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Topic: Idiots who text at the movies

Geoff Jones
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 579
From: Broomfield, CO, USA
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 02-02-2009 01:15 PM

quote: Justin Hamaker
I go into the auditorium periodically during the trailers and ask people to put their phones away. Once the movie starts I'll tell people if I can get to them without distracting others, but if they are in the middle of the row there isn't much I can do.

When it's an especially busy show and I have time, I'll usually try to go in the auditorium and make an announcement before the show starts asking people turn off their phones and step into the hall if they need to take a call or send a text message.

Bravo!

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Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 02-02-2009 02:04 PM

I cannot understand why it it is illegal in the United States to have cell phone jamming device installed in motion picture theatres. The reason for the FCC ruling might be due to the possibility of a family or medical emergency that might occur. Long before cell phones were invented when I was growing up, I have seen emergency massages flashed on the bottom of the screen for a couple of seconds that read, "Dr. Timothy Johnson, please go to the lobby" or " David Nagamine, please go to the lobby" The manager at the theatre that had alerted doctors and other patrons of a serious situation only did it if he or she felt it was an emergency. . I cannot see why something similar cannot be utilized today because almost every theatre here in Hawaii and possibly your theatre has a slide projector that is used to project advertisments between sHows. I think the FCC ruling is also stupid when theatres are permitted to ask patron to turn their cell phones off when they are in their theatre watching a movie thus defeating the whole purpose of a possible emergency telephone call.

-Claude

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Julio Roberto
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 938
From: Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Registered: Oct 2008

posted 02-02-2009 02:17 PM

From my point of view, if someone NEEDS to have cell phone coverage for whatever reason (i.e. doctor on call, etc) they should NOT go to a movie theater that clearly advertises their use is forbidden at that time and wait for a moment when they can afford to be out-of-touch for a couple of hours.

The excuse that they need to be connected 24/7 is, from my point of view, not good enough. There is always the choice of not going to the movies.

Also, the jammers don't affect beepers.

Also, the person can exit the theater every 20 minutes or so and check for incoming messages if he wishes.

I can vouch they work quite well. I've only installed one. It was around $75 and covered a large (two floors) classic auditorium, blocking 100% GSM and 3G signals. The range and possition and shielding was fine tuned so that the interference stopped almost exactly at the metal door, so the cell phones can be used just a few steps after coming out of the auditorium or in the lobby. As soon as you step into the auditorium, they go dead.

The owner may install more in the smaller auditoriums if the need arises. People over here don't seem to be as bad with cell phone usage as some in the USA. Flat-payment plans are not as popular as pay-as-you-go here in Spain, so most people have an incentive to NOT use their phone (less use=less €€€).

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Tony Bandiera Jr
Film God

Posts: 3067
From: Moreland Idaho
Registered: Apr 2004

posted 02-02-2009 02:42 PM

At UC Irvine we have a simple policy: A pre-show announcement warning the patrons and students to turn off all cell phones and laptops before the movie starts, and the PROMISE that if anyone turns on a phone or laptop during the show we WILL stop the movie and remove them from the auditorium.

So far I haven't had to stop a show.....

quote: Jim Cassedy
I once missed a motor cue becuase some idiot pulled out a laptop (!) to read e-mail or something right in the middle of a show. My eye couldn't help being drawn to the giant ball of light suddenly illuminating from somewhere in the middle of the theater and I missed the cue.

Shame on you Jim. [Big Grin]

Knock on wood, so far I haven't missed a motor cue in over 14 years of changeover projection..but there have been close calls and some mechanical issues that have fouled up some changeovers. (Recently one of my FP-38's decided it didn't want to come up to full speed on a changeover, it hung up at about 14fps until I stopped and restarted it.) There is a bad relay on the inverter drive control logic.

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Joe Tommassello
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 547
From: Coatesville, PA, USA
Registered: Jan 2008

posted 02-02-2009 03:36 PM

I agree with Julio. If you are too "important" to be out of contact for two hours or so don't go to a movie - or live theater for that matter - at all.

I think those jamming devices should be legalized and hooked into the automation. When the program starts all signals cease.

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Evans A Criswell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1579
From: Huntsville, AL, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 02-02-2009 03:59 PM

It seems that cell phone jammers wouldn't stop people from being able to open their phones to check their text messages. They'd simply open their phones, which would still be as bright, and fiddle with them a while anyway. They might fiddle with them more trying to make them work.

Last time I went to a movie, I noticed many more cell phones lit up in the auditorium from time to time. The older cell phones had LCD displays that weren't bright and were barely noticeable, but today's phones are miniature computers and have bright screens for checking email and surfing the web. They're much more distracting in an auditorium. The main reason I pull my phone out to look at it is to see what time it is. It's my watch, but doing so doesn't distract anyone since it doesn't require opening the phone and making the display light up. I always silence it before going in.

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Joe Elliott
Master Film Handler

Posts: 497
From: Port Orange, Fl USA
Registered: Oct 2006

posted 02-02-2009 04:18 PM

They do have Wi-fi blocking paint, and cell phone blocking paint.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/23/rf_proof_paint/

http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2006/03/011723.htm

Just paint the insides of the auditorium only with it so they have to go out into the lobby to get signal. It's not an electronic jamming device, so it should be legal.

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John Wilson
Film God

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

posted 02-02-2009 04:35 PM

I hear the jammers are illegal here too...doesn't stop one guy I know though.

When quizzed he simply says there's so much concrete around the building that the signal can't get in.

[Big Grin]

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 02-02-2009 05:30 PM

(...lol, that paint is probably loaded with lead or kryponite..lol).

Course, you think that any jamming device would be controlled by the management so if an emergency does arise, that the device could be turned off for this sort of situation.

Or, even controlled by the console automation to be off during intermission and on during showtime where if an emergency situation does happen, you know that the show is gonna stop, lights comes up and with show stoppage, the unit will automatically shut down for cel usage . - Monte

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Jonathan Althaus
Master Film Handler

Posts: 435
From: Bedford, TX
Registered: Dec 2008

posted 02-02-2009 05:39 PM

During our 7:30 show of Uninvited on friday, I counted 37 phones that were lit up. Incredibly annoying, but when 90% of the people in there are 13-16 yr olds, no one complains. When I went to see Dark Knight in IMAX in Dallas opening day, a manager came in and told us if they saw phones you would be removed without any refund no matter what. Nice to see some places take care of an obviously distracting issue.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 02-02-2009 07:36 PM

quote: Claude S. Ayakawa
Long before cell phones were invented when I was growing up, I have seen emergency massages flashed on the bottom of the screen for a couple of seconds that read, "Dr. Timothy Johnson, please go to the lobby" or " David Nagamine, please go to the lobby"

I certainly don't mean to sound rude, but they had video projectors back then? How did they accomplish this?

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 02-02-2009 07:38 PM

Prob was an old 4"x5" glass slide projector where one could write information on a blank slide, then shoot that on the screen.

I've done that before in a theatre I used to work at

-Monte

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Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 02-02-2009 08:24 PM

You are correct, Monte. The Waipahu used to show a different movie every day and for a couple of minutes before the main feature started, the projectionist would show using a glass slide projector, a still movie ad for each day of the coming week. The graphic used on the slides were exactly the same as the the ones used in newspaper advertisments and were in black and white.

-Claude

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Kenneth Wuepper
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1026
From: Saginaw, MI, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 02-02-2009 09:35 PM

Here at the Temple Theatre we had a small stencil cutting machine in the manager's office. A card stock slide could be cut in the office and taken to the booth where we used the old Brenkert lantern slide machine to show the white lettering on the screen.

For Doctor calls, we had a number for each doctor and it was simply flashed in the bottom right corner of the screen without even dimming the picture. Every doctor had a code number and told the box office when entering the theatre so we knew they were there. The manager simply said "page Dr 335" on the booth phone and we flashed the number a few times on the screen.

They didn't have cell phones and pagers in 1950.

The nursery at church has a signaling service for parents. There is a digital number panel upstairs in the sanctuary that shows numbers from the nursery. Each parent has a number for the child so if there is a problem or emergency the parent can be summoned without disturbing others in the service. The modern version of the old theatre number idea.

KEN

[ 02-03-2009, 10:38 AM: Message edited by: Kenneth Wuepper ]

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 02-02-2009 10:09 PM

quote: Kenneth Wuepper
They didn't have cell phones and pagers in 1950.

....and things were simpler then without any of this scientific gadgetry to enslave and occuy our lives with-to make life easier....You just made do with what you got and lived with it. But, it made you a better person - knew how to respect life.

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