal and illegal ways.

Peer-to-peer networks are the obvious source for movie downloads. Just like Napster and music, the “P2P” networks are a source of pirated material, but they come in different types. Most are straightforward file-sharing (where one person puts up a file, and the others queue-up to download from that person’s computer), but this can take quite a while and is subject to variable speeds and the file’s source staying on. The other major type is “torrents”, which take advantage of the networking capability of computers and string together streams from different computers, simultaneously downloading to all computers involved, while drawing from a number of computers as well, thus allowing for a faster download and somewhat eliminating the issue of the home source being turned off.

There are, of course legal ways to download movies. The various studios have been playing with various means, but have been experiencing various issues. The best that they have been able to come up with so far is to timestamp the file and that the file will destroy itself after a certain amount of time, but there is the problem in that the film may take longer to download than it was allowed. However, options are still be debated.

There have also been a number of artists that have found another way to take advantage of the internet. These artists make small movies, and then post them online. By making them small, they have quick download times, and the URL can be mailed or posted in other places. It can also be seen as a challenge by the filmmaker to parse the story down to its elemental aspects.