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» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » Cranking "Cleaning lights" up too fast at the end of a film! (And I'm still there!) (Page 3)

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Author Topic: Cranking "Cleaning lights" up too fast at the end of a film! (And I'm still there!) Michael Hunt Film Handler Posts: 63 From: Gloucester, Gloucestershire, UK Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-05-2003 12:36 PM                        Used to turn off the breaker all the time until some bright spark added some extra 'power fail' emergency lighting in the auditorium, and powered it from the 'cleaners lights' My solution, wire up a convenient switch in the box to turn off the supply to the cleaners lights, but leaving the supply to the power fail lighting intact. Hate it in Cinema's when someone's lazy and cant wait for the audience to leave. If there's not enough turnaround time between shows someones got their scheduling wrong and should get a talking to! The houselighting in my main screen is far brighter than the so called cleaners lights anyway, as the Halogen floods that were there were bloody awkward to change at some 20+ feet up in the roof, so we removed them, and replaced them with compact fluorescents that give enough light to walk through, and do basic cleaning, but dont blind the audience if some idiot does turn them on.  |  IP: Logged Carl Martin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1424 From: Oakland, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 02-06-2003 05:14 AM                        you don't need to be a paying customer to do the theater a favor by telling them that there's room for improvement in their presentation, especially if you can do so anonymously via comment card! you just shouldn't raise a stink and demand passes. carl  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 02-06-2003 07:02 AM                        Always use CONSTRUCTIVE Criticism --- provide information to identify problems and find solutions. The trick sometimes is getting it into the hands of a person who will understand the problem, and care enough to do something to fix it.  |  IP: Logged Charles Everett Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1470 From: New Jersey Registered: May 2001 posted 02-23-2003 05:03 PM                     The Loews New Brunswick brought the cleaning lights up over the end credits of Shanghai Knights last night. It didn't help that the automation wasn't working properly and couldn't bring the regular lights up to halfway for the end credits. I have seen the cleaning lights go up full in the middle of a movie: at the UA Union Square in NYC, on a Saturday matinee of The Anniversary Party. The cleaning lights went up full in the part where the kids are dancing a ballet. This all but washed out the image -- The Anniversary Party was a DV-to-35mm transfer. Somebody went out to tell the staff. The cleaning lights went out only to come on again 5 minutes later. Somebody went out again to tell the staff. This time the cleaning lights stayed off.  |  IP: Logged James R. Hammonds, Jr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 931 From: Houston, TX, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-23-2003 06:31 PM                     Charles, I wonder if that theatre has a simple light switch inside the auditorium with a keylock cover. someone could have forgotten to lock it up and the lights could have been turned on by a prankster. I've been to a show where that has happened before.  |  IP: Logged Brent Mahaney Film Handler Posts: 43 From: Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA Registered: Dec 2001 posted 02-23-2003 09:36 PM                    My ushers recently made an extremely RARE mistake by turning the cleaning lights on during the credits of a movie because they were "in a hurry". The lady who complained said it best. She said, "I like your theatre a lot, but when I pay to see a movie, that includes the credits. I don't want your ushers determining when the movie is over. I trust the director knows best." An amusing but excellent point. The credits are part of the film. Period. Leave the lights OFF.  |  IP: Logged Charles Everett Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1470 From: New Jersey Registered: May 2001 posted 02-26-2003 03:19 PM                     James R: The cleaning lights were switched on in the auditorium by the usher just before the Spyglass logo at the end.  |  IP: Logged James R. Hammonds, Jr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 931 From: Houston, TX, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-27-2003 12:53 AM                     Charles, you said it happened twice in the middle, hence the explanation I gave.  |  IP: Logged Peter Hall Master Film Handler Posts: 314 From: London, UK Registered: Dec 2000 posted 02-28-2003 11:01 AM                        I've never seen the clearers lights wired through the douser, although I can see some merit in it, although with good management policies it seems to be just another thing to go wrong. We deal with the cleaners lights in two ways; - Where a site has halogen floods, we install a two way switch - the operator can turn these off at will - Where no cleaners lights, the usher can turn the house lights on however the operator has overall control Both situations can create an "up and down" fight between the booth and the floor, but if this is the case usually the theatre is empty of patrons so who cares ? Have seen situations where the ushers' early turning on of the cleaners lights has caused major upstairs / downstairs rifts - god, over turning some lights on ? Surely all concerned need a lesson in reality ? - is this really something to get stressed over ?  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 02-28-2003 12:06 PM                        quote: Both situations can create an "up and down" fight between the booth and the floor, but if this is the case usually the theatre is empty of patrons so who cares ? Good pastime for the long winter months. Denying turning the lights off only makes it more fun. Oh no, the theatre's possessed. quote: Have seen situations where the ushers' early turning on of the cleaners lights has caused major upstairs / downstairs rifts - god, over turning some lights on ? Surely all concerned need a lesson in reality ? - is this really something to get stressed over ? YES! Impatient ushers should be shot. Then sent back to usher school.  |  IP: Logged Jannette McQueen Film Handler Posts: 50 From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Registered: Sep 2003 posted 09-15-2003 12:50 AM                     I only remember anything like that happen once, and it was very recent actually. I was up at my family's cabin and thought I'd check out the cinema I used to love so much Hadn't been there in ages, and now that I actually work at a cinema, I thought it'd be neat. But it is just a family owned cinema, and in a small little vacation spot. I was watching Lara Croft and the Cradle of Life and right as soon as the credits started they cranked up the stage lights so it was really tough to read anything. I thought it looked a bit unprofessional and would have been extremely annoying had I wanted to stay and read the credits. It was just a matinee, which is just at 2pm and they didn't have another show till 7:30 ... so it's not as though they were in a hurry to clean the theater or anything, probably animation, but still, I thought the stage lights didn't need to be up. Didn't say anything though I had already been enough of a pest. And looking back at the years I'd spent watching shows when I was younger, I think they'd always done it that way.  |  IP: Logged Peter Hall Master Film Handler Posts: 314 From: London, UK Registered: Dec 2000 posted 09-15-2003 03:26 AM                        If the ushers are in such a hurry to get the lights on, and the operator has little enough to do that they can stand looking out the port waiting for the automation to turn the lights on, perhaps the projectionist could offer the usher a helping hand picking up the litter after the film is over. This way everybody would win and 'twould show a spirit of cooperation. Shit - did I say cooperation - wash my mouth out (sorry, completely forgot which forum I was in)  |  IP: Logged Mike Baer Film Handler Posts: 51 From: Winterthur, Switzerland Registered: Dec 2002 posted 09-15-2003 11:18 AM                        In my Theatre,when the credits starts,only the houselights go on half.And when most of the customers are out,the ushers begin to clean.Sometimes it happens,that all customers are out before the film has ended,the ushers tell me on the radio to bring the lights up full,so they can finish cleaning by better light.  |  IP: Logged Kevin Wale Expert Film Handler Posts: 167 From: Guymon, OK USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 09-15-2003 12:41 PM                     Our cleaning light switches are in the booth. The cleaners have zero control of them. Our automation is set up to turn the lights up slightly when the credits roll with the cue being on the non soundtrack side. If there is a quick turnaround, cleaners go in but inform the people politely that there is no rush and they are welcomed to stay. If they are finished cleaning before the last person comes out, they stay in the auditorium at the exit door so they can be there to smile at the customer and say thanks (and all that other customer relations stuff that so many people have no idea about). This way the ticket tearer doesn't let people in just because they see the cleaners come out. Cleaning lights only come on for customers when they have lost something, or if the projectionsist sees that no one is in there but the cleaners and he might turn them on for them while he threads up. Either way, we are all fully able to clean those theatres in dark conditions and if I go back in, I very seldom see that they have left any trash or crumbs on the floor. You can move quickly and without seeing much, still sweep up all the popcorn and candy. It really is possible. LOL  |  IP: Logged

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