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Topic: Returning trailers

Josh Jones
Redhat

Posts: 1207
From: Plano, TX
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 02-04-2002 07:05 AM

damn.......nice toaster

Josh

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John Pytlak
Film God

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

posted 02-04-2002 10:04 AM

Tim Turner's reason for not returning DTS disks: "I guess the main reason is that no one remembers to take them out of the drives after tearing down the print until new CDs from the next print are added."

Forgetfulness is NOT a good excuse. Please work with your staff to get them to return the disks with each print.

------------------
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

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 02-04-2002 10:24 AM

[I'm not in the biz but can't help commenting on this anyway]

Does not returning the DTS discs mean someone else who might need them at the print's next stop is going to be SOL? Seems like you are dissing your fellow projectionists and cinema operators if that's the case.

------------------
- dave
Avoid the meadow...

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Ken Lackner
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1907
From: Atlanta, GA, USA
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 02-04-2002 11:43 AM

Dave, there should be more projectionists like you! You're right on the money. Yes, please return those discs!

------------------
This one time, at Projection Camp, I stuck a xenon bulb....

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Karen Hultgren
Master Film Handler

Posts: 492
From: Agoura Hills, CA, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 02-04-2002 01:04 PM

Here is official word form DTS about the discs:

DTS trailer discs - you can do whatever you want with them.

DTS feature discs - you MUST return the discs with the print. The discs belong to the studio, not to DTS. If you do not return the discs, you are depriving other theaters in getting discs. Sometimes, the studio will not allow us to send discs to theaters who do not get them.

So, for all those who do not send back feature discs - SHAME! SHAME! How would you feel if someone was too lazy to put the discs back in the can? Let's try to be fair to everyone and support your fellow projectionists.

Thanks, Karen at DTS

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John Hawkinson
Film God

Posts: 2273
From: Cambridge, MA, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 02-05-2002 12:07 AM

A bit back, Frank Angel asked if Consolidated is still
in business. Yup, they still are. We got trailers for
L.I.E. from them just two weeks ago, and surprise surprise,
they were used.

Consolidated's phone number is +1 973 812 4747.
(which was pretty weird since Lot 47 Films is the distributor
for L.I.E. and their 212 phone number also ends in 4747,
just a weird coincidence...)

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Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 02-05-2002 01:07 AM

Thanks for the phone number, John; it's really good to know that they are still in business -- they handled lots of material from the independent film distribs and did indeed recycle all of their stuff. And as I stated above, we were meticulous about returning all of the material that we rented from them. They were a saving grace to every art house.

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Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 02-05-2002 01:22 AM

Not returning DTS discs is the same as not returning a reel of the print. It's a shame the distribs don't make more of a stink about it when theatres do it....like refusing to send out the next feature until they get back the elements of their last feature. If they got a few prints back missing reels, you can bet that theatre would be in serious trouble. Yet here they are getting back prints without the digital audio track and no one squawks.

Perhaps it's because you can still run the film without the DTS soundtrack....perhaps it's because the distrib isn't that concerned about quality (they certainly aren't screaming about the way TES trashes their prints)....perhaps it is just our propensity to sink to the lowest common denominator, take the easy way out, accept whatever will pass with the least amount of effort. In short, mediocrity wins again.

Oh geez, now I got myself depressed.

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John Hawkinson
Film God

Posts: 2273
From: Cambridge, MA, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 02-05-2002 01:33 AM

For what it's worth, Frank, I've always found that DTS has been absolutely great about getting discs in the event they don't show up with the print.. As long as we manage to discover their absence in time, and go through the song-and-dance of asking Technicolor or whomever for the discs and getting a "no" answer, DTS has always come through with next-day delivery of the discs.

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Brad Allen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 688
From: Evansville, IN, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 02-07-2002 03:39 PM

That's a mortal sin to not return DTS disks.
Un-excusable.
I suppose you don't bother to put the heads and tails back on either?
Guess, that's why 50% of the DTS prints we get, the disk's are missing.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 02-07-2002 06:05 PM

50%? Wow, I hope that's not the case. We have played I would say at least 300 DTS films since we got the system and I think maybe we've only had possibly 6 or 7 prints arrive without the disks. And, every time I've been diskless (except this one time which I won't go into), one phone call has solved the problem.

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Steven Privett
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 208
From: Pasadena, TX, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 02-07-2002 06:38 PM

I miss the Jewel Cases that the DTS trailer disks used to come in. I've got a rather large collection of them, that is dwindling quickly. I guess DTS got smart and stop spending the money on them. After a few hundred more CD-Rs burned, I might have to start buying them.
Of course, I would never download or copy any copy-righted material, that would be as bad as not sending back DTS feature Disks.

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John Hazelton
Film Handler

Posts: 42
From: Oakland, CA, USA
Registered: Jun 2001

posted 02-14-2002 05:10 PM

Several people here have dismissed my concern about returning trailers by saying that they've never received used trailers. Well, I have, many times. In fact, if it weren't for returns, there would have been many trailers I wouldn't have got at all.

Frank Angel makes a good point about distributors, but I have even got used trailers from some distributors as well (MGM/UA for one).

We will probably never return to the wonderful days when NSS had large stocks of used trailers on hand for almost any title, but some recycling and reuse of trailers continues.

Please return trailers, if you can. And of course, return the DTS disks! My experience has also been closer to Brad's 50% missing rate on those.

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Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 02-15-2002 01:59 PM

Actually, John H., I was really talking about trailer for older titles; we are an art house playing classic titles -- I understand that you can proably get trailers for films as old as two years, but beyond that, your chances are slim to none.

As a test, if you were to tell me what trailer you recently returned, I'll call up MGM/UA and asked for it; it would be enlightening to see what they would say.

In fact, I never return trailers, not because I don't give a damn, but the hard truth is, because since the demise of NSS, no studio has EVER had a trailer for the titles I play -- I have to buy, borrow or rent every title that I need from collectors or other art houses who sell, rent or are good enough to loan their trailers. Availability of trailers and one-sheet is a major problem in the industry. You would think that a distribtor who is getting a cut of my gross (thus making him a partner with me) would do everything he could to help me sell his picture. But that's why I call it an Alice in Wonderland business.

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Brad Allen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 688
From: Evansville, IN, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 02-15-2002 05:36 PM

Frank, I run lots of first run. And I still feel your pain. It has become very obvious to me that the distrib's take care of the megaplex's and could care less about us pions. The trailer, one-sheet situation is terrible for me too.
I've called 3 weeks before a release date to be told, "sorry don't have any more."

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