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Author Topic: rant on stupid customers Ian Price Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1714 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-01-2004 03:30 PM                     I draw the line when people carry in steaming pizza and put it down on the counter when paying. I draw the line when people come in licking ice-cream cones. I draw the line at buckets of chicken. But what people carry in their coat pockets is of little concern to me. I only ask that you don't spit sunflower seeds on to the floor. Do not put your orange peels and banana peels in the cup holder armrests. And don't allow your empty 40oz of malt liqueur roll down the auditorium floor. Actually I am firmly against glass bottles and alcohol consumption in our theatre. Our assistant manager told one lady that she couldn’t consume Champagne in our theatre. She got all huffy and told him off by yelling, “don’t you know who I am?” He said no, and I don’t care. Turns out she was the building owner’s wife. Soon to be ex-wife, he was mortified. If I see people walking in with outside food or drink, I politely inform them of the no outside food or drink policy and tell them that this is true in every theatre. In California you may not legally deny someone with bottled water. You must also supply free water upon request. Also some people must consume food for medical reasons like diabetes, I don’t wish to get in to an argument over that either.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-02-2004 02:21 AM                        Here's a good one. A guy tonight (from a neighboring town where there is no theatre) told me he wants to start showing movies on DVD in the high school auditorium, and he wondered who he could contact at the film companies to arrange to pay "film rental" for this. He stressed that he wants to keep everything legal and would definitely want to pay appropriate money to whoever's deserving. He even contacted OUR booker (how he got the number or even the name is beyond me) and asked them about this. They told him to contact NATO. I explained to him that DVDs are licensed for home use only, that there is no mechanism set up for the collection and payment of rentals on DVDs to the film companies, etc. and that you just cannot exhibit DVDs in a theatre-like setting. He also asked me about digital cinema and said he'd heard it was coming in the next couple of years and "everything will be on satellite anyway." I told him a bit about the digital cinema dilemma and by that time, I had to get the movie started so had to break off the conversation.  |  IP: Logged Mark Hajducki Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 500 From: Edinburgh, UK Registered: May 2003 posted 03-02-2004 11:25 AM                     quote: I explained to him that DVDs are licensed for home use only, that there is no mechanism set up for the collection and payment of rentals on DVDs to the film companies, etc. and that you just cannot exhibit DVDs in a theatre-like setting. If he forms a film society then he may be able to get licences for DVD screenings. Filmbank has the UK Non-theatrical rights for a number of films (I don't have details of US firms). The other option is to go to the main distributers and try and negotiate the rights. To be totally legal he would have to find out what venue licences are required as well.  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 03-02-2004 02:47 PM                     Mike said, "I explained to him that DVDs are licensed for home use only, that there is no mechanism set up for the collection and payment of rentals on DVDs to the film companies, etc. " That's not correct. That's exactly what the business of non-theatrical film exhibition is about. In the US, Swank Motion Pictures and Criterion Pictures between them coverall the major studios, and are happy to license DVDs for public performance. (They will also book 35mm and VHS tapes as well, again for non-theatricals, not for theaters.) Telling him to contact NATO is not going to help him out, though presumably they'd know to refer him to Swank/Critereon. So he definitely doesn't qualify as a "stupid customer." He was exactly right, just didn't know who to talk to. --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-02-2004 09:52 PM                        He wanted to buy or rent DVDs, and then offer showings to the public. In other words, he wanted to create a DVD theatre. I always thought Swank, etc. only dealt with situations like schools, etc. where the general public is not admitted. Maybe I'm wrong about that, if so I stand corrected.  |  IP: Logged Michael Brown Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1522 From: Bradford, England Registered: May 2001 posted 03-03-2004 09:39 PM                     On Tuesday I had the weirdest phone call so far. Me: Good Afternoon ......How may I help you? Them: Is that the place where you're having that Riverdance tonight? Me: Errrm? -------------- Also earlier in the day I overheard a grandmother and 2 chidren having a conversation about wheather they wanted to see Cheaper By the Dozen or The Aristocats. Is there some re-release of The Aristocats that I should know about? Also having problems on Box Office over the last few weeks with the introduction of some Buy One Get One Free vouchers we have going around. It's amazing that some people don't understand the BOGOF principle. Supermarkets have been doing it for years. It's not that complicated.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-03-2004 11:00 PM                     Oh, Swank will probably rent to anybody who is willing to lay down the $$$. For a DVD they charge somewhere about $500.00. (YMMV) If you can prove to them that you are a non-profit or educational institution you'll get a lower price but, depending on the title, not that much lower.  |  IP: Logged Barry Floyd Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1079 From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 03-03-2004 11:55 PM                        quote: I explained to him that DVDs are licensed for home use only, that there is no mechanism set up for the collection and payment of rentals on DVDs to the film companies, etc. and that you just cannot exhibit DVDs in a theatre-like setting. Hmmm..... I personally know a guy in the Baltimore area who is doing just that. He's got one of those Harkness Hall Inflatable screens and some type of digital cinema projector. Last summer he leased the parking area of a local drag strip and played to public audiences every weekend. From what I understand, this season he's rented out the parking lot of the Oriole's minor league stadium and will be doing the same thing again. He tells me he directly licenses the product with the studios. Granted, he's not playing first-run product, but he's still making a profit.  |  IP: Logged William Hooper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1879 From: Mobile, AL USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-04-2004 12:50 AM                        I also suspect a theater that installed a video projector of just running DVD's not licensed for exhibition, theatrical or non-theatrical. It would be nice to know who to call to check if a title has been licensed to the theater. It's absolutely poisoning the well of exhibition when they do that. The area had previously had very good attendance for classic titles, but since that venue started just running DVD's & VHS, their attendance dropped to almost nothing. It would be nice to run them legally & better at another venue, but I've got a feeling they've killed the market.  |  IP: Logged Ian Price Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1714 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-04-2004 12:37 PM                     Monday, the day after the Oscars. People coming out of Errol Morris' Fog of War asking at the box office, "I thought this was the Ben Kingsley movie." This happened no less than 4-times. One guy upon beeing told that House of Sand and Fog was not playing at our theatre said that yes and it was in the paper. The cashier handed over the paper, folded open to the entertainment section and said, This paper? [ 03-04-2004, 01:53 PM: Message edited by: Ian Price ]  |  IP: Logged Brad Allen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 688 From: Evansville, IN, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 03-05-2004 02:21 PM                     But that customers paper had been changed by the delivery boy. Just his. I hear this all the time. But MY paper said such and such. Gee Ian, haven't you heard of niche marketing.  |  IP: Logged Brian Michael Weidemann Expert cat molester Posts: 944 From: Costa Mesa, CA United States Registered: Feb 2004 posted 03-09-2004 06:08 AM                        At my first theatre (a second-run "dollar" house that bums liked to use as a cheap vacation home), the classic always remained to be the guy that called out to the floor staff from the second story balcony area where the bathrooms and video games were: "Hey, how do I get down?" The only building entrance was from ground level, and pointing for him didn't seem to help him much. Surprisingly, he was sober.  |  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 03-09-2004 06:21 AM                        It's a good thing I no longer run any theatres with balconies. I would have told him to jump.  |  IP: Logged Chase Taylor Expert Film Handler Posts: 175 From: Troy, Alabama, USA Registered: Mar 2001 posted 03-13-2004 04:48 PM                        I had a customer come up to me and asked if the theatre was air conditioned and if it had soft seats, so I politely told him that we did. I thought I would never hear that one. It remanded me of pictures I've seen of theatres with big banners outside of the theatre that said "Air Conditioned". This guy was going to "The Passion" and looked like he was in his seventy. We have had alot of new customers with this movie, just hope they come back.  |  IP: Logged Richard Greco Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1180 From: Plant City, FL Registered: Nov 2003 posted 03-15-2004 06:45 AM                     Another good outside food and drink story..... I was making my walk-through of Twisted. I smelled cooked food as I entered the auditorium. I walked to the end of the aisle and back up again and found the offender. I see she has a sandwich bag of something and what looks like a small bag of cookies on her lap. This was still in the previews so I approached her (She was with 2 women and a guy). I politely told her of our no outside food and drink policy. The conversation then roughly went like this. Me: I can either hold that food on your lap behind the box office or throw it away for you. Her: What outside food? I don't have any. Me:The food on your lap ma'am Her: This is just chicken, it isn't anything bad. Me: We don't allow any type of outside food and drink in our theatres ma'am. Her: Well you sell it in your Mugs theatre. (Mugs & Movies is a movie grill theatre) Me: The food sold in there is specifically for that theatre and only that theatre. Her: Well Here! She then handed me one piece of her many wrapped in a napkin. ME: I need it all maam Her: We never had problems in Brandon with food! (AMC owned Theatre) Me: I also need the bag of cookies on your lap. She handed me the cookies. Her: We're never coming back here again. THAT bag better be there when I come out! Me: I'll have it at the box office for you. As I stood up, I noticed that the gentleman had a cup from Checkers (Drive thru fast food place). I said that I'll need that cup too. I then started my 7:10 movies and on a hunch, looked out of the booth at Twisted. Sure enough, the man is eating a burger and fries. Since we were still in previews at that time, I went down to confiscate that as well. Me: I'm also going to need those burger and fries sir. Him: Too late I already ate them Me: I'd be able to take the trash then. (So it doesn't smell up the place) Him: OK Her: Let me ask you something, I brought this here because you don't sell anything that I want. Me: Ma'am we sell many things at the concessions but chicken and burgers arent available. Her: I wanted nachos and you didn't have any! Me: We probably were out of stock at the time Her: I go to Brandon and I even asked them if I could bring the food in and they said No Problem! Me: Ma'am, were not Brandon and we have a strict No outside food and drink policy that is enforced. Other theatres have a policy too but it is up to them if they choose to enforce it. I then walked away. The lady eventually picked up her cookies, gave me a mean look and left with her party. Sorry about the lenghty reply but it mad my night last night. BTW, I am always very courteous and polite to these people.  |  IP: Logged

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