Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Hey you, you suck! (AKA: Outing bad film handlers) Part 2

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Topic: Hey you, you suck! (AKA: Outing bad film handlers) Part 2

Wayne Keyser
Master Film Handler

Posts: 272
From: Arlington, Virginia, USA
Registered: May 2004

posted 08-07-2007 06:16 PM

Can I just throw out an 'outsider's thought' on 'booth clowns' who don't care?

Having worked my share of crap jobs, I've always found it energy-sapping and demoralizing to try to do a great job ... and nobody seems to particularly give a damn. The boss still treats you like a peon and you still get paid peanuts, and if you don't like it (or try to 'stir things up' to make it easier to do a better job ... there are a thousand more where you came from.

The usual result: why expend a single ounce of your energy you don't have to?

For cross-cultural backup, I refer you to CLERKS 2 and the awful but unforgettable WAITING.

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Carl Martin
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1424
From: Oakland, CA, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 08-07-2007 06:53 PM

quote: Chris Slycord
Now since people are highly unlikely to handle a print by the palms of their hands, does anyone make finger cots for this purpose? Granted, I can snip the fingertips off to make this happen but I think a bunch of finger cots would end up being way cheaper.

i've seen plenty of palm prints too, but at least in principle they should be rare. i like the idea of finger cots, too. here's a source of cotton cots (near bottom of page). it looks like snipping the fingers off regular gloves is probably cheaper.

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Wayne Keyser
Master Film Handler

Posts: 272
From: Arlington, Virginia, USA
Registered: May 2004

posted 08-07-2007 10:23 PM

BTW, to clarify - I meant "to try to do a great job ... WHEN nobody seems to give a damn."

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Chris Slycord
Film God

Posts: 2986
From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 08-07-2007 10:35 PM

quote: Carl Martin
i've seen plenty of palm prints too, but at least in principle they should be rare. i like the idea of finger cots, too. here's a source of cotton cots (near bottom of page). it looks like snipping the fingers off regular gloves is probably cheaper.

That's way overpriced.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

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

posted 08-08-2007 05:33 PM

quote: Wayne Keyser
Having worked my share of crap jobs, I've always found it energy-sapping and demoralizing to try to do a great job ... and nobody seems to particularly give a damn.

Then, may I chime in a small comment on this in a whole: The atmophere of a positive attitude within the company and/or to the employees who work for this company is drastically missing.

Why I say this, is that I service some "indie" locations and it's totally amazing how the "indie" atmosphere it totally different than with either a small business and circuit atmosphere - as when the "indie" owner is having the outgoing positive attitude and does thank every one of the employees by letting the employees know that they are an important part of the operation and by indirectly saying 'thank you for taking care of my company'...and we can carry this over to the public and the community: the positive attitude of saying to the public and to the community "we care about you by showing concern and safety and thank you for coming to our business."

Who want's to work for a grump..... [Confused]

-Monte

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Michael Moore
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 188
From: Dover, DE / USA
Registered: Jun 2006

posted 08-08-2007 07:51 PM

I agree Monte

I work at one of those "Indie" places, and they listen to me, and appreciate me. So I do go the extra extra mile to make the picture the best it can be. I worked for chains in the past and they treated me like a fry guy at Burger King.

Mike

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

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

posted 08-08-2007 08:54 PM

quote: Michael Moore
I worked for chains in the past and they treated me like a fry guy at Burger King.

Yeppers, all you are is a "tool in their toolbox" to be used to build up their success...

...and you wonder why the theatre industry is infected with booth clowns - due to this very reason.

Yes, I started in the "indie" world myself as a projectionist at a local Drive-In and stayed there 5 yrs, but needed full year work, not seasonal work and move on into the 'hardtop' world. I hated to leave this Dr.In due to the owner/mgr was the best successful person that I've ever known.

When I first started, he was in full control of me.But as the seasons wore on, he let me have the full run of the reigns in the booth since I took care of it so much..he thanked me dearly for it and welcomed me into his family like a son that he never had. He taught me on organization and developing a system-be in charge and in control of your operation..totally. Stay ahead of the game-keep the bases covered at all times....I'll never forget his wisdom and words to this very day - I'm sorry I missed his funeral three years ago....but gave my condolences to his wife whom was like my mother...

But, I have worked for 'big box' circuits who really did care for their mgrs and employees, but those circuits are gone due to either downsizing, absorbtion under chpt 11 protection and/or total bankruptcy. NOW, those days are sorely missed.

What is real sad is when you work for a company as a mgr and who really cares for the community and offers the community the best service that you can muster, and the uppers in the office are not in tune with this sort of service and have other ideas in operation. Thus, what you built up is destroyed by the office since your ideas are not what they're used to in operation.

You might say: what you are capable of doing is a threat to the business operation.

That was depression to the max!

-Monte

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Jeremy Weigel
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1062
From: Edmond, OK, USA
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 08-08-2007 09:34 PM

quote: Monte L Fullmer
What is real sad is when you work for a company as a mgr and who really cares for the community and offers the community the best service that you can muster, and the uppers in the office are not in tune with this sort of service and have other ideas in operation. Thus, what you built up is destroyed by the office since your ideas are not what they're used to in operation.

That is one of the few reasons I left Regal when I did. The corporate culture had changed so much that they made it unpleasurable to work for.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

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

posted 08-08-2007 10:52 PM

Sadly, I used to work for REG as well but as a former EDW's employee when the takeover took place.

My departure from REG was a combination of events that I was suddenly denied when the takeover took place - which were mainly due to the mgr not following instructions on the "grandfather" clause of the company when they absorb other companies, not from REG's policies and procedures in operation, but did sense that atmosphere of being a "tool in the toolbox".

You might say, I lost everything that I had with EDW's due to that and had no choice but to leave - to survive.

-Monte

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Luci Reeve
Film Handler

Posts: 50
From: Telluride, CO, USA
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 08-09-2007 11:11 AM

This forum is so depressing to read. It would be so nice to find ways to turn this trend around.

I live in Telluride...not the real world. Almost everything here is Mom and Pop, owner operated. I have adults who have worked here for 20 years, just to get free movies and that little extra cash. My problem is the kids who work here. Some are great but others are just flaky. I'm right there beside them showing by example what to do but they still just don't get it. Fortunately they stop showing up before I get so frustrated I have to fire them. It doesn't bode well for the future..

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Michael Moore
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 188
From: Dover, DE / USA
Registered: Jun 2006

posted 08-09-2007 12:48 PM

I work at our theatre because I love it, and I don't really need the money, So I care, and I have three backup's who I have trained, however they all really don't care, so I only use them as backup projectionists when I can't make it in. I have only used my back up's about 5 times and 3 out of the 5 have been disasters, I have one guy who does care but he is not available and he is good at projection.
I agree the mom and pop and smaller indie art houses are the better places to see film, but I guess I live in my own little world surrounded by chains.

Mike

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Chris Slycord
Film God

Posts: 2986
From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 08-09-2007 01:15 PM

Before anyone goes on this "OMG indies roxors my boxors" bit:

I work at an AMC as everyone probably knows by now. Last year we showed a Bollywood movie (the remake of "Don") and it did extremely well since we have a large Indian population around here from Microsoft. Quite a few people came up to us and asked us if we could get more of those because they HATE going to the Bollywood theater in a nearby town. Yeah, it's an indie but that doesn't mean that they care or that they have the money to fix stuff they do care about. In short, the people want to come to this chain theater over that indie.

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Michael Moore
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 188
From: Dover, DE / USA
Registered: Jun 2006

posted 08-09-2007 07:54 PM

I serve on the committee that picks our films, even though I do not agree on everything they pick, I go along with it, however it is my understanding that if the others on the committee could see the films at the local Carmike they would do just that. The reason why we do what we do is because the local Carmike will not show the films we show. I'm not saying indie houses are the shit or anything like that. We also show some nice classics, like we did All the Harry Potters leading up to the release of the latest installment. We have the luxury of doing that. And most of the time we lose money (well all the time for that matter) We have no concessions, and our tickets are cheap in comparison to the local chain.

I have to say one thing, My brother in law is a Carmike projectionist, or should I say: button pusher, and I don't trust him with in 10 feet of the booth. I live in the same house with him, and we talk all the time, but you know what every Sunday and Wednesday he at the Schwartz Center watching films he could not see at the theater he works at.

It's just two different worlds that's all.

Mike

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Chris Slycord
Film God

Posts: 2986
From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 08-10-2007 04:42 AM

Except that my theater, does in fact show some indies (we're one of the "AMC Select" locations) and the movies this other theater does clearly are ones that we could play (since we played a movie they would've otherwise gotten and sold it out for most of 3 weeks).

While we were playing the movie I also mentioned it to an Indian guy that was in my Chemistry class at the time and he said that no one goes to that Bollywood theater; they think the place is crap.

And this isn't an issue of people being "anti-indie theater" either; there are plenty of indie theaters in the area that do pretty well.

edit:
Also, I think that part of the reason that those people aren't gonna "get what they want" (us playing the Bollywood movies) is that since there's a theater that only does those movies close, the booker is likely to give them to that theater every time. And I don't blame him/her; it's sure simpler for them.

2nd edit:
What I'm trying to get at is that your previous statement that "the mom and pop's and small indie houses are the best places to see film" (paraphrased) just doesn't hold water. The best place to see film is ANYWHERE THAT GIVES A GOOD PRESENTATION. Be it a mom and pop, indie, chain, whatever. There are good locations for the chains, indies, and mom & pop's; and for all of those there are bad ones too. My point is that simply being a small indie doesn't mean you care anymore than being in a big chain theater means you don't.

[ 08-11-2007, 02:48 AM: Message edited by: Chris Slycord ]

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Geena Phillips
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 198
From: Norcross, GA / USA
Registered: Apr 2006

posted 09-15-2007 09:45 PM

Oh boy, somebody hadda mention Bollywood...

Talk about CRAPPY film handling. Our theatre was sold three moths ago, and while I'm delighted with the new management (who actually know something about film exhibition! go figure!), we have ramped up our percentage of Indian film product, and I gotta tell ya, that will suck your suck your brains out of the bottom of your feet. Putting aside the complete inability to meet delivery deadlines, I have gotten brand-new, high-profile new release Bollywood prints that smelled like your grandma's basement. And forget about the used prints! If the Indian film industry ever wants to achieve a significant foothold in the US, they're going to have to start using American labs to produce their product.

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