Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Hey you, you suck! (AKA: Outing bad film handlers)

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Topic: Hey you, you suck! (AKA: Outing bad film handlers)

Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 08-25-2006 10:13 PM

Frank, this thread may have over 1400 posts, but let's fact it. In reality the events listed here are NOTHING compared to the actual quantity of print damage that happens. Remember, most first run prints don't even see a second playdate. Furthermore, it's not like everyone in the industry reports here every time they get a mangled print either.

The problem is incredible, and you are right, the only way to solve it is to pay extra for full print inspections upon each print's return to the depot and bill the theaters. I have preached this for years. Even though in the long run, the studios would actually profit from such a thing, they are too worried about D-cinema to give a shit.

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Alex Grueneberg
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 125
From: Chicago, IL
Registered: Aug 2004

posted 08-25-2006 11:35 PM

I’m wondering, around what percentage of theaters with a typical blockbuster on the average butcher prints?

Also, we always make an extra effort to send out prints with no scratches and, in the best condition possible. Is "print 2657" of whatever which ran for 3 months with only normal ware likely to see another theater or just be trashed back at the depot?

Edit: I guess what I'm getting at.. Is this a loosing battle?

[ 08-27-2006, 02:14 AM: Message edited by: Alex Grueneberg ]

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Justin Gorka
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 174
From: High Wycombe, England
Registered: Apr 2006

posted 08-29-2006 08:29 PM

Our biggest problem here in the UK is finding people with at least an opposing thumb to work in the booth. The issue here is that people who work in the the booth get paid the same as the popcorn sellers (except two Tech's in a 14 screen cinema working a maximum of 48hrs per week. My attitude is to moan every time we have a scratched print (thankfully only one in the last 6 month and to cajole and praise the monkies as much as possible.
However when they finish or fail their degree in "Literary Giants of Cable Television" they move on and I have to go though the training process adain!
I'm not in the UK's union 'cos it is frowned upon in our company and I actualy like my job (and the paycheck for me is not too bad either!

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Justin Gorka
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 174
From: High Wycombe, England
Registered: Apr 2006

posted 08-29-2006 08:38 PM

Our biggest problem here in the UK is finding people with at least an opposing thumb to work in the booth. The issue here is that people who work in the the booth get paid the same as the popcorn sellers (except two Tech's in a 14 screen cinema working a maximum of 48hrs per week). My attitude is to moan every time we have a scratched print (thankfully only one in the last 6 month and to cajole and praise the monkies as much as possible).
However when they finish or fail their degree in "Literary Giants of Cable Television" they move on and I have to go though the training process adain!
I'm not in the UK's union 'cos it is frowned upon in our company and I actualy like my job (and the paycheck for me is not too bad either!

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Chris Hipp
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1462
From: Mesquite, Tx (east of Dallas)
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 08-29-2006 11:10 PM

quote: Alex Grueneberg
Also, we always make an extra effort to send out prints with no scratches and, in the best condition possible. Is "print 2657" of whatever which ran for 3 months with only normal ware likely to see another theater or just be trashed back at the depot?

It will probably get trashed. That is one thing I always hated about replacing prints when I worked at AMC. They will charge you full price for a replacement print, but they would have junked the print anyway. I used to replace prints all the time. I cannot expect someone who makes minimum wage to run 15-30 projectors at once and never make a mistake. In fact, I used to get "thank you" emails all the time from AMC home office because I replaced so many reels. I guess they would rather pay for prints than pay their employees a decent wage.

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Chad M Calpito
Master Film Handler

Posts: 435
From: San Diego, CA
Registered: Apr 2006

posted 08-31-2006 06:15 PM

This is to who was working in the projection booth at AMC Theatres Mission Valley 20 for the 1pm show of World Trade Center. You Suck! When the movie started and the changeover opened, I could see the leader being displayed on the screen before the first AMC Policy Trailer. [Mad]

There is no need for that. Otherwise, the movie played fine with no problems.

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Cory Isemann
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 500
From: White Plains, MD, USA
Registered: Jun 2004

posted 09-01-2006 07:11 AM

I wouldn't consider that really "outing a bad film handler", maybe their hand douser is broken and they for some reason couldn't hold the changeover shut. Don't fault the operator for a problem the company won't fix! [Big Grin]

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Bill Enos
Film God

Posts: 2081
From: Richmond, Virginia, USA
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 09-04-2006 06:32 PM

YO!! Novi Town Center 8, Novi Mi.
If you're going to run Indian films and other imported films that come on cores, get yourself some split reels so you can wind the rolls tightly onto the cores, and not leave 6 inch center holes so the rolls will not become oval shaped in transit and bang like hell when spooled off at the next theatre.

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Jared Thornton
Film Handler

Posts: 58
From: las vegas, NV, USA
Registered: Jan 2006

posted 09-09-2006 11:43 PM

To the "booth" staff at Regal's Village Square Stadium 18 you most definately suck [fu]

. I went to see Factotum yesterday, 2:45pm show. The movie starts five minutes late and is extremely out of focus and ghosting even worse. ( I didn't know you could make the lettering on green bands stretch from floor to ceiling and sub-titles fill the entire screen [thumbsup]

) After waiting about a minute hoping someone would fix the problem I went out to inform the manager and was told they were having focus issues with the print as it had brain wrapped during the first show [Confused]

??? the manager then informed me that the projectionist had gone on break and would be back in 10 minutes to fix the problem. I offered to go and fix the problem myself but was told they were working on it??? So midway through the first reel someone finally fixed the focus and ghosting. Then in the middle of the second reel the film brain wrapped as we watched the movie melt before our eyes [Eek!]

It took about 10 minutes for someone to fix the problem and get the movie back on screen. BUT whoever pushed start failed to look at the screen and started the movie out of frame and the focus had drifted out again!! Apparently it is extremely dificult for the "booth" staff to look out the giant full wall window into the auditorium and notice whats on screen. So another trip to the lobby. The focus/framing was fixed by the time I made it back to my seat. By some miracle the third reel played fine, but five miuntes into the fourth reel it jumped out frame and we were treated to half a picture on screen. This must have been where it brain wrapped earlier in the day ( hence causing focus problem) and whoever fixed it failed to re-splice the film back in frame, so one last trip to the lobby to complain. It was at this point I had had enough with the crappy presentaion and the manager gave me free passes to come back again, not likely.
On an aside note when the first green band hit the screen the masking began to self adjust from flat to scope and continued to do so until the feature cue hit, with masking motor sounding like nails on a chalk board. The screen was underlit and the bulb flickered like a candle in the wind.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 09-10-2006 02:34 AM

...as quoted from a FT member, "welcome to the 'Wal-Mart' world" - no skills needed, just a position to fill.

(and you wonder why DigCinema is gaining popularity in as well as demand..)

-Monte

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Alex Grueneberg
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 125
From: Chicago, IL
Registered: Aug 2004

posted 09-10-2006 04:32 AM

Wow Jared, that's just plain sad. In a way I wish I was in the audience as well, then we really could have gotten on them.

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Caleb Johnstone-Cowan
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 593
From: London, UK
Registered: Mar 2006

posted 09-10-2006 10:59 PM

"Our biggest problem here in the UK is finding people with at least an opposing thumb to work in the booth. The issue here is that people who work in the the booth get paid the same as the popcorn sellers"

It suprises me that they can find anyone to work downstairs on what the company pay let alone projection. They have reduced our free ticket entitlement by half now as well. I do the job because it's interesting and looks better on my CV than bar work or catering jobs.

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Chris Erwin
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 195
From: Olive Hill,KY
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 09-11-2006 07:54 AM

quote: Barry Floyd
What made it worse was whenever the booth-monkey at the "Bran Hollywood 20" in Bartlett, TN broke down the print the night before - just started filling reels until they were full, then randomly cutting the film whenever the reel got full. By doing this, they were actually able to completely eliminate the need for one entire shipping reel... which they did not enclose in the box. I open the box and about shit, thinking I'm missing reel 5, and hour and a half before I'm supposed to go on screen. Called ETS/Deluxe and tell them I'm missing a reel...
While I was waiting for a return phone call from ETS/Deluxe, I finally figured out what had happened the night before and was able to get the print put together. After figuring it out, building the print and spinning Talladega back to the platter from 6k's, I had 10 minutes to spare before I went on screen.

Barry,

Similar issue with Barnyard. I figured out you can put Reels 5 and 6 on one shipping reel. That's what the last theatre did with the print I had. Found the Head and Tail of Reel 5 loose in the box. They had put 6 and 5 on the same reel and only used head and tail of 6. [Mad]

Barnyard must be a problem print. A D/I close to us had their print spocket run.

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Andrew Peter Chobaniuk
Film Handler

Posts: 28
From: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Registered: Jul 2006

posted 09-12-2006 06:59 AM

as ive found the real problem is
theres us:
the people that take pride in our work

then theres the other people to whom this is just another job and multilate prints

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 09-15-2006 12:47 PM

Hey Cinemark Webb Chapel in Dallas, TX...can you guess? Yup, that's right, YOU SUCK!!!

9-14-06 7:00pm Big auditorium on the left (I think it is #5)

So here's the scenario, we arrive early for a screening of Jackass 2. I head to the concession stand where I have to ask FOUR people behind the counter for a drink. Yes you read that right, the first THREE said various versions of "oh I'm not open ask them". So I get to the fourth person and she fills the drink and handles the order well. Had the other people not been milling about behind the concession stand, I would've given the concession 5 out of 5 stars. However I give them 3 out of 5 because the service was annoying until I found the REAL on-duty concessionist. The quality of the product was good.

The lobby and auditorium were clean and well kept. The ticket taker was also extremely polite. 5 out of 5 stars awarded.

The presentation started with magnificently scratched black leader. We're talking black leader that isn't even black it's been used so much with green and yellow scratches. It was shockingly bad. This isn't looking good.

Ok so now a bad splice goes through and we see the Paramount logo. No scratches, all looks good. Oh no wait it doesn't! The picture is...

*Out of frame
*Out of focus
*The aperture is spilling a couple of feet off onto the left masking and the right edge of the picture is not reaching the right masking.
*The aperture is being jacked with in it's holder vertically (Christie projector) for the first few minutes trying to get it to stay in place.

So let's start with the framing. Did the "projectionist" even notice? Of course he did, good boy. Unfortunately he had no clue on how to frame a 1.85 movie and framed it with the "if you don't see framelines, it must be in frame" mentality. The film ran the entire movie framed too high, frequently cutting off actor's heads. Pathetic.

How about that aperture? Well I'm honestly surprised on a high profile paid rental screening that even a technically inept projectionist wouldn't have at least kicked the damn console over to the side to at least get through the show. (Of course this should've been all checked out before the people were even let into the auditorium.) As far as the vertical alignment goes, he ended up finally getting that aperture into a decent position, even though the aperture was overcut, so I guess he did the best with what he had.

So clearly I am plenty impressed as it is...but wait there's more! The focus was jacked with during the first few minutes of the movie and then left out of focus. As the first two reels played, the focus got more and more atrocious! The left and right sides of the image were semi-sharp, but the center was just buckling and shaking wildly in and out of focus so badly that we couldn't even tell what actor we were looking at until he was framed to the sides of the image. Clearly this theater has a severe heat issue in this auditorium and nobody has bothered to fix it. I wonder how many years this theater has been presenting movies like this.

So by the end of reel 2 I think to myself I really don't want to miss any of this stupidity, but at the rate the focus is declining I have no choice but to go out and try to find an employee. So I leave the auditorium, find a guy in charge of the screening and let him know, and within a minute or so the focus is fixed...at least as good as apparently can be expected from this theater.

Then about 2 minutes later it is blurry again! [Mad]

But then about 5 minutes later it is brought back to semi-acceptable focus! [Smile]

But then it continues to steadily decline throughout the rest of the movie, as expected. [fu]

Sweet Jesus people...WAKE UP!!!

I won't even get into how bad the sound was. Regardless, Cinemark Webb Chapel gets an average management score, but their projection department all deserves to be fired, then taken out back and shot in the head for sucking so bad. The only thing they didn't screw up in the presentation was scratch the print (but that could've been happening after the film passed through the gate). Cinemarks are not normally this bad.

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