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Author Topic: Technicolor stupidity with Freaky Friday Tim Turner Film Handler Posts: 87 From: Chula Vista, CA, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 07-19-2003 08:29 PM                     I just want to know what TES stands for? Are they associated with Technicolor?  |  IP: Logged John T. Hendrickson, Jr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 889 From: Freehold, NJ, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-19-2003 08:45 PM                     Technicolor Entertainment Services  |  IP: Logged Nicholas Roznovsky Expert Film Handler Posts: 156 From: College Station, TX, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-19-2003 09:20 PM                        Of course, TES is told to pick up and drop off prints by the studios. This does make sense, since the studios are contracting the delivery of their prints through them. However, I'm sure that they are given a list of theaters which are supposed to get X number of prints by the studios and the studios leave the details to them. I have had several conversations with the folks at TES and asked about the moving of prints. Their response was that their responsibility was to provide each theater with the necessary number of prints and that it was up to their own discretion as to how to do that. Sometimes, TES prints will sit there for weeks between a sneak and an engagement. And sometimes, we'll have to switch prints when the window is less than 24 hours. There's no consistency. And as for the shipping costs, I'm pretty sure the shipping bill I pay both ways on the print covers the cost of moving the print. Sure, TES has some guy at the warehouse taking them from the truck to their place on the shelf, but I doubt he makes so much that I should feel sorry for TES. On the whole, I will admit that the TES system works pretty well, but every once in a while it becomes very obvious that the whole operation is run entirely by computers and without any shred of common sense whatsoever. I am reminded of this pretty much every week when I break down a print to be shipped off and get another print of the same film to make up at the discount theater across the street. Okay, sure they're done as separate bookings, whatever. They are still 150 feet away from each other. Can't someone at TES figure out that Airborne isn't needed for this major undertaking? And forget trying to explain that to anyone there - everything MUST be shipped through Airborne, even when the trip to the delivery truck is further than the distance to the next theater. More than once, I've seen my local Airborne guy Jerry load my print in the truck, drive fifty feet, and deliver it to the theater across the street. And that grand journey cost me $32-40 depending on the print, half for shipping it from the first-run and half for shipping it to the sub-run. That sucks.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 07-19-2003 10:19 PM                        Whenever a print can be delivered locally by theater personnel, we usually just call TES and tell them that's how we're gonna do it, and don't give them a chance to respond. They never call back and Airbourne/Sky Courier never come. The print remains built, everyone is a bit happier, and corporate is EXTREMELY happy because we get to clock out earlier. Trust me, when the projectionist makes more money than the theater brings in a week, every bit counts!  |  IP: Logged Dennis Benjamin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1445 From: Denton, MD Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-19-2003 10:32 PM                        It's the film companies - they are the evil ones taking control of EVERYTHING. This whole piracy thing has me off my rocker. I wish the studios would realize 99% of the time it is one of their employees pirating the films. The guy who put "The Hulk" out on the 'net worked at the CGI animation studio that helped make the film. At least he is doing 10 years now.......  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 07-19-2003 10:39 PM                        10 years seems like an awful lot for pirating a movie. There are murderers who get less than that. Of course people in the industry would have us believe that pirating a movie is worse than murder (money is far more important than life, after all). I think 5 years would be appropriate. It would certainly be enough to teach the individual a lesson.  |  IP: Logged George Roher Master Film Handler Posts: 266 From: Washington DC Registered: Jul 99 posted 07-20-2003 12:58 AM                     I have this silly picture in my head of Mr. Valenti running around an auditorium poking people's eyes out with a stick while singing "Singing In The Rain." Another employee here told me there were guards at the Thursday screening who were using portable metal detectors on our patrons. I didn't see this myself, but he didn't sound like he was joking. Of course some pirates might still slip by. They'd have to do full body cavity searches to catch the guys who bring in sphincter-cams.  |  IP: Logged Mike Heenan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1896 From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 07-20-2003 01:06 AM                     Actually I read in an article, I think it was on imdb, that the person responsible for letting Hulk out was given the tape by someone who knew someone at the advertising agency or something like that.  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 07-20-2003 01:12 AM                    think about it. Who's the easiest to blame for pirating? The general public that's who. Just shows that they, the studios, do not have the abillity to prevent bootlegging in their own back yards.  |  IP: Logged Charles Everett Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1470 From: New Jersey Registered: May 2001 posted 07-20-2003 07:21 PM                     Freaky Friday had a public sneak preview this past Friday but doesn't open till 8/6. Why did Disney want the prints back? Is the Mouse House planning to pull another Kate & Leopold?  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 07-20-2003 08:12 PM                        I am with Ian on this, theatres need to get more assertive. Refuse to pay for shipping when those idiotic "take it away so it can be returned the next day" situations arise and then charge the studio for the extra man-hours involved with an unnecessary break-down and make-up cycle. But come on, this is not brain surgery. Have the parties ever sat down at the same table to work this thing out? Seems like the MPAA and NATO can hash out a more reasonable way of scheduling (did any of them ever hear of a computer scheduling program?) Sneaks and openings without treating them as two separate events at the same theatre. Hey, if they put a computer scheduling program in place, they can say their scheduling of prints is now done DIGITALLY!....that should make them all wet their pants. I would think that the carrier is the one entity that really profits from unnecessary print shipping, so whatever motives exist at the studio level (their obsession with security) could be resolved by NATO being more forceful than it has been, if indeed it has ever even address this issue with the studios. Then again, maybe there's as simple a solution as Joe's....just call TES up and TELL them when to pick up a print (or NOT). Could it be this easy? How many have ever tried it? Frank PS -- guys running change-over on 2000ft reels never have to worry about this kind of thing.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-20-2003 09:08 PM                        quote: PS -- guys running change-over on 2000ft reels never have to worry about this kind of thing. Yes they do. They still need to inspect two prints instead of one. It's not quite as time-consuming, but it is unnecessary labor and unnecessary wear and tear on the film.  |  IP: Logged Aldo Baez Master Film Handler Posts: 266 From: USA Registered: Mar 2001 posted 07-21-2003 12:34 AM                    Charles I don't think Disney wants the prints back. We snuck it and the film is covered and ready to go for 8/6... if they want it back sorry I've already called our booker to verify we are getting it.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 07-21-2003 10:54 AM                        Locking the film cases is an attempt to protect the print from a pirate "borrowing" it and copying it while IN TRANSIT to the theatre. As many here have noted, pirating often occurs upstream of the theatre. But it is a sad fact that many pirated videos DO get shot in theatres, and preview or "sneak" prints are especially valuable to pirates, and therefore vulnerable. BTW, the June 28 LA Times reported that Jack Valenti is 81 and is contemplating retirement. Several people from outside the MPAA have been named as a possible successor.  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 07-21-2003 11:26 AM                        I also doubt the piracy problem resides at the trade screening level... at least not in my area. Most screenings are sparsely attended (some not at all). Even the "biggies" aren't likely to draw more than 25. Generally, I see the same faces, even if I don't know where they all come from. We don't have a lot of booking agents here, but those we do have are regulars. A booker with one agency runs one of the screening rooms himself. The rest are like me... mainly independents from within roughly 75 miles of Seattle. I can't imagine there's a single person within that group, who would endanger his relationship with the studios (and the resultant effect on his business) by pulling a stunt like that. On the other hand, George allowed some kind of promotion that resulted in about 600 screaming middle-schoolers attending the "EP1" screening. The "guards" were more interested in making sure there weren't any concealed cameras in the Soundfold than whether anyone in that crowd might have brought in a recorder...  |  IP: Logged

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