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Topic: No film delivery

Joe Tommassello
Jedi Master Film Handler

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

posted 10-27-2009 04:04 PM

Somtimes the theaters and/or delivery company are careless in the other way. Back in '89 - while I was still in the video marketing business - we were anxiously awaiting the release of Tim Burton's first Batman movie. Warner Brothers was telling us that there would be unprecedented levels of security for this highly anticipated film...so much so that we may not even be invited to the advance industry screening required by law in the state of Pennsylvania - something we were typically permitted to attend. They were particularly keen to make sure no bootleg video would get out before their official video release and were gearing up to make sure that didn't happen. (They even started a months long sting operation that brought down a Philadelphia area film dealer...but that's another story.) Imagine our delight when we were not only permitted to attend but allowed to invite a few clients and even a friend!

My friend Chaz and I were excited and arrived quite early for the 10:00AM screening...probably about 9:30. We parked in the parking garage above the AMC Olde City twin in Philadelphia and took the elevator to street level. As we rounded the corner into the thru-way which included a nice restaurant, street-level parking lot and the entry to the theater we spotted two film cans on the ground. I think I said something like "No fucking way!" Yep, there it was...the most highly anticipated film of the year and subject of Warner's most intensive security program ever...sitting on the ground in front of us clearly labeled "Batman". Print #0001. Weeks before it's theatrical release! Better yet no one else was there. We stood there for a long time...at least fifteen minutes...before anyone else arrived. We could have walked off with that print and never been caught. Just pop it in the trunk and then wait until 9:55 and show up for the screening. Of course we didn't, but so much for security.

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David E. Nedrow
Master Film Handler

Posts: 368
From: Columbus, OH, USA
Registered: Oct 2008

posted 10-29-2009 10:02 AM

quote: Mark Hajducki
Why do distributors arrange priority (before 9AM, 11AM or midday) deliveries of films without telling the cinema?

These can be delivered from 8AM (depending on courier) when almost every cinema is closed.

That's always been a major pet peeve of mine. I don't know how many times I've had a package sent back to the depot marked "business closed". And of course, these aren't available until the next morning at the depot, even if I find out at 9am that they attempted an 8am delivery.

It's even worse now, with the theatre I'm renovating. I've got signs on each of the front door window panes explaining that we're renovating and all deliveries should be made to an adjacent business. I've had deliveries returned to the sender with "out of business" notes. Argh.

Now, I have everything (that I have control over) sent in care of the depot. All of them are within just a few minutes of the theatre, so I can stop in on my way to work to pick stuff up.

David

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