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Author Topic: Idiots who text at the movies John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 02-26-2009 01:14 AM                     Well, some kinds of interference are legal. For instance, you can probably monitor the phones' communication with cell towers and get their ESNs. Once you have their ESNs, you magically convert them to phone numbers (not sure how you do that). Then, you could make the phones ring continuously until they were turned off. I think this would be legal and would probably work. --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Rick Raskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1100 From: Manassas Virginia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 02-26-2009 07:31 AM                     "Once you have their ESNs, you magically convert them to phone numbers (not sure how you do that)." You would probably need access to the cell providers database to cross reference ESN to TN. That would require inside access or some expert social engineering. I also think there would be legal issues because of intercepting telecommunications traffic and using it for your own purpose. ---Rick  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 02-26-2009 08:09 AM                     I did say "magically" for a reason. Though I bet there are people you can buy a realtime database feed from... I think we can say with confidence that there's no case law on this issue, so if you're careful, you can probably make it work. --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Hal Smith Film Handler Posts: 10 From: Edmond, OK US Registered: Jun 2007 posted 02-26-2009 09:08 AM                     Block cellphones? Cellphone check? I'll bet that in any sizeable audience there are at least one or two paying patrons who are on 24/7 call. Doctors, radio and television engineers, law enforcement officers, and others with responsibilities that stay with them wherever they go. Encouraging patrons to put their phones in vibrate mode and taking any calls out in the hall or lobby is fair to them. I do like the idea of shining a flashlight on texting and email checking offenders, buy a Surefire and snoot it down to a pin spot and you've got an ideal weapon.  |  IP: Logged Lyle Romer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1400 From: Davie, FL, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 02-26-2009 09:11 AM                     The only way you could possibly monitor the communication with the tower would be to have a receiver that receives on the cell phone transmit frequency. This would have to be home built because the only one's that exist are the base radios in the towers and the test equipment used by Nokia, Motorola, etc. to test the phones during development or in the factory. There wouldn't be much point because even if you sniffed the ESN you wouldn't be able to do anything with it. You would need access to the system real time if you did get somebody to give you the database. After initial registration with the system, the phone is assigned a temporary "ESN" (I can't remember the correct acronym). This can be changed by the system. The best solution to this problem would be for the FCC to license a precision controlled small area jamming system. With directional antennas a system could easily be designed that Jams cell phones in an auditorium but doesn't create noise more than a few feet past the auditorium walls. They could require a registration and licensing system similar to gun licensing. The manufacturer would only be allowed to install the specific serial number system where it is authorized.  |  IP: Logged Rick Raskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1100 From: Manassas Virginia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 02-26-2009 09:15 AM                     Nothing surprises me any more. I still think that cell phone use in theaters sucks. That, and talking are the primary reasons I rarely go out to the movies. I do think however, that the majority of theater goers have come to accept that which I abhor. ---Rick  |  IP: Logged Joe Elliott Master Film Handler Posts: 497 From: Port Orange, Fl USA Registered: Oct 2006 posted 03-11-2009 03:17 PM                     People can also take matters in their own hands. Want to watch your movie undisturbed? Check out this device. http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4355 edited for spelling and to add: That place also sells 20mw lasers, for when you really want to get peoples attention, . . . and set them on fire. (not available in the US)  |  IP: Logged Joshua Haney Film Handler Posts: 5 From: Huber Heights, Ohio Registered: Feb 2009 posted 03-15-2009 11:48 AM                     Thats funny I noticed someone said they counted quite a few cell phones in "The uninvited" well last night I was starting the movie and noticed the same thing so I stepped away sent a text to our security guard and he went in and got everyone :-) I looked in periodically and guess what no cell phones whatsoever.  |  IP: Logged Greg Haas Film Handler Posts: 18 From: Buffalo, WY, USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 04-09-2009 02:37 PM                        Topic hashed and rehashed and fried up good. but thought I'd add a little something to the spice. We have to know our audience at least a little. We have to be flexible human beings. Just like we're asking the teenieboppers to be (they need to learn, nobody's taught them yet, apparently). As manager I teach my employees things. I also teach many of my patrons things. One of my favorite lines when asking groups of middle-schoolers is to say something like, "and please remember, this is not a school, it is a theater so we need to be quiet and treat each other nicely." But I also wanted to bring up small communities' Volunteer Firefighters. We have a couple that try to support us at the ticket booth and the concession stand. There have been times when I've handed them movie passes because they had to leave the movie to fight a fire. They had to do that *while the rest of us lounged about in Air Conditioned Luxury*. They were notified of the need by radio. A little distracting for the audience. But worth it. They fight the fires so we can keep watching the movie. That being said, I ask at least two or three people every day to turn off their phone or use it in the lobby. And I also pay monthly bills to have unlimited texting on my cellphone. I communicate with more than half of my employees via text. Just all food for thought, I guess. Not unreasonable to allow cellphones in Theaters. Also not unreasonable to expect/ask people to not take advantage of it. It really is part of the job. Not my favorite part, for sure. But phone, talking, texting, whatever, we have obligations to all our patrons. If they really need to do those things we provide places for them to do it. They just need to be edumacated. Mostly.  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 04-19-2009 02:24 AM                        Tonight when I asked a girl to put her cell phone away, she actually asked me to point out where it says "No Text Messaging". She was prepared to argue the point with me that since our slides only ask people to silence their cell phone, there was nothing wrong with her texting. While I almost threw her out by the ear for arguing the point, I'm not sure whether to be pissed off or give her credit for using that degree of critical thinking. Either way, it's apparent the intent of the message was lost on her.  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 04-19-2009 04:00 AM                        Seems like we have to keep our policies ahead of the technology curve; when we first ordered those "Please turn off your cell phone" snipes, there was no such thing as texting....just "voicing." I guess we have to get a new set of snipes to thwart smart-ass customers like you encountered.  |  IP: Logged Thomas Pitt Master Film Handler Posts: 266 From: Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK Registered: May 2007 posted 04-25-2009 03:32 PM                     UK cinemas have had Orange adverts in the 'gold spot' for quite a while now. Most of these take the form of an actor proposing a new movie to Orange (for funding), and Orange make all sorts of phone-related changes to the storyline. The advert ends with a message "Don't let a mobile phone ruin your movie. Please switch it off" Cineworld has a kind of policy trailer that runs between the commercials and trailers, saying things like "Please don't add your own sound effects". VUE often has a pre-show slide saying "Turn off your phone before we turn on the film". The general message with these policy trailers seems to be "Switch off the phone" - not put it on silent, or leave it hoping people don't call, so it would apply to texting as well. The problem with texting at the movies isn't so much the noise, but the sudden bright light emanating from somewhere in the audience as the phone screen lights up. If you're sitting a few rows behind the person who's texting, this can get very distracting! That said though, the only foolproof way to stop people texting at the movies would be to force them to hand in their cellphones as they go into the auditorium, giving them back at the end. That would be rather difficult to implement, though...  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 04-25-2009 11:06 PM                     quote: Thomas Pitt UK cinemas have had Orange adverts in the 'gold spot' for quite a while now. Most of these take the form of an actor proposing a new movie to Orange (for funding), and Orange make all sorts of phone-related changes to the storyline. The advert ends with a message "Don't let a mobile phone ruin your movie. Please switch it off" That's pretty much identical to a set of ads here for Sprint. They end it with "It takes many calls to make one, but only one call to ruin a movie" followed by a blurb to not use them or text during the movie.  |  IP: Logged Mike Heenan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1896 From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 04-25-2009 11:18 PM                     I texted all throughout Seven Pounds. IT's the only thing that kept me awake (was forced to see it w my bro and his family). So texting is a great thing, I think.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 04-25-2009 11:39 PM                     What about the people in the theater who are actually trying to watch the movie? The bright display from that mobile phone is a distraction. If I'm watching a movie and I find it to be pretty crappy, I'm still not going to disrupt the show for other people who may actually be enjoying it. If the movie is especially excruciating to watch I'll simply get up, leave and perhaps try to think of some excuse to get a refund. is pretty good at securing refunds. We walked out of The Wicker Man because the theater's sound quality was pretty terrible. Nice place, but someone had some EQ work to do. As bad as that movie turned out to be, I'm thankful we left early. Obviously, mobile phone companies really need to develop low brightness modes for phones so people can text in dark rooms without their activity being equal to someone turning on a flash light. I'm sure someone could come up with an iPhone application pretty fast for such a thing. But every new phone needs such a mode.  |  IP: Logged

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