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Topic: Theater owners lack focus

Matt Barth
Film Handler

Posts: 46
From: Albuquerque, NM 87109
Registered: Oct 2005

posted 12-14-2005 10:00 PM

I learned projection at a 24 plex where I was always responsible for 12 screens. When we had a minor problem, one of us would pick up the slack. I had nights where a "minor" brain wrap became a thrown print and I'd have to cover all 24 starts. It's not impossible for a mulitplex projectionist to check the quality of the showing everytime. If a theater has its standards set, it is possible to make them happen. Yes, sometimes a lens will slip out of focus. Yes, sometimes sound will switch. When these happen it is the duty of the floor personnel to take the complaint quickly and politely and relay the problem to the projectionist who should then make it a priority to fix the problem ASAP. Often I meet new projectionists who think they have the fun easy job and don't plan out their shifts, therein lie late starts, bad presentation and the possibility for bigger problems.

Granted not every show can go 100% right but the writer's complaints are legit and I believe the downfall of the modern multiplex.

---Matt

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Dustin Mitchell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1865
From: Mondovi, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 12-15-2005 12:47 AM

Quality presentation is something that needs to happen from the top of the company down-CEO to floorstaff.

The problem with the big chains-and some small theatres-is that they think good presentation just 'happens'. Its not so much that they don't care if they're films are out of frame, out of focus, scratched, etc. They just think the job is so easy it should be a non-issue. Hell, at the company I work for every projector has a sign posted next to it (an obnoxiously orange sign) with a picture of that type of projector head (yes it is specific-we have Christies and Centurys and the Christies have Christie picture next to them and the Centurys have Century pictures next to them) and a short paragraph reminding the projectionist that it is very important to start movies in frame. It even instructs one on how to turn the projector over by hand to make sure the intermittent is in the stopped position and also warns not the try and force the framing knob too far in either direction if you do start out of frame.

Now, do I think that every theatre in my company always has there shows start in frame because of this sign? I wouldn't put a penny on it. I personally always start movies in frame, but do I do it because of the sign telling me to? Of course not. I do it because I know starting in frame is a basic part of a quality presentation, and on the rare occasion I do start out of frame I am quite embarassed about it.

The major chains need to realize that quality presentation doesn't just happen, that running the booth isn't a part time job. We get checkers to make sure the concession staff are upselling. The same checkers are supposed to do a presentation check, but its always the same thing on the report 'the sound was clear and the picture was bright and properly maksed.' Now this is partly because we have a decent presentation at my theatre, but when you see the exact same wording on every checker report you kind of realize its just being copied and pasted. I remember once we got a used print of some movie that was scratched to shit. Same thing on the report though, guess we had a perfect presentation. The chains need to train 'presentation checkers' and send them out to check on theatre's presentations. They shouldn't be but I'm willing to bet many CEO's and COO's would be shocked by what they reported.

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Wolff King Morrow
Master Film Handler

Posts: 490
From: Denton, TX, USA
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 12-15-2005 02:15 AM

Getting back to the original problem of unverified show starts, I've found that quite often when I train new employees in the booth that this is one of the hardest things for them to grasp and remember. I find myself repeating hundreds of times whilst supervising a show start done by a trainee, "Check the picture for framing and focus... No, look out the port window... Yes, does it look in frame and in focus? Does it? Look at the picture on the screen please. Does it look in frame and in focus? Its not a trick question, I promise. " Then I have to do the same thing for checking sound via the monitor. Young kids' natural desire is to press the button and split for the next thread asap. It's very hard to train that out of them.

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 12-15-2005 05:42 PM

David said:
>>I probably mentioned this in some other thread a long time ago, but he liked to randomly drop in at his theaters, unannounced, so he could see for himself if things were being run properly, including walking at least one auditorium.<<

I worked for a guy who would do this too...he was a showman also. Whenever he came into the theatre there would be a mad panic to call the booth and let me know he was coming in. My response was indifference...not to him or his importance, it's just that, well, it should be right in the first place...it shouldn't have to get 'better' just because he's taking a look around. And it was.

The managers and floor staff never seemed to get that fact and all looked busy as he arrived. My thinking is that they should have been looking that way regardless of his appearance on site.

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William Hooper
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1879
From: Mobile, AL USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-16-2005 04:25 AM

quote: Matt Fields
Wal Mart employees do not have to operate machinery everytime they sell the product off the shelf. A better example would be a fast food restuarant. They do a good job of making every burger taste the same, just like every screening should be the same.

That just went wide of the mark of consistency of quality: the fast food guys can make their burgers taste the same, & as you said, every screening *should* be the same standard of just getting the pieces together. It's NOT SO HARD.

And employees at other businesses which provide a service aren't as wild & frequent in their output of shoddy product. Can you imagine that at the frequency the chain's theatres are out of frame, out of focus, scratching prints, the whole list, the guy at the Wal-Mart Auto Center didn't put the plug back in after changing someone's oil, scratched the paint moving the car, got the tires way out of balance, etc.?

So that more Phil-boring letters are not blown on this: Do their theatres provide a product, or a service? To say both, & then say the employees are creating a product, it's just right back to where it started with the focus not on maintaining a staff that is skilled enough to provide a product of passable quality as often as any other business must.

It boils down to the fact that they've got an intense focus on inventory control, which matters to them, but not quality control, which they could just as easily have an effective program to maintain at a level of other businesses.

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