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Topic: House light cues...

Carl King
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 199
From: Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 05-25-2000 10:31 PM

regarding house light cues. In my cinema we place the house light cue a foot or so after the credits begin. Very few people stay to read credits and we err on the side of caution by raising the house light so our patrons can find their way out. During the trailers our house light remain at half until the Feature Presentation trailer is finished. This is , again , a courtesy to allow patrons to find their seats. Not everyone is on time, you know.

Russ Kress
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 202
From: Charleston, WV, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 05-25-2000 11:14 PM

We push the button and the TA-10 takes over. The motor starts and the house lights fade very slowly to half-light. At "start plus seven seconds" the xenon ignites and the previews begin. We don't play policy trailers, so the last preview shown is the Dolby Digital snipe. We like "Canyon" the best but it is no longer being made so we are taking extra care of the ones we have. Our "make-up" guy has nailed the lights-out que to dim the lights to "out" simultaneously with that final pulse from the subwoofers on that trailer. It's kinda cool to watch.

Russ

Jesse Skeen
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1517
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 09-14-2000 12:27 AM

I worked for a long time at a place that used those Xetron "opticues", which are on my list of things that never should have been invented. I could write a very long list of films I'd seen there (before I started working in the booth and fixed this problem) that had the ending ruined by having that square flash onscreen, and then everyone I bitched about it to would tell me I was the only one who noticed it! ;(
I'm amazed that nobody's ever sent any notes with films asking not to use visible cue tape during the movie; "Any Given Sunday" came with a note saying not to raise the lights until the very end of the credits.
Cutting opticues in half will GREATLY lessen their chance of being seen onscreen and will still work if you have the sensitivity adjusted right. If you can find the frame lines on flat movies they are impossible to show onscreen that way, you still have to be careful with scope films though- yes, cut-to-black endings are the best, otherwise I waited for a good space in the credits to hide the cues between lines of text, which I usually could not see onscreen even when I was looking for them. I fear that with me gone from that theater, presentation is going to go to hell just from that alone.
Even WORSE than those opticues though is stick-on labels with bar codes printed on them. I've never had to work at a place that uses these, but I had the last scene of one used movie destroyed after I peeled off the tape and it left enough residue to pull 2 layers of film through the platter! Whoever invented these obviously doesn't watch movies.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 09-14-2000 12:52 AM

Modify the readers to scan the edge of the film. I always do that. I've done it with proximity detectors and those UA bar codes with 100% success.

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Michael McGillion
Film Handler

Posts: 18
From: Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 09-14-2000 05:49 AM

hey, I need to vent this and you guys are the only ones who'll understand why I'm pissed off

I saw Scary Movie at a single screen independant cinema in Jindabyne (Australia). First of all, 5 mins into feature the house lights came up to half (even though the cinema was full) and stayed there for 2 mins. Then, at the end of the film, the cue brought the house lights up before the film had ended (Cindy is screaming no and twirling about on the road). But wait, the best is yet to come. After the "Written by" credits, a "please put your rubbish in the bins provided" slide came up on screen. Then the 'projectionist' shut the dowser plate, so the soundtrack kept going but the credits were not on screen (but that dumb slide was). This was with half the cinema still seated. In my opinion, doing this to any movie is criminal (is it illegal?), and considering Scary Movie has that scene at the end of the credits I think this is pathetic.

What's the go? I've seen better showmanship at a major chain 12-plex than this.

Michael.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 09-14-2000 06:15 AM

Sounds like there was one too many cues on the print. Probably from a trailer change. I am almost certainly guarantee the automation did that and there was not a conscious effort on the part of the projectionist.

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 09-14-2000 06:52 AM

Watch out for sticky residue from cue tabs or bar code automation stickers -- the stickiness can cause a platter jam, and certainly holds dirt on the print.

Carefully remove adhesive residue with a film cleaner like FilmGuard.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com

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Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 09-14-2000 07:01 AM

quote:
will GREATLY lessen their chance of being seen onscreen and will still work if you have the sensitivity adjusted right.

That's not a sensitivity adjustment... it's focus.

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Better Projection Pays!

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