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Author Topic: intermission Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 03-21-2006 08:01 PM                     Ah Louis, a voice of reason. Thank you. I would never give a distributor that much control over MY ship.  |  IP: Logged John Joseph Fink Film Handler Posts: 60 From: West Hartford, CT Registered: Feb 2006 posted 03-22-2006 08:20 AM                        It should be noted the last time I've seen an intermission at a multiplex (aside from Bollywood movies at non-National Amusements sites) was during the re-release of Gone With The Wind in 1999. The lack of a break was one of those things I hated during King Kong and I saw it in a comfortable state of the art megaplex, imagine what patrons at a second-rate multiplex must feel. Clearly someone like Peter Jackson, who choses to make 3 hour-plus epics could use his clout, if he felt it nessisary to say "there will be a 10-minute intermission" and build it in. At theaters with expanded concession menus or bars it seems like a smart move as I agree it encourages revisiting the snack bar. The intermission mark should not be decided by a projectionist, the same way I think its wrong for National Amusements to splice out the intermission title card of a Bollywood picture and keep going, against the filmmaker's wishes. Protest would insue if the intermission was skipped over at the Cineplaza - but the intermission (as well as the Indian snacks sold at the concession) are part of that experience.  |  IP: Logged Mike Spaeth Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1129 From: Marietta, GA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 03-22-2006 09:41 AM                        Gods & Generals was the last wide release with a built-in intermission. They had an intermission card, followed by 5-10 minutes of black leader, then back into the feature, so no cueing of the system or restart was necessary.  |  IP: Logged Jamie Glossop Expert Film Handler Posts: 100 From: Nottingham Uk Registered: Jan 2004 posted 03-22-2006 12:47 PM                        When i worked at my old cinema we had an intermission in lord of the rings and harry potter, We had a little message popup on screen saying "intermission" and then the lights whould come up and the curtains close, We'd allow up to 10 mins break for people to get food or go to the toilet and sometimes 15 mins. Playing adverts in an intermission will break the mood i rekon,  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-22-2006 12:50 PM                        quote: Mike Spaeth intermission card, followed by 5-10 minutes of black leader, then back into the feature, so no cueing of the system or restart was necessary. That's not quite true. If you have 10 minutes of black leader, the auditorium will be too dark. With my idea of a light-colored Intermission card with (or without) a countdown clock, no extra lighting should be necessary.  |  IP: Logged Dylan Marchetti Film Handler Posts: 27 From: New York, NY Registered: Oct 2004 posted 03-22-2006 11:36 PM                        My theater is now playing Bollywood, and we'd like to make a bit more of a production out of the intermission. So- can someone here, preferably an old-school showmanship kind of cat, walk me through how you'd do it, keeping in mind that: -We have nice projectors, but only basic automation. We'd need to do the curtain and house lights manually, since reprogramming would erase the program for non-Bollywood films. -We have a lovely curtain and we're not afraid to use it, though we want to do it correctly. I like the "nobody ever sees a blank screen" philosophy. -We have a digital projector and the ability to easily author and burn a DVD to run on it during intermission, should we want to have a countdown clock, or music, etc. No desire to show ads or trailers during intermission, though, that's cheesy. -We can't dim/raise the lights in our lobby, only the auditorium. Also, if anyone is reading this from India, I'd be curious as to how they do/did it over there...  |  IP: Logged Ron Curran Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 504 From: Springwood NSW Australia Registered: Feb 2006 posted 03-23-2006 12:16 AM                        I don't know how basic your auto is but you could treat part one and part two as two different sessions, with normal curtain close/open. Place the cues at the end of part one just as you do for the end of the show. If you don't have an intermission film tag, a prominant sign in the lobby will serve - "There will be an intermission half way through this feature."  |  IP: Logged Michael Gonzalez Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 790 From: Grand Island , NE USA Registered: Sep 2000 posted 03-23-2006 11:38 AM                     Hey I had forgotten all about "Gods and Generals". The one thing that I did remember was that one of the intermissions dropped right in the middle of the 7:00 set. Thankfully the movie was a major bomb or it really could have been a pain with all the customers mixing at the same time.  |  IP: Logged Derek Maxwell Film Handler Posts: 87 From: Ohio Registered: Nov 1999 posted 03-24-2006 10:02 PM                        I have had some theatres call me and say they had a long film to show and wanted to order an Intermission film to insert half way through and later said they would do it again in a heartbeat with longer films. The customers liked the break for the bathroom run and to get something at the snack bar. They told me the sales went through the roof. I personally like a break when the film is over 2 hours long.....just like being at the Drive-in.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 03-26-2006 06:35 PM                        And what does your master booking contract say about adding an intermission? I agree that movies longer than about 150 minutes should have an intermission. But the filmmaker should put it there, not the exhibitor. [ 03-26-2006, 07:49 PM: Message edited by: John Pytlak ]  |  IP: Logged Ron Curran Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 504 From: Springwood NSW Australia Registered: Feb 2006 posted 03-26-2006 09:27 PM                        Spot on, John!  |  IP: Logged David Kilderry Master Film Handler Posts: 355 From: Melbourne Australia Registered: Sep 1999 posted 03-27-2006 06:53 PM                        Back in the mid 1980's long films here were still supplied with an interval by the distributor. Multiple manning of the projection rooms in multiplexes had come in at this time, but the automation was able to handle it with no problems. Our Kinoton automation simply stopped the projector, raised the house lights, flicked on a 35mm interval slide and switched to the appropriate interval music for the film. The built in delay was 10 minutes and then it would re-start automatically. The films generally came with "End Of Part One" tags and then "Part Two Begins" at the re-start. It was really no problem at all. Advertising slides would often be run during the interval, but never motion advertisements or trailers. In the larger older complexes, curtains certainly improved the presentation, but as long as a blank screen was never seen (the golden rule of presentation) it was OK. David  |  IP: Logged John Koutsoumis Master Film Handler Posts: 261 From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Registered: Aug 2003 posted 04-02-2006 08:20 PM                     Showing slides during interval?? That's terrible!! Another reason to stay home. quote: David Kilderry ...but as long as a blank screen was never seen (the golden rule of presentation) it was OK. Well that's exactly what you see today when you take your seat at a Multiplex (over here anyway). Unless you are late of course and don't stay for the end credits. Fortunately my multiplex going days are over since august last year.  |  IP: Logged David Kilderry Master Film Handler Posts: 355 From: Melbourne Australia Registered: Sep 1999 posted 04-06-2006 09:49 AM                        For as long as I can remember the big epics with intervals ran slides here. Curtains would close on playout music, stage lights up, then after several minutes the slides would start and run. At the conclusion the curatins would close, the playin would begin and then the cutain cue would trigger curtains open again. This was always considered part of the presentation and was part and parcel of the big epics. No film ads or trailers, just slides with non-sync music. Most city theatres in those days did not have talkie slides, they were the domain of the drive-in. Even the best projectionists I worked with did not consider this poor presentation. David  |  IP: Logged Per Hauberg Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 883 From: Malling, Denmark Registered: Jul 2000 posted 04-06-2006 07:22 PM                        It's is my experience, that after 130-140 minutes, the first signs of disturbance are there. One after another, patrons are going to the toilet or (dam' them) to the consession stand. I believe, it's much better with an organised intermission, than a lot of people running in the dark. - But again, the dollar sets the way: If it means time for an extra show per day, the manager of a big theatre and the distributor will surely agree: No intermission. They aren't in there themselves to let others disturb their movie experience, so why bother..? By the way: Danish cinemas had luck in discussion with Warner/Denmark: Some feet of "Intermission" in correct design was delivered with Potter-prints to use "as will". Grumphy Per  |  IP: Logged

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