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Topic: Seating of Patrons

Ryan Powers
Film Handler

Posts: 27
From: Charlotte, NC, USA
Registered: Nov 2001

posted 05-29-2002 03:17 PM

I always thought if a particular show sells out completely full the management should insert a special slide in the slide machine that remains on the screen until the lights go down. Something such as...

Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to Blank Theaters. Due to the high demand for this feature presentation, all remaining seats have been sold and are scheduled to be filled. We kindly request of you to fill any remaining seats between you and your party at this time to ensure an on time performance. Thank you for your consideration, and enjoy the film, Management.

Something along those lines. It maybe something easy that would cut the time an usher has to find empty seats in a dark auditorium for people.

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John Hawkinson
Film God

Posts: 2273
From: Cambridge, MA, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 05-31-2002 10:45 PM

We (a campus theatre) have one of these, it works pretty well.

We also have a corresponding "joke" slide for when the room
is empty ("As the room is unusally empty, please...").

Of course, being a changeover theatre, we have the option to "overflow" to another screen when we sell out (this hasn't happened in a few years, unfortunately).

--jhawk

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Sean McKinnon
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1712
From: Peabody Massachusetts
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 06-01-2002 02:50 AM

Non changeover theatres can also "Overflow" to other theatres without even having to wait 20 minutes for the first reel to end!

We just Interlock them

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

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

posted 06-01-2002 12:45 PM

There are lots of good ideas pointed out by many of you in this topic. Thank you.

I like the idea of communication with the boxoffice as Mike Spaeth does, if there is sufficient staff personnel available.

Something else I do is this: When it is time to start the movie, I look out the porthole window to see what is going on in the auditoriom. If I see a bunch of stragglers milling around with an arm full of popcorn, soft drinks, etc. looking for a place to be seated, I will hold the start a minute or two to offer them the common courtesy to be seated.

They don't know I am doing that for them, but if they did, I know they would appreciate it. But two minutes is the maximum I will hold the show.

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Kyle Caudill
Film Handler

Posts: 92
From: Wichita Falls, TX
Registered: May 2002

posted 06-02-2002 01:12 AM

Holding A show was a courtesy that I was tought. Another method would be to leave the lights up full during the trailers or at least during most of the trailers.

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Thomas Procyk
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1842
From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 06-02-2002 10:16 AM

While threading on weekends, I would keep an eye on the popular shows and call down to the box office on the radio if there was only floor seats (we were a stadium theater with about 100 seats on the floor level in our big houses) remaining or if we needed an usher in there to tell people to scoot in. They were always appreciative, as none of the other projectionists seemed to do this.

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

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

posted 06-02-2002 12:42 PM

Kyle, half-lights are better than full sometimes. We run half-lights on all our trailers providing we have the dimmers that have that provision. Some of ours don't. It is either OFF or ON. I also think it really depends on how the light placements are. In two of our houses of the older theatre, it nearly washes out the screen if they are on.

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Kyle Caudill
Film Handler

Posts: 92
From: Wichita Falls, TX
Registered: May 2002

posted 06-02-2002 05:52 PM

I should have explained a little better. Our projectors have dimmer knobs on them, we just adjust them, we dont go full bright, but brighter than half-light. Just have to remember to adjust them back at the end of the show. Our auditoriums have 3 to 4 sconces on each side of the auditoriums. No lights in the front or back.

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John Pytlak
Film God

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

posted 06-04-2002 08:29 AM

Kyle said: "Our projectors have dimmer knobs on them".

I assume you meant that you can dim the auditorium lighting. Projected screen luminance aim is 16 footlamberts, with an allowed range of 12 to 22 footlamberts for theatres (Standard SMPTE 196M).

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243
e-mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

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Kyle Caudill
Film Handler

Posts: 92
From: Wichita Falls, TX
Registered: May 2002

posted 06-04-2002 08:01 PM

Yeah, the auditorium lighting.

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