Open Source Cinema - An Open Source Documentary Film about Copyright

Good ideas may not be scarce, but good content can be.

The primary problem is taking a good idea and making good content out of it. It doesn't happen without hard work and funding. You couldn't crowd-source the movie Lord of the Rings, for example. First, you need a script. It takes time to write a script, and in that time the writer has to keep fed. You also need a dedicated crew, even if only a small core, but the more experienced the crew the better. To get an experienced crew you need money, because while the crew is working on your film, they won't be working anywhere else. To get money, you need investors, and investors need a return on that investment. They want to ensure they'll get that return through trust in the producers to make a good product and force of law, that is, the copyright that ensures only people giving money back to the production will be able to use the final product.

This is an example for film, which is a bit extreme since film is an incredibly expensive medium and is therefore bound more by money than most others. But it shows why some projects might need the traditional model, while other projects could benefit more from a freer one.