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Topic: Regal will soon allow ushers to run projection...

Martin McCaffery
Film God

Posts: 2481
From: Montgomery, AL
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-08-2010 03:42 PM

quote: James Westbrook
"Cast Members?" Interesting...

In reality they are just "Extras" [evil]

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 12-08-2010 03:43 PM

quote: Monte L Fullmer
Gee, if you paid kids more money than McD's, cinema couldn't stay in business.

You are wrong on so many levels with that one. My theater, for example, starts everyone out above minimum wage. Not much, but still more than McD's.

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Jonathan Smith
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 201
From: Youngstown, OH
Registered: Jan 2010

posted 12-08-2010 04:53 PM

quote: James Westbrook
"Cast Members?" Interesting...

Fucking 1984. Way to go that we allow companies with these distopian ideals to run rampant in every commercial sector.

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Sean McKinnon
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1712
From: Peabody Massachusetts
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 12-08-2010 06:21 PM

Wow, when I worked for Loews as an assistant manager every manager was salary (maybe the busiest theatres would have one or two part time hourly assistants) but in a 20 screen they would have a GM, a House Manager, and 6-8 salaried full time managers (plus "supervisors) to run the booth). When I left I was making $40,000.00 a year as a salaried assistant and know of GM's making 100,000.00 a year plus.

How times have changed [puke]

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Chase Pickett
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 142
From: Irving, Texas, USA
Registered: Nov 2010

posted 12-08-2010 07:10 PM

quote: Brendan Penny
Yeah well cinema chains rely on finding people who do the job for love. Pay them mcdonalds wages. Use them up. Suck their soul. After about 10 years employee wakes up and moves on. Enter next sucker. Cycle continues.

I'm a sucker. [beer]

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Manny Montes
Master Film Handler

Posts: 270
From: United States
Registered: Feb 2010

posted 12-08-2010 09:35 PM

McDonalds pays their night staff (in 24 hour stores) pretty well, I've seen $8.50 starting for an overnight cashier around here.

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Jeremy Weigel
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted 12-08-2010 11:04 PM

Talked to a customer this past Sunday night that said her daughter makes $12.50/hr as one of the "Film Crew" at the AMC Quail Springs 24 in OKC. She said she's about to be bumped up to $15.00/hr. I thought she was perhaps mistaken and said it sounded like they (AMC) might be grooming her daughter as an Asst. Manager, but even at $15.00/hr it sounded a bit much.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-08-2010 11:24 PM

quote: Joe Redifer
My theater, for example, starts everyone out above minimum wage. Not much, but still more than McD's.

Same here, sort of. Everyone starts out at minimum but we give everybody a raise after 90 days, and sooner if they are really good. I remember hearing that McD's in Billings was starting people out at $9 a couple of years ago, when the job market was really tight there.

As for that "Cast Members" -- didn't Disney start that? Everyone who works at Disneyland and Disney World are called Cast Members...has been that way as long as I can remember.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 12-08-2010 11:31 PM

quote: Jeremy Weigel
Talked to a customer this past Sunday night that said her daughter makes $12.50/hr as one of the "Film Crew" at the AMC Quail Springs 24 in OKC. She said she's about to be bumped up to $15.00/hr. I thought she was perhaps mistaken and said it sounded like they (AMC) might be grooming her daughter as an Asst. Manager, but even at $15.00/hr it sounded a bit much.

I would want to see some confirmation of those wage numbers. It's common when work stories get passed around some exaggeration may be introduced. But maybe the lady is getting groomed to be the GM, temporarily. Yeah, get the top job, then get fired shortly after when the higher ups get pissed about the slightest thing.

It's no secret the movie industry and exhibition industry in particular shits all over its movie theater site employees. The folks working in the trenches where the product (the movie) is delivered are largely working an extremely thankless job. The folks working the booths and counters are paid the bare minimum and it is routine for managers to be paid not so well yet work obscene schedules in return for the status of being a salaried, overtime "exempt" employee. The bean counters at the top just keep whittling down things further and further to make the jobs just as shitty as possible only just short of not being able to staff the positions. That's the way to maximize profit! Fuck those employees! If they were business owners they might be worthy of breathing oxygen!

Unfortunately those greedy assholes at the top don't realize what sort of destructive effect it has against the quality of the overall product. If the staff is treated like shit then the employer only deserves shit in return. The staff isn't going to give a damn about show quality. And if they don't care then why should I, the paying customer, agree to pay those ridiculous prices and ever bother to return!!??

America's thought process on business in many areas is very corrupt. It's no wonder why this nation is getting its ass kicked in so many ways. The executives at the top refuse to see what's happening. Instead they just vomit out the usual bullshit about unions, so called lazy American workers, etc. They don't look at the destructive stunts they're pulling to undermine their employees, kill morale then kill product quality and then ultimately piss off customers. Greed gets in the way of that.

They can just keep on doing what they're doing and take the customers for granted. Unfortunately, the movie business is more and more exposed to technology age style shifts, which means big changes can happen in extremely short amounts of time. Look at what Redbox has done to traditional video stores in just a year or two of time. Netflix is supposedly gobbling up as much as 20% of worldwide Internet bandwidth during certain times of day. Give Internet bandwidth a reasonable boost in capacity and speed. Then watch Netflix and Hulu Plus emplode some movie theater chains. Then watch the movie industry itself implode as it tries to survive in a home video only business model. Impossible.

It's actually laughable to see how these executives are sealing their fate. That's because it is so very predictable. They just don't get it and will not be made to get it. It's all about the movie-going experience. Hire the people you need to make the experience as good as possible. Just like in a high quality restaurant. If they're not willing to spend a little extra to do that they should just go sell insurance or do some other paper shuffling work for a living instead. But no, they're going to stand their ground and do their best to kill off the movie business.

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Jeremy Weigel
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted 12-09-2010 12:28 AM

Her daughter is only 19, so I don't think it would be for a GM spot. I told her that the average pay for a "projectionist" is only about $8.50/hr, but she insisted that her daughter is making $12.50/hr and she knows cause she sees the paychecks. As for being bumped up to $15/hr, that could just be the her supervisor "blowing smoke" up her arse. The mom even kept using that term "film crew", which at the time even sounded odd to me until it was used in this thread.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 12-09-2010 12:51 AM

Maybe her daughter is misinforming her mother about her wage so mommy won't complain about her having that job or some similar reason. I'm sure AMC wages vary around the country, but I don't think they vary that much! I can see maybe NYC getting paid that much, but everywhere else they eliminate positions that pay that much unless you're a salaried manager.

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Chase Pickett
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 142
From: Irving, Texas, USA
Registered: Nov 2010

posted 12-09-2010 02:28 AM

A fellow I work with has been in the booth for 10 years and he doesn't make that kind of money. He makes $9... My only explanation is she must be hot.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

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

posted 12-09-2010 03:54 AM

Wow. 9 bucks for 10 years worth of work - hope he has another job to compensate the income and is using the projection job as a hobby of sorts.

quote: Mike Blakesley
"Cast Members" -- didn't Disney start that?

That's what I was wondering...another 'copycat' term to mirror a successful type of operation?

quote: Brendan Penny
Suck their soul. After about 10 years employee wakes up and moves on. Enter next sucker. Cycle continues.

Course, when you think of it, why do some occupation starts out at minimun wage? to keep the cycle moving just like candy in the concession stand when you rotate stock.

Why businesses love the old $5.15/hr wage cuz it keeps that cycle moving quite readilly with employees leaving for better pastures and it allows greater headroom for pay increases without raising prices. Now, with this idiotic $7.25/hr stuff, the cycle is much slower and you can almost kiss any form of payroll increase goodbye unless price raising goes into effect which will kill the overall income due to reduction of sales due to the higher cost.

Somebody really fubared this up real good without thinking things through real well. ..

-Monte

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James Westbrook
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1133
From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa
Registered: Mar 2006

posted 12-09-2010 04:16 AM

I was watching some Opie and Anthony videos on You Tube where they were discussing deaths at Disney World and Disney Land and a former "Cast Member" called the show telling his stories. His role was that of "Mono Rail Pilot."
Yes, Anthony inquired why was someone who basically stopped and started a vehicle on tracks was called a "pilot."
"Cast Member" was used by Disney, but I'm not sure if these were the title of the ones who operated the rides or all the crew members who were not stuffed in Goofy or Winnie the Pooh suits (the later being called by some other title).
Speaking of manager hours, was it not unusual for a manager to be at the theater from open - and before open - til the closing deposit was made - 6 days a week with a relief manager working that 7th day? The larger venues having assistant managers, while the smaller ones that operated evenings only just the one manager?

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-09-2010 06:49 AM

Umm...wow.... I've heard some crazy euphamistic job titles, but "monorail pilot" takes the cake. And "cast member" and "film crew" aren't far behind. Does anyone genuinely believe that there is any benefit to this practice, or is it just done by someone who is trying to justify the existence of his job?

What was so wrong with job titles like "cashier" and "usher" (and--God forbid--"projectionist") that actually describe the job functions?

A related pet peeve of mine is job titles like "Accountant I" and "Accountant II" (etc.). In some companies, the "I" version is higher; in others, the "II" version is. [Mad]

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