my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » What is the worst film mess you've had to deal with? How did you fix it? (Page 2)

This topic comprises 5 pages: 1  2  3  4  5

Author Topic: What is the worst film mess you've had to deal with? How did you fix it? Charles Greenlee Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 801 From: Savannah, Ga, U.S. Registered: Jun 2006 posted 06-02-2008 12:35 AM                        He got abducted by the Deprartment of Homebooth Security, and hasn't been heard from since. :-) I'd hope. LoL [ 06-02-2008, 01:39 AM: Message edited by: Charles Greenlee ]  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 06-02-2008 02:04 AM                     He got yelled at later that day when he arrived. Not sure if he was written up or anything like that as I'm not the booth mgr and don't feel like asking him and dredge up the memory. He's actually an OK kid.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 06-02-2008 06:52 AM                        Problem: Manager comes in on his day off to check the details of a forthcoming special show with me, and enters projection booth with his black labrador puppy. While we're going over paperwork, the dog jumped onto the top platter deck while it was feeding a print of Goldeneye. That print ended up being shaken and stirred, alright! After the dog had extricated himself from the pile of film on the floor, it was a right old tangled mess which took a good three hours and two lost shows to recover. Annoyingly, the film had only just started and so less than half the first reel was on the take-up plate at the time of the accident. Problem: teenage yobbo sprayed purple graffiti spray paint over all four projection portholes during the closing credits of a kids' show. Soloution: the death penalty (ideally); white spirit and elbow grease (in practice).  |  IP: Logged Paul H. Rayton Expert Film Handler Posts: 210 From: Los Angeles, CA , USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 06-03-2008 12:40 AM                    Doesn't anyone have any photos of some of these disasters?  |  IP: Logged Charles Greenlee Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 801 From: Savannah, Ga, U.S. Registered: Jun 2006 posted 06-03-2008 03:53 AM                        No digital camera. I'm that hard set on film, and as a result against digital. No, I'm just that poor. LoL Either rate, no digital camera.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 06-03-2008 04:47 AM                        I do wish we'd taken a photo of Nelson the labrador scrabbling around in the pile of film, but this happened in 1994 or 5, when digital cameras were still science fiction to lowly consumers. As for the kids who sprayed the portholes, I would have preferred to have an AK-47 in my hands than a camera at the moment I discovered that.  |  IP: Logged Andres Briano Expert Film Handler Posts: 162 From: Buenos Aires, Argentina Registered: Jan 2008 posted 06-03-2008 11:27 AM                        Amen to the AK47, brother!  |  IP: Logged Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 06-03-2008 11:39 AM                        quote: Charles Greenlee after he reports that he's done, and it is double checked, present him with his "pink slip". You know, I made a lot of stupid mistakes when I first started projecting and ended up learning a lot everytime I had to fix that mistake. Maybe it was because I was thrown into a booth with no training and had to teach myself everything but fortunately I worked for people who understand that everyone is human and that people make mistakes. They understood that I would learn a lot more from making those mistakes and fixing them than if I had never made any mistakes. They stuck by me, and allowed me to learn. I am glad they did because I ended up managing some of the busiest megaplexes that Loews Cineplex had and then became a projection and dolby certified sound tech. If my first theatre had fired me the first (or second, or third) time I screwed up and dumped film on the floor I never would have been able to learn how to fix it, and how to not make the same mistake in the future. I also never would have been able to excel in this business and earn the positions I have. I don't know the whole story behind this kid but if it was his first time making that mistake, and if he genuinly wanted to learn and do a good job then I think firing the poor kid is management done WRONG! If I had worked for someone like that I would never have been able to learn and have the skills I have today.  |  IP: Logged Robert LaValley Expert Film Handler Posts: 104 From: Tampa, FL Registered: May 2007 posted 06-03-2008 11:51 AM                     Most memorable mess was my first booth it was one of those crazy regal openings where I had 14 prints to build and 12 to break down all in a 48 hour time span. And the GM loved me so much to only schedule me and one other manager to accomplish this. Needless to say 37.5 hour shift later, the guy whom was helping me had a problem with the print of dogma and I dont know to this day why he started doing this but he started taking rolls of film off the platter and throwing into a cardboard drink cup box to get to a splice or something he thought he messed up. So 13 out of 14 prints made it on screen by opening. that dogma print took till the next day to untangle and resplice back together again. It was very exuasting.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 06-03-2008 12:00 PM                     I concur [edit: With Sean]. Not only that but I think it is wrong for you to have him force him to fix the stuff just to let him go solely because it would be the cruel thing to do. That's extremely immature. And how did you determine that he did it on purpose just because he had to open a door? I'm confused on that. [ 06-03-2008, 02:11 PM: Message edited by: Chris Slycord ]  |  IP: Logged Don Furr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 509 From: Sun City, Ca USA Registered: Nov 2002 posted 06-03-2008 01:54 PM                     In my years of operating platters I've dumped two prints. One from a AW2 and the other from a Super Platter. I was not in the booth when either hit the floor but in both cases I didn't miss any additional shows. The other biggest mess was a print I received (dollar house) that after the first reel there were NO heads and NO tails on a 7 reel print.....no reel bands either....just masking tape. Bastards.  |  IP: Logged Charles Greenlee Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 801 From: Savannah, Ga, U.S. Registered: Jun 2006 posted 06-03-2008 03:00 PM                        He has a history for things like that. Got in trouble for throwing rocks at cars from the roof the day prior. That event was kinda a last straw. The entire movie, ring and all was all the way to the bottom of the steps, totally missing the rail, and all but the last couple of steps, including another landing. I'm sure had it have been a sling print A) It probably wouldn't have made it even to the door; its just too far away. B) if it did, definately wouldn't have opened its own door and if some it amazingly did that; C) It wouldn't have cleared the rail without at least snagging something, it could have toumbled down the steps maybe, but there'd have been film all down the steps themselves with the tail now free and D) I'm sure someone has seen a print sling with a ring in it, but it is rare. The rings hold it on the platter pretty good, or at least ours did. The sheer amount of obstacles shoots the chance of that randomly/accedentally happening into astronomical chances against. Hey, maybe I should've played the lotto that day. But you're right, there may have been a 1 in 10bil chance it wasn't intentional, or at least helped along. And he fixed it, mostly because I beleive in people correcting their mistakes, but it was a little crewl as well. And that was way back in my newbie managment days. Long before I even went to Regal.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 06-03-2008 03:12 PM                     So this wasn't a case of there being another floor of the booth at the bottom and he dropped it while moving it. That explains it.  |  IP: Logged Charles Greenlee Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 801 From: Savannah, Ga, U.S. Registered: Jun 2006 posted 06-03-2008 03:21 PM                        Correct, those stairs go down to the fire exit, and do have a door leading into the patron hallway. But since our booth is contiguous, there's no reason to have to carry a built print down those steps. The booth is U shaped. The 2 side wings are slightly lower than the cross hallway, and there are steps there, like 2, so definately not the offending stairs. I wish they were, less spagetti will happen if a film drops 2 feet versus the 10-15 down the stairwell.  |  IP: Logged Rick Raskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1100 From: Manassas Virginia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 06-03-2008 03:29 PM                     quote: Charles Greenlee He has a history for things like that. Got in trouble for throwing rocks at cars from the roof the day prior. ... and he was still on the payroll because...  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 5 pages: 1  2  3  4  5

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.