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Evans, I think you are giving the manager a little too much credit. Most of the really good theaters are staffed with excellent operators (and in house techs) and it is THEY who keep things in alignment. I'm not saying the manager isn't important, but if you were to work at a theater I think you would understand. The manager has got a ton of things to deal with as it is regarding the floor operation and a lot more other things (paperwork of insane levels for one thing) than you realize. He/she does not have the time to personally deal with the booth unless it is a very small theater that does not do much business.

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I don't think I'm giving the Regal River Oaks manager too much credit. He's got at least 25 years of experience and although he is busy with floor operations a lot, he seems to keep excellent staff members and trains them well. I believe he gets involved with booth operations more than most managers, since he has the knowledge and technical ability to take care of things. He also has his staff constantly look for problems. Whatever he does works, and that location is measurably better than any other theatre in the Huntsville/Decatur area. I know that the manager is not the only determining factor in determining presentation quality, but in this theatre it is more of a determining factor than in other theatres. This theatre has had different booth people and different staff over the years, but the presentation quality has remained excellent and consistent. That says a lot for the manager, and I don't believe for a second that I give him too much credit. I believe all the Regal theatres in my area have the same "tech" guy, so nobody can argue that River Oaks has a better tech guy. It has the best, most experienced, most professional manager, and if anyone can prove to me otherwise, I'm willing to listen, but I have plenty of data and experience in going there to know how good that manager is.

Long ago, even Roger Frazee (VP of technical services at Regal) made a post here mentioning that manager, saying he was a true professional and that the theatre industry could use more managers like him. Here it is, from December 29, 2000:

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It is managed by Ralph Freehauf who is a true professional. He is dedicated to running a clean comfortable theatre and to putting on a perfect presentation. The industry could use more people like Ralph.

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Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Information Site

OTOH, a great manager will set the minimum standard for booth operations (non-union booths) and demote or fire those operators who don't match up. In union situations, these theatres are often seen as the "plums" and fought over by senior operators.

Make no mistake, I am not putting down the skills of any projectionists/tech guys/operators in any way, nor am I suggesting that the manager is singlehandedly doing all the booth work.

What I am saying is that a great manager will not only provide the proper working environment for good people, but he or she will be knowedgable enough to set and maintain excellent standards in all aspects of the operation.

The argument that paperwork keeps a manager constantly occupied can be a bit of a red herring. Many managers offload the repetative paperwork to assistants and employees, then review and correct the reports prior to signing off on them (even if this is against company policy).

There are some circuits that actively discourage such behavior because of the potential for loss of control, but a great manager working like this is often the primary source of the circuit's top new managers. The best thing a circuit can do with one of these gems is perform the standard audits and otherwise leave the person totally alone to do their thing. Such managers have little tolerance for interference, office politics, and policies meant as group punishment because some inept manager screwed up.

I'm in total agreement. A good manager will attract and keep good staff, gives them responsibility and clear expectations, and keeps on top of problems without "taking over". They provide the needed tools, time, and support for "Film Done Right". Good people won't keep working for a poor manager, and as news of the manager's bad reputation spreads, recruiting good people becomes difficult.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

I do wish you would take into account that print defects are far more important than show to show problems, for they are permanent and will affect every show from that point on. Having an aperture slightly out of place for one show only affects that one show, whereas dirt buildup or scratches (even if only at the reel changes) affects every showing of that print forever on. An auditorium that is too cold can be remedied by someone on staff altering the settings for the heater. A spill on the floor can be cleaned up. Stale popcorn can have a new batch popped. All of these things are easily "made good", but without a flawless print, the projectionist (or manager) is helpless in putting on a perfect performance. You must look at the bigger picture.

Hopefully I have been able to word this a bit better this time to express the importance of weighing print condition more as time goes on. Opening week is simply not a fair time to perform a print condition rating. For most theaters it is more like "yup, they haven't scratched it yet and the print looks brand new." ...but the print IS brand new! What about a few weeks down the road?" If you go watch "Lord of the Rings" tomorrow on the day it opens and the presentation is flawless, that really should not be a surprise to you and is NOT anything special, for it will have only been ran a couple of times. It's going back to see it in 2 months, to experience exactly (or better) the same quality you saw on that opening day that is impressive.

Jerry does have an excellent point regarding how a bad manager can drive away the good staff. I feel this is not only evident in the booth, but in the floor operations as well.

We got some Dolby Digital snipes with the new CP650's and they are truly complete crap. Even from brand new, some of them had printing errors. But most importantly, they are printed on stock marked AGS which seems to be simply cheap stock. Guaranteed, if I am having problems with a print it's on this stock. It simply flakes off spots tops and tails like no other.

My DTS snipes which have been running twice as long are in much better shape.

As far as TAP only checking during the opening day only......I think the reasoning is that most attendance is during this period for anymovie and thus on a priority level it is the most important day to carry out such inspection. Most dirt, scratches, and other print abuses happen from the get go and become apparent almost from the onset of a print's stay at a theater. An out of focus movie is still out of focus.......a misaligned roller still nicks at the emulsion, greasy consoles still contaminate the film.........staticky theaters almost affect new prints worse than older prints!!!!!!

I think that an excellently exhibited show stands out on its own!!! Even on opening day I think there is a difference. Check and see how clean the splices were put on by how much or little it jerks on the screen. Is the movie in focus..the bulb bright and not flickering.....all these little details are directly proportional to a theaters care on the film. Anyway thats mu opinion