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Author Topic: Anybody else getting screwed on Slumdog? John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 03-19-2009 02:38 PM                     Hard to tell if you're joking about the Swank Digital Cinema Player that gives you NTSC-quality video, or actually for real joking about a DCI-compliant install, which would probably automatically promote you out of the nontheatrical market and into direct studio dealing. Either way, well, VPF all the way! --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Tom Doyle Expert Film Handler Posts: 176 From: Bristol, CT, USA Registered: Nov 2002 posted 03-19-2009 02:51 PM                     A theater I work at in Stamford, CT is ending a run of Slumdog Millionaire tonight. You could try to request info on it - it may not be moving on to another theater, it may just sit here until it gets picked up and returned to the depot in MA. (I'm not working there tonight, though, so I don't know for sure.) We've had it fourteen weeks or so, but it's in *excellent* condition with a light coating of filmguard. Good luck!  |  IP: Logged Ron Curran Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 504 From: Springwood NSW Australia Registered: Feb 2006 posted 03-19-2009 08:27 PM                        Hey Mike, did the Dolby Digital track on your dog print work? First available Slumdog print to us is after dvd release. We are not expecting to be able to run it in digital with a print that used - and this distributor doesn't believe in dts either.  |  IP: Logged John Koutsoumis Master Film Handler Posts: 261 From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Registered: Aug 2003 posted 03-19-2009 08:54 PM                     Ron if you have good SR playback the film will sound terrific but the 6-track mix is a highlight of the film so yeah its a pain if the SR-D track has had it. The error rate on our print shuffles between 3 & 5. Not bad for a 3 month run but we've had better and of course a lot worse.  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 03-19-2009 09:03 PM                     They told us that they didn't have any prints and that they couldn't send it directly from another theatre to us. They said they could ship a print next week but that won't work because it opens on DVD the week following, we'll probably skip it.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-19-2009 09:39 PM                     Yeah, we have officially dumped it. We will not be playing it at all. Now we are going to play "Milk" instead. (Big whoop! ) We virtually never have problems with Swank. If we book a print it just shows up. Period. We never have to make phone calls and chase down prints. We never have to worry if the rep will say one thing and do another. They've always been pretty solid. On the occasion where there is a movie that might get some Oscar attention, the agent at Swank will come out and tell us that he can't guarantee that title until after a certain date. They may be weasels but at least they are honest about it. We do get some beat up prints from them but it's not entirely their fault. It has more to do with the idiots handling the prints in the theaters than it has to do with anybody at Swank. Of course, they could charge theaters for damaged prints but we've talked that issue into the ground. I agree with John. If you get a beat up print and try to order another, you are likely to get one that is just as bad. You really have to think twice before you pull the trigger.  |  IP: Logged Steven J Hart Master Film Handler Posts: 282 From: WALES, ND, USA Registered: Mar 2004 posted 03-19-2009 10:49 PM                        We finally got a print this week. Pre-viewed it tonight and the print is in excellent condition. DTS track sounds fantastic but is way hot... played on "5". I like it loud, but couldn't take it on 7 - even 6 was way loud. BTW our B chain was just calibrated on Tuesday so don't think we've got a problem.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-20-2009 12:21 AM                        Ron C. - our sound played fine - mostly 4 and 5. I agree that it was a loud mix. I usually play everything around 6.0 to 6.4, but I ran this at 5.4 and it was still plenty loud.  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 03-20-2009 05:22 AM                     Randy, Milk did really well for us. I imagine it will for you as well. If you can, program David Karlsberg's excellent short Clay Pride with it (in 35mm). It's not so much thinking twice before pulling the trigger. I mean, worst case the print is worse and some small effort is wasted. Though there have been cases where we've had to replace the replacement. I can't remember the last one of those... (There's also pulling the trigger and having TES say "nope, no more prints of that title"). I don't believe the problems with Slumdog bookings are about print availability, at least not generally speaking. It drops 312 theatres this week and 53 the week before. Fox has been quite anal about not letting us nontheatrically book films that are playing in medium-distance second-run theatres from here (which can be quite frustrating since we have essentially zero customer overlap; they are certainly outside the competitive zone...) --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-20-2009 05:28 PM                     I wasn't saying "Milk" isn't a good movie. It's just that we were getting all geared up for Slumdog. It's a big let-down. We won't be able to book "Clay Pride." The playdate is Wednesday. We receive our print on Monday. It has to be built, screened and be ready to play no later than Monday evening. The house is in use by the student musical followed by a dance recital then the Music Department's spring opera. I have to fight in order to get time in the house to work on the movie. Monday is the only time I could do it.  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 03-25-2009 10:43 AM                     We've gotten dozens on emails inquiring when we are going to play Slumdog so it'll open Saturday. The VCU/UofR French Film Festival is this weekend and is completely sold out so it won't make much difference if Slumdog doesn't do well.  |  IP: Logged James Kulaprathazhe Film Handler Posts: 13 From: Bronxville, New York Registered: May 2008 posted 03-26-2009 07:53 PM                     We can book movies directly or we need a booker?  |  IP: Logged Chris Iacofano Film Handler Posts: 15 From: Athens, OH, USA Registered: Jan 2009 posted 04-04-2009 02:32 PM                        Just to clarify, there is absolutely nothing wrong with advertising, or even charging, for a non-theatrical title. Doc Films in Chicago and Cornell Cinema are two well-known examples of non-theatrical venues that do, and have done this for decades, and there are dozens of others. The reason that most colleges and nonprofits go this route (even those that screen every day) is that most theatrical studio licensing contracts require an individual, and not an institution, to be held financially responsible if someone destroys a print or doesn't pay up on the box office. It took months of wrangling with studios and the university here to get all of our MLAs accepted (with the exception of Sony, which absolutely wouldn't budge). You can bet I was jumping with joy when I no longer had to deal with Swank and their horrible prints. Maybe I just had bad luck, but there were some titles that they shipped that should have been retired years ago.  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 04-04-2009 05:00 PM                     Chris Iacofano said several things that seem very surprising to me. "The reason that most colleges and nonprofits go this route (even those that screen every day) is that most theatrical studio licensing contracts require an individual, and not an institution, to be held financially responsible if someone destroys a print or doesn't pay up on the box office." I can't believe this is right. Our limited conversations with studios have made it very clear that booking through Swank is a prerequisite because of university status, and it's always been their refusing to consider the status, never our refusing to execute a document. (It also seems prima facie implausible. Companies sign contracts all the time, and yes, an officer of the company must do so. But that can't be what you mean?) "It took months of wrangling with studios and the university here to get all of our MLAs accepted (with the exception of Sony, which absolutely wouldn't budge)." So you're saying that, e.g., you book Warner Brothers prints directly through WB as Cornell University rather than as an independent seperately-incorporated cinema in Ithaca, NY? "Just to clarify, there is absolutely nothing wrong with advertising, or even charging, for a non-theatrical title. Doc Films in Chicago and Cornell Cinema are two well-known examples of non-theatrical venues that do, and have done this for decades, and there are dozens of others." There's certainly nothing wrong with charging. My recollection is that either Swank's licensing agreement with their customers or the studios non-theatrical riders to their MLAs (one of the two; though honestly I'd have trouble digging up either) had explicit prohibitions on external advertising. Possibly an unenforced one. Have you seen either document(s)? I can cheerfully report that this week was a good week in nontheatrical-booking land, where an SPC print (Rachel Getting Married) booked directly through Sony Pictures Classics (since New Yorker Films shut its doors) arrived, and also Slumdog Millionaire arrived on Wednesday 4/1 for a 4/11 playdate. --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-04-2009 05:08 PM                        Re: advertising, from the Swank FAQ quote: Are there any advertising restrictions? These motion pictures are specifically licensed for non-theatrical showings only. Advertising through media such as public radio, public television or general public newspaper is strictly prohibited. Advertising must be used exclusively to inform members or staff of movie showings via on-premises bulletin boards or direct mail. http://www.swank.com/college/faq.html#17 You can advertise the hell out of it on campus, which at Cornell probably constitutes a pretty broad advertising base, but you can't advertise it to the "general" public. Or, you can until you get caught.  |  IP: Logged

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