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

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Grand Movie Experience (Page 2)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Author Topic: Grand Movie Experience Martin Brooks Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 900 From: Forest Hills, NY, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 03-01-2010 12:43 AM                        quote: Alex Shultz (no Sat matinees while I'm remodeling - need the day to work). Huh? Why don't you remodel on a Monday instead of losing the money from a Saturday matinee?  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 03-01-2010 02:21 PM                     quote: Mike Blakesley One of our neighboring theatres has an eight-person minimum... That's just wrong. If someone's taken the time to get off their sofa, get in their car, spend money on gas to move the car, park, walk to the theatre AND hand over hard earned cash...then the very least the cinema can do is do exactly as they have advertised they would do and show the movie to the patron...even if they are the only one in the show. One patron and the show goes on.  |  IP: Logged Kenneth Wuepper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1026 From: Saginaw, MI, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 03-01-2010 02:31 PM                     John is correct. If you advertise a 7:00 PM showing then you are falsely advertising if someone comes and you do not show the film. You are in the business of showing films. The audience may be one or one thousand but you show it as you advertised. The small number of attendees may be bad for your bottom line but not showing it for a paying customer is totally wrong. KEN  |  IP: Logged Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 03-01-2010 02:59 PM                     When I was working as an assistant at a Regal 10-screener in Washington state I called down from the booth to see if any tickets had been sold for the final performance of a film. The BO replied "No". Since it was 15 minutes past start time the GM came up and began tearing down the print. He had three of the five reels off when the BO called up and said they had sold a ticket. It happened to be one of our regular customers who came to see that particular film. The GM spliced the thing back together and the show went on for an audience of one.  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 03-01-2010 03:10 PM                        In a theatre I worked in Bryan/College Station, quite a few times we would open the first show with no one in the house. The policy was to run the film (change-over) on time -- sound, but no picture, i.e., not strike the arc so as to save money on electric. As soon as the first ticket was sold, sometimes half way thru the film, the BO would call up and I'd put the picture on the screen. I've run a show of YENTEL with 2 people in the house. Every patron is a future customer and turning them away for your convenience, regardless of how unfair, is just bad business. Besides, in the way most work schedules are structured, you won't save money by sending staff home early because in most cases they work a call, so you have to pay them for the full call anyway.  |  IP: Logged Alex Shultz Film Handler Posts: 54 From: Marysville, KS, US Registered: Nov 2008 posted 03-01-2010 11:11 PM                        Martin, I like the idea of getting the Saturday crowd but that is working out to be the best work day. My father is doing all the remodel work. He runs his own business (Valley Vet Supply) during the weekdays (Monday being his very busiest day) but comes in mornings and evenings and then all day Saturday and most Sunday afternoons. He puts in about 50 hours a week here on top of his own business. I'm getting free labor (cutting the remodel cost to about 1/3) and he does excellent quality work. I have been willing to give up the Saturdays until the project is finished - about six more months to go, I think. I do fit in a special matinee from time to time, like the mystery movie these last two weeks and the Sons of the American Legion-sponsored Easter movie at the end of March. Dad doing all of this provides great stories for the local weekly paper. They love the theatre, that we are bringing it back from close-to-ruin, and that it is a family thing that is taken over from another family who ran it for almost 40 years. I get a good mention with pictures in the paper about once every two months. This week they featured a story about switching to digital projection, the current remodel stuff, and the mystery movie. I ended up with 83 people coming in to see a hodge-podge of old film bits followed by a walk around the remodel area. The story is at http://marysvilleonline.net/articles/2010/03/01/news/doc4b8593f79e0de341896377.txt Speaking of doing shows on Saturdays, what kind of shows do people run on Saturdays? When I was a kid the local businesses sponsored matinees on Saturdays - one of my best memories of this movie theatre is coming to movies with only my brother (no parents!) and sitting through both shows, the first show in the very front row and the second show in the very back row. The movies that I remember were shows like Krull, The Dark Crystal, and the Sinbad movies (I must have been 12 or 13). However, I've noticed that a free matinee really cuts down attendance on any for-pay kid movie that weekend. It's almost like people only want to see one show a week - even if they could see a second one for free.  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 03-05-2010 12:19 AM                     We had great success in the late 80's running a bargain matinee of classic matinee stuff. For $3.50 you got: Admission ticket Drink Packet of Jaffas (Candy) There was an intermission in each show. We always opened with a cartoon and then the current episode of a serial like Buck Rogers and then intermission. After the interval, a trailer for next week's show and then we went straight into the feature. Our biggest films were: Pee Wee's Big Adventure The Princess Bride Raiders of the Lost Ark (in 70mm) The Blues Brothers (in 4-track mag) It was nothing to have 500 people in there. Ahhh...the good old days...  |  IP: Logged Martin Brooks Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 900 From: Forest Hills, NY, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 03-05-2010 11:41 AM                        quote: Alex Shultz The story is at http://marysvilleonline.net/articles/2010/03/01/news/doc4b8593f79e0de341896377.txt Nice article. Renovation looks great. Good luck with it all.  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 03-05-2010 11:55 AM                     quote: Manny Montes However It sounds as if you are doing everything right! Alex: After reading the article provided by the link (great article BTW except for the line "Each film reel weighs 70 lbs."), I have to disagree with Manny's statement in one regard: DO NOT Ditch ALL of your film equipment for D-Crapema!! First off, the expense in equipment is better spent elsewhere. Second, How do you propose to run films that aren't yet available on digital? Don't cut yourself out of potential sales!! And you can forget your idea of the Saturday matinees as little if any of the typical content is (or ever will be) available on digital. Third, since your theatre has a rich history, how do you propose to run any of the older films for special shows that might appeal to some of the older folks in your area? Or re-run your "Mystery Movie" which was a great idea BTW. Fourth, what are you gonna do when (NOT IF) your D-Cinema crashes? Give out a full house of refunds? That'll lose you some customers really fast. There was a post in another thread about that nightmare with "Shutter Island." Try (or as Yoda would say, "Try not! Do, or do not, There is no try") to keep AT LEAST one screen equipped with film!! Even if it makes the booth cramped for space (but since you don't need an operator for D-Crapema who cares how much space is in the booth, right?) I'm not saying this simply because I despise digital, but I am looking at the bigger picture in the sense of business and being able to keep SOMETHING on the screens at all times. I wish you the best of luck in your venture!!  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

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.