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Topic: Showing Trailers in the Lobby

Phil Connolly
Film Handler

Posts: 80
From: Derby, England
Registered: May 2000

posted 05-04-2001 12:22 PM

I worked on a DVD project recently, the mastering was about £300 ($500ish) for a ten minute program and then burnt DVD-R copies were £30 ($50) each. I have seen short run DVD copies for as little as $18 each.

Or you could get one of those nice Apple G4 DVD-R packages.

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Scott Norwood
Film God

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

posted 05-04-2001 12:49 PM

Would VCD (video CD) be an option for this? I know that the picture quality is horrible (worse than VHS), but the cost to burn a VCD is the same as any regular music CD (i.e. under $.50) and the disks wouldn't wear out with continuous play for a few weeks...

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 05-04-2001 01:33 PM

Maybe the idea of a "vintage" 35mm projector projecting trailers onto a moderate sized screen in the lobby isn't so bad after all. You could even build the lobby decor around the theme -- sort of an "industrial" booth look. Instead of running reel-to-reel or off a platter, loop the print and run it overhead (out of reach of patrons) across the lobby stretched between rollers. Ten minutes of trailers would only need about 10 rollers to guide the film back-and-forth over a 100-foot lobby. (Don't forget to use a film cleaner). Watching the print get transported overhead could be as interesting as what's on the screen.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 05-04-2001 02:52 PM

Yes, John - that would look neat with the endless loop. But, two things come to mind:

1. The largest theater chain in the world has a very stiff upper lip (along with others) and would probably never try it.

2. Too many theaters have all they can do to get the movie on the screen right in the first attempt. I can see a disaster coming with an endless loop system.

When I had my setup in the lobby, I did not allow others to run my machine for two reasons:

1. It was my personal property.

2. Most importantly, I was always afraid that if I let someone else run it, they would forget to lock the upper and lower spindles to prevent the 6,000 foot reels from falling out and land on someone's head or foot.

Perhaps a platter might be the answer.

I do like the idea of a separate set-up in the booth where it is projecting into the lobby with a set of mirrors.

But, from my experience, people were more entertained by watching the projector being threaded, being started, and run. The patrons loved to ask questions on how it all works, and how we make it all come together.

We took great pride by interacting with the customer and adding a personal touch to their movie going experience.

It never failed us, as we believed that entertainment should start as soon as they step through the door and buy a ticket.

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 05-04-2001 03:28 PM

Paul, you're correct that the personal interaction as you threaded the projector in the lobby was an important part of the "show".

idea.

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Michael Gonzalez
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 790
From: Grand Island , NE USA
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 05-05-2001 11:34 PM

The theater that I am currently at uses a TV monitor in the lobby, however the theater that I worked at before actually has a projector in the lobby that is used to show movie trailers. The projector is positioned in a balcony above the box office and projects the trailers on to a screen above the usher post. The sound is played on lobby speakers both inside and outside the building. Although the lobby is a bit too bright during the day to get the full effect, it looks really good at night. So it works out pretty well.

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Steve Scott
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1300
From: Minneapolis, MN
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 07-17-2001 02:55 PM

We've had trailers in our lobby for the 3 years that we've been open, and it works well. We use 32" TVs and a tape that we get from a distributor (the name escapes me at the moment).
Our only problem is receiving tapes before the trailers get old (at one point, only two movies on the tape hadn't been released while we played the tape!). We can fax in a request for a new one, but it usually takes about 3 weeks.

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Will Cook
Film Handler

Posts: 2
From: Alma, MI, USA
Registered: Jul 2001

posted 07-17-2001 06:23 PM

We just use some mounted 24" monitors with VHS tapes, but we do not play the sound from the trailers in the lobby for most of the previously mentioned reasons (too loud, not loud enough, distracting, etc.) Instead we just play normal lobby music or movie soundtracks. Customers don't seem to mind the lack of audio on the trailers and people still seem to watch them.

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Freddie Dobbs
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 115
From: Pinson, AL, USA
Registered: Jun 2001

posted 08-13-2001 08:31 PM

Or you could do like a chain I visited in Detroit, they built a special platform and inclosed it with glass, put in all new Strong stuff and projected trailers on a screen in the lobby.

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Ky Boyd
Hey I'm #23

Posts: 314
From: Santa Rosa, CA, USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-20-2001 08:30 PM

One great advantage to running real trailers off of 6,000's in the lobby as opposed to the video wall system is the ability of the theatre to control the content of the presentation. Why would a theatre want to promote movies that are not going to play in that theatre? I've never understood why some theatres do promotion work for their competitors. With 6,000's it would be real easy to pull off old trailers and add on new trailers as materials arrive and bookings/dates change. I too like the idea of the show in the lobby. As Ian has said in other thread's, the show starts on the sidewalk.

When I lived in Cincinnati there was a USA theatre (now part of of Loews, I think) that had the booth for 2 of its auditoriums up 1/2 story and totally visible from the lobby. I always thought that was cool. People were fascinated to see how it all worked. Of course, the downside to that is that you can't swear when something or someone screws up. Guess that's what the glass walls are for.

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-21-2001 11:52 PM

Ky, the glass walls never stopped my voice when something screwed up. As a matter of fact, I remember one time at Cinema 5 in Mount vernon, WA in 1984, maybe 1985, I stepped on the return film path of No. 3 and naturally, the fail-safe shut the machine down.

The audience accepted tha fact I was off the screen, and all of the sudden they started laughing. Well, they heard a loud voice yelling F***! The walls never stopped that one. I guess it must have been a classic.

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 08-22-2001 01:03 AM

Yes Ky, I used to work for USA Cinemas wich prior to that was Mid-States Theaters. They used to be owned by two brothers. One of them came up with the idea of building mutiplexes and putting some of the projection equipment up onto platforms in the lobby. THey even went as far as to put these boxes on the back of the lamphouses that had lights in them. They didn't do a damn thing.

These machines were the hardest to keep clean do to all the popcorn oil and cigarette smoke in the lobby. People used to sit on the steps to these platforms and get in your way trying to get up there. But, if it wasn't for the abbility to see these machines in action, I wouldn't be doing this today.

Loews did purchas USA cinema in 1988 and later sold off the Cincy and Louisville theaters to National Amusements in the early 90's. A lot of the old theaters are closed now. I think the Northgate, Kenwood Town Center, and Florence mall in northern Kentucky are the only ones open right now of the old ones.

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-22-2001 04:16 PM

Yes, Darryl. I think that was the Rose Theater (or something like that) in Portland, Oregon.

It also had speakers along side of the screen, and the center channel was above the screen. I was not very impressed with it.

Paul

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Kristin Wahlund
Film Handler

Posts: 92
From: Eagan, MN
Registered: Jul 2001

posted 09-25-2001 07:26 AM

At my theatre, Regal 16 in eagan, we have a preview screen in our lobby. Its about twenty feet long and 10 feet high. It uses a century projector which our GM claims in broken so we dont have to use it. Its really not so we use it sometimes when she isnt around, its quite cool, the projector is on the backside of the screen towards the top of the ceiling. its pretty neat.

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