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

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » Dealing with power outages (Page 3)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3

Author Topic: Dealing with power outages Ron Keillor Expert Film Handler Posts: 166 From: Vancouver, B.C. Canada Registered: Jul 2003 posted 08-16-2003 03:30 AM                     Topic from a couple of years ago could use a timely bump. What I didn't see was a note to ensure refigerators and freezers were shut to protect perishable confection stock.  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 08-16-2003 11:03 AM                        Now that drive-in sound is mainly on FM, computer-type battery backups can keep your sound system up long enough to let the crowd know what's going on. They all have headlights, so the concession building interior is probably the only concern there. On the other hand, the increased attention drive-ins have enjoyed in recent years has brought this issue "to light", as it were. The idea of sending an entire house out of the place can be a PR nightmare. One single incident... 1,800 bad impressions, multiplied by all the subsequent conversations. Of course, the outage occurred just after you started, so everyone wants their money back... which means they all have the ones & fives, and you have a bucketload of 20s & etc! Truly a "scary movie". Last year, I had a manual generator transfer switch installed at my mains panel, and put one of those big shore power sockets on the outside wall. I got a used 3-phase diesel generator & put a (big) cord & plug on it. It takes about 10-15 minutes to tow the generator to the building, plug it in, start it up & switch the load to it. We may not need it often, but Murphy's Law out here holds that a squirrel will blast one of your high-side fuses on a sold-out Friday or Saturday, and you might not even know it until you try to start the show. Preventing the bad PR & lost income from one or two of those events would cover the cost of the equipment.  |  IP: Logged Ken Layton Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1452 From: Olympia, Wash. USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 08-16-2003 11:46 AM                     Jack's right. That generator of his will run just about the entire drive-in except for the pizza ovens.  |  IP: Logged Dave Ganoe Expert Film Handler Posts: 119 From: Point Marion, PA Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-16-2003 02:41 PM                     We use cp650's at our location and when you get the power pulse from a storm or something sometimes they do switch to non sync and the film keeps running. With 10 screens spread out over 4 floors its tough to get to them in a timely manner. Got the ok to purchase ups to take care of those momentary interruptions and hopefully cut down on customer complaints.  |  IP: Logged Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 08-17-2003 11:19 PM                        All I have to add is that there is nothing much like carrying 300 pounds of dry ice up two flights of escalators to a walk-in freezer when your complex blows a transformer!  |  IP: Logged Ky Boyd Hey I'm #23 Posts: 314 From: Santa Rosa, CA, USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-03-2003 02:27 AM                       Sean, Ok, I'll bite. What does your theatre do with 300 lbs of dry ice??? One aspect I didn't see mentioned in the thread but I may have over-looked it, is having working flashlights available to the staff. Batteries should be checked regularly. Have enough extra batteries on hand for every flashlight. Check periodically (monthly or more often) that every area that needs a flash light has one. The darn things seem to grow legs and wander, most frequently to the booth! We have a flash light by every projector (our booth is a bit spread out) as well as several downstairs in the concessions and box areas and the usher closet. With regard to ticket stubs as rainchecks - my personal preference is to issue canceled show passes (aka shit happens passes) rather than keeping a list of acceptable old tickets in the box office. Don't recall if anyone mentioned locking the front doors, but that too is typically pretty standard operating proceedure so that no one gets in until the power is restored but people can leave.  |  IP: Logged Lance C. McFetridge Expert Film Handler Posts: 135 From: Penn Yan, New York Registered: Jul 99 posted 09-03-2003 06:07 AM                     Ky, Do you have your RTS Software print a cancelled show pass, or is this something you have on hand? lance  |  IP: Logged Mike Williams Master Film Handler Posts: 255 From: Knoxville, TN Registered: Feb 2002 posted 09-03-2003 08:34 AM                     You can print a cancelled show pass? If the power is out that might be difficult (especially on a busy night).  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 09-03-2003 12:01 PM                        We did our "annual load test" on Monday, as it was our first day off for the fall season. As the generator is trailered, it's not convenient to throw a load on it whenever I start it up (about once monthly during the season). We run up the whole booth, field lights & all, both shows, and kick on as much of the concessions as it will take. Other than not being able to run the air conditioning (awwwwww...), it handled the place nicely. We're looking forward to converting the grill & pizza ovens to propane next year. That should give us all the extra headroom we'd need.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3

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.