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This topic comprises 4 pages: 1 2 3 4
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Author
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Topic: Flash Back Marathon
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Scott Norwood
Film God
Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 08-01-2009 09:13 PM
It could also be that they don't have the proper lenses and plates to run Academy or 1.66 films. I personally think that this is shameful, but it would be even more so if they knowingly booked these titles and then showed them in the wrong aspect ratio.
Another possibility is that people who want to see older titles aren't in Regal's demographic and, instead, prefer to see those titles elsewhere.
In any case, I give whoever is responsible for the series that David describes (either Regal as a company or the management at that specific location) all the credit in the world for putting on a successful repertory film program. This is very difficult to do, as others have said, especially outside of NYC and LA.
As for older films, I actually think that a series of silent comedies with live accompaniment would do better than a series of 1940s film noir or something like that if properly promoted. This isn't something that could be duplicated in the home very easily, and most of these films play much better on a big screen with an audience than on a TV set. Unfortuantely, this type of program can be expensive, since it typically requires variable-speed projection, one or more musicians, and a piano or other instrument. It's probably also a series better suited to an older theatre than a modern multiplex, but I can imagine that it would work reasonably well in any venue if done right.
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Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays
Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999
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posted 08-02-2009 02:50 PM
At the height of the revival format era, I was projectionist at one of the most-popular repertory houses in the South; the 1,100-seat Kentucky Theatre in Lexington. I ran everything from silent films all the way through present day (the late 70s at the time), foreign and domestic product - with lots of crappy prints, but I hand-inspected and repaired them all. About 8-10 different titles a week on ONE screen, including Friday and Saturday Midnight Shows of offbeat films. 35mm. I ran four different formats with two-projector changeovers: 1.33, 1.66, 1.85, and scope. It was the top union gig in town (and, in the 6 years I was chief boothman there, I never put the wrong movie on, had an out of frame, a film break, or forgot to change a lens). Oh, yes.. while also running the little porn house next door, with it's two-projector changeovers (although it WAS automated)! ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
As popular as this theatre was with repertory, even they have gone to a first and second run policy today. Sadly, repertory truly is dead.
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Darryl Spicer
Film God
Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000
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posted 08-02-2009 04:38 PM
quote:
At the height of the revival format era, I was projectionist at one of the most-popular repertory houses in the South; the 1,100-seat Kentucky Theatre in Lexington. I ran everything from silent films all the way through present day (the late 70s at the time), foreign and domestic product - with lots of crappy prints, but I hand-inspected and repaired them all. About 8-10 different titles a week on ONE screen, including Friday and Saturday Midnight Shows of offbeat films. 35mm. I ran four different formats with two-projector changeovers: 1.33, 1.66, 1.85, and scope. It was the top union gig in town (and, in the 6 years I was chief boothman there, I never put the wrong movie on, had an out of frame, a film break, or forgot to change a lens). Oh, yes.. while also running the little porn house next door, with it's two-projector changeovers (although it WAS automated)!
And according to Fred Mills it was the porn theatre that helped keep the Business afloat. The city helped bring back the Kentucky and they tried to keep the repertory going but it just wasn't bringing in the business so they had to change the way they did things and making the former X rated theatre into a second screen allowed them to do this successfully. Also allowing the wood-songs concert series and the smaller concert performances helped them out to.
I am going to try and get down there to see Monty python and the holy grail on September 2nd.
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Michael McGovern
Film Handler
Posts: 57
From: New Britain, CT, USA
Registered: May 2008
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posted 08-04-2009 01:32 AM
When Regal does the flashbacks and the free kid shows, field management gets zero say in bookings, just as they don't when it comes to regular releases. It all boils down to whatever can be obtained as cheap as possible, and can be circuited around to other locations running the program as well. It ends up being hit and miss, where you'll have to interlock something like "Alvin and the Chipmunks", but see tumbleweeds in the auditorium for "Everyone's Hero".
In fact, the free kids shows with Regal were a particular annoyance because part of the field managements job was to sell local advertising for it, but the sponsorships were pretty expensive, and you didn't get a whole lot for your investment, so it would end up being a really hard sell unless you had a lot of connections. They relied on the sponsors and concession sales to turn a profit, so it was tough. People going to a free movie usually aren't the type to spend a ton of money on concession in the first place, let alone the fact that the movies played at 10am, before people really wanted to be eating popcorn, soda, or candy, but I digress.
The prints for these things would always be in various states of horrible as well. I'd open up a box and find spaghetti almost every time, and some of them looked like the last place that played the print pulled it out of a ditch. I would be afraid to even run the prints on my projectors some times for fear they would make everything all filthy. It was such a hassle, and they didn't serve much useful purpose at all.
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Michael McGovern
Film Handler
Posts: 57
From: New Britain, CT, USA
Registered: May 2008
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posted 08-04-2009 11:54 AM
You must have had a very nice film booker then, the guy I was used to working with in their film department was not very pleasant at all, and you would always want to avoid having to speak with or even e-mail him.
I'm actually unfamiliar with the Regal "Flash Back" program, only their free kids shows, but I just assumed they ran in the same way. I was never even aware Regal did such a thing until recently, as they don't advertise it anywhere on their website. Is there a list of participating theaters anywhere, because as far as I know none of the theaters here in the Northeast ran this, although I haven't worked for Regal in a while, so this may have changed.
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