back to article Chinese 'repurpose' Top Gun footage

China's state broadcaster CCTV has been left looking a bit daft after local netizens spotted it had swiped a choice snippet of footage from Top Gun. The outrage featured in a 23 November broadcast about an air force training exercise, in which "a target was hit by the air-to-air missile fired by a J-10 fighter aircraft". In …

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  1. g e

    Where's Andrew Crossley when you need him

    Someone ring him up and tell him there's a job for him

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re

      Or just hire Rush Limbaugh. He was talking about this weeks ago. Brits a bit behind on the news?

  2. Haku
    Coat

    Chinese knock-offs

    Next you'll be telling me they didn't actually go into space!

  3. Alex Walsh

    This story needs more Lewis Page

    He could explain to us how 25 year old films are more efficient & cost effective at getting confirmed kills than the Eurofighter.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    A bit like ...

    ... the way Russia "repurposed" part of "the abyss" for their vid about putting a Russian flag on the sea bed at the north pole.

    At least the US had the decency to make a new film when the showed the "moon" landings.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Y-yes. Any other Bart Sibrel fans here?

      "At least the US had the decency to make a new film when the showed the 'moon' landings."

      That and photoshopping all the pics of earth seen from afar, as we all know that in fact the earth is flat.

      1. ITS Retired
        Boffin

        When viewed from straight above the Earth looks round.

        Which would be the case when the Moon is overhead.

  5. Avatar of They
    Thumb Up

    Lewis said it already,

    Didn't Lewis say that the Chinese were about where the states were in the 80's and where Europe was around 2000?

    Stands to reason an eighties film clip was used then.

  6. Dave 15

    deliberate or accidental reporting

    Given the BBC's lack of effort when it comes to investigating and checking its journalists reprinting of a press release I suspect such a scam would work on them as well. I reckon a report that links alcohol to something tediously bad - even if patently not true - would be hugely popular with the BBC and splashed all over its website. Perhaps we could do something like alcohol linked to 90% of all software defects ever written.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Coat

      re: something like alcohol linked to 90% of all software defects ever written.

      That's probably true though.

      Mines the one with the half bottle of scotch in the pocket.

      1. Ian Michael Gumby
        Coat

        WTF?

        Dude!

        90% of all of the greatest software ever written was conceived out of an alcohol induced stupor.

        Ok, so I made my statistics up, but its still true. How many hack-a-thons done today would be successful if they were done sans pizza and beer?

        I rest my case. :-)

        Mine's the jacket that has two bottles of beer stuffed in the lower pockets.

        (And if they're empty, someone's going to owe me a couple of rounds!)

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Thumb Up

          re: greatest software

          How else would you explain jewels like Revenge of the Mutant Camels?

          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge_of_the_Mutant_Camels

      2. pj3090

        I can code perfectly well when I am tanked

        I just can't remember my password

    2. DavCrav

      But also to the best software ever written

      See the Ballmer peak: http://xkcd.com/323/

      1. BristolBachelor Gold badge
        Pint

        Drunk programming

        I seem to remember reading about some drunk programming that worked absolutely perfectly, but when sober the programmer couldn't make head or tail of the code or why it managed to work when all the earlier code failed.

    3. bluesxman
      Go

      RE: deliberate or accidental reporting

      It won't be long before the BBC report that 90% of all software defects are as a result of misusing bisturbile cranabolic amphetamoids.

  7. LtJoker
    Go

    This article really...

    ...took my breath away.

    1. Darryl

      <title>

      G-R-O-A-N

  8. maclovinz
    Grenade

    CCTV...You can be my wingman anytime....

    Bullshit, there's no way in HELL that's happening.

    Grenade go BOOM now.

  9. Graham Marsden
    WTF?

    That's as bad as McGuyver....

    ... nicking footage from The Italian Job!

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Cockup not conspiracy (well not a big one)

    I see it this way.

    Their new whizz-bang fighter does a launch of a missle which knocks the target into next Wednesday.

    However reviewing the footage of the test, it becomes clear the quality of images is lacking.

    So they rifle through their footage of other tests - nothing that makes the grade.

    Go on line and find something that looks right says one panicky middle ranking official.

    And unfortunately due to some shortcomings in translation software they end up a website called "Tribute to the greatest homoerotic films of all time".

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Black Helicopters

      Cockup, or standard practise

      Given the secretive nature of China, either they didn't film it in the first place, or the military didn't release the footage, hence the (state) media had to "get some appropriate footage" from another source.

    2. ian 22

      Panicky middle ranking official says....

      Photoshop, or it never happened!

      Can they be sued for copyright infringement? Bloody cheap propaganda when they have to nick it.

  11. disgruntled yank

    The real question

    What's the Chinese for "You've lost that loving feeling?"

    1. Geoff Spick
      Coat

      You can't guess

      What's the Chinese for "You've lost that loving feeling?"

      I think you'll find its "Rou've rost that roving feering" -

    2. Stumpy

      Try ....

      你已經失去了愛的感覺

      1. virushunter
        Paris Hilton

        Lost love feeling

        Took me a while to get that one. For people studying simplified characters:

        你已经失去了爱的感觉。 (Ni yijing shiqule aide ganjue. You already lost love feeling.)

        Even if you drop the "yijing" (it's kind of unnecessary), it does not fit the song quite right. Perhaps one of the pilots of the new fighters will attempt their own translation when serenading China's Kelly McGillis.

        There are some jokes involving Xenu and homosexuality (both male and female) in China running through my head, but I guess I should cut it short here.

        Paris, 'cause she gets serenaded all the time.

  12. Ian Michael Gumby
    Black Helicopters

    Guess again!

    Look, these guys blew their budget on the fighters and well lets face it, life size drones are very expensive.

    So rather than create some sort of footage of a scale model blowing up, they got creative.

    I can understand it. A T-5/F-5 is still advanced tech in 3rd world militarizes?sp? so why waste one for PR?

    My only question... where's the MPAA on this? Shouldn't they be suing the Chinese government for copyright infringement?

    1. Disco-Legend-Zeke
      Pint

      Exploding Aircraft...

      ...all look alike.

      On the other hand, the Death Star explosion was a hella cooler.

  13. atomicrocketturtle

    Hey China...

    You'd better call Kenny Loggins, because you're in the danger zone.

    1. Annihilator
      Go

      Aye

      Steve Stevens jamming out the Harold Faltermeyer score in the background was their first clue..

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    MPAA on the case

    MPAA: You ripped the movie DVD!

    Chinese gov: Not at all, we downloaded it from a p2p network.

    MPAA: Oh, sorry, carry on then... Hey, wait a minute!

  15. Inachu
    WTF?

    HAHAHA not so fast!

    I have a print screen of CNN reportign on nukes at North Korea and Iran and both articles used satelite imagery of the same nuke plant while CNN was claiming both were different.

    It just means a news agencies art dept is lazy.

    no matter the new source or country it seems everyones art dept is LAZY!

    1. NogginTheNog
      Coat

      Quel surprise!

      "no matter the new source or country it seems everyones art dept is LAZY!"

      If they're filled with art school grads then that's to be expected shirley?

      1. Naughtyhorse
        Joke

        true

        but stop calling him shirley

  16. Queos lvl42 mage
    Paris Hilton

    CGI baby!

    Would have been better if that T10 shot down a TIE fighter.... or to put it politically, shot down an X-Wing....

    Damn! That would offend numerous Mr X. Wing(s)..... Y-Wing? No, that's his wife.... ummmmmmmm

    A Colonial Viper perhaps?

    :)

    I learn from Mr. Obama that they have the fastest super computer..... meh, probably used for nuclear stuff and breaking other super computers, not CGI. Dunno.

    Paris cuz she dunno, either....

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Stop

      I think the politically acceptable choice is.....

      An original Battlestar Galactica Cylon fighter! (you can't use the new series, because some of the Cylons in that are actually really attractive!!)

      Another option would be to paste in Alderaan getting blown up in the first Star Wars movie.

      And I suppose this means that "Top Gun" is actually a documentary?? Damn! I know naval aviators get some chicks, but I didn't know that Meg Ryan had really married poor, doomed Goose! I knew I should have gone to the Naval Academy out of high school!!

      The stop sign, because you need some appropriate traffice controls when you are on a highway to the danger zone.....

  17. JanMeijer

    CCTV?

    Am I alone in thinking that CCTV as an acronym for the national television operator in a state known to have a liking for media control is a bit ... funny?

  18. JaitcH
    Unhappy

    Just exercising their ...

    'Fair Use' rights (See: < https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Fair_use >) which is permitted in United States copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders.

    However, they should have post a hat's off to the source.

  19. The Infamous Grouse
    FAIL

    Raiding the Hollywood back catalogue

    As posted elsewhere, this is actually a double con if we're supposed to believe it's new footage of the J-10 in action.

    It's actually over a year old and comes from the Chinese propaganda movie 'J-10 On A Mission'. Not only does this film apparently rip the visual effects from 'Top Gun', but judging by the last few seconds from this link it also appropriates the theme music from 'Independence Day'.

    http://english.cctv.com/20091116/101150.shtml

    I would love to get hold of a copy of the full length movie, just to see what other American IP they've appropriated.

  20. John Tserkezis

    Why is everyone surprised?

    The chinese have pinched some IP.

    And they'll get away with it. (being found out as just plain lazy doesn't count apparently).

    Shock horror, that's never happened before...

  21. asiaseen

    More to the point

    who would even put an AAM on a fighter on its first test flight, let alone fire it?

  22. veti Silver badge
    Pirate

    Big whoop

    Show me the producer who claims they've never *ever* used stock photography or footage without proper attribution, and I'll show you a liar.

    The Chinese had a missile test. Whether or not it went well - who knows, we probably never will - but either way, their own film of it was crap. So they decided to report it as successful, and use some better footage that shows the same thing happening.

    A misdemeanour, but hardly a casus belli.

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