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Topic: Do customers like curtains?

Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

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

posted 12-22-2014 03:16 PM

At the Mann Chinese 16 in Aurora we closed the curtains for 2 minutes before showtime and then opened them back up when the film hit the screen (we also hid masking changes, if any, behind the curtains since we were common-width). These days the ad people like you to run ads at least 3 minutes past the advertised start time. When the start time comes up, the "Please turn off ya cell phones and thanks for watchin' First Look" comes up. Then another couple of ads. Then the policy trailer. Then if you're lucky only 9 trailers. Then the iMAX logo. Then hopefully only 5 more trailer. This is how Regal does it and I really am not exaggerating.

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Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 12-22-2014 03:41 PM

quote: Mike Blakesley
One question -- since we run ads, what's the proper thing to do? Close the curtains for a minute or so at the end of the ads and then open them again on the beginning of the actual program? (That's what we do with our "curtain lights" now.) Or would it be better to run the trailers first right after the ads and then do the close/open as the feature begins?

Most houses around here that still have curtains close them after the pre-show. It's also a great "STFU cue" for the audience.

Personally, I like it when the movie starts while the curtain is being opened, so it starts with the studio logo(s), slightly out of focus, on the curtain. It somehow feels grand.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 12-22-2014 04:52 PM

quote: Mike Blakesley
One question -- since we run ads, what's the proper thing to do? Close the curtains for a minute or so at the end of the ads and then open them again on the beginning of the actual program?

Harkins' Cine Capri screen closes its curtains for a couple minutes at the end of the ads program. A couple or so minutes later the curtains re-open for the main program.

quote: Marcel Birgelen
Personally, I like it when the movie starts while the curtain is being opened, so it starts with the studio logo(s), slightly out of focus, on the curtain. It somehow feels grand.

Some theaters have a thin, translucent "bride's veil" like interior curtain precisely for that effect. The main curtains are one layer. The translucent curtains are on a second layer closer to the screen. It gives off a nice illusion of depth, more like the screen is really a window or opening rather than a flat, white object.

Meanwhile, in the IMAX-wannabe theaters (IMAX branded or not) the screen looks more like an unfinished trampoline just begging you to bounce pennies, Junior Mints™ or whatever else off the thing.

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Terry Lynn-Stevens
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1081
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2012

posted 12-22-2014 05:02 PM

quote: Joe Redifer
Then if you're lucky only 9 trailers. Then the iMAX logo. Then hopefully only 5 more trailer. This is how Regal does it and I really am not exaggerating.

Around here we are pretty lucky for IMAX, just one trailer then the IMAX countdown and then the movie.

AVX with Atmos is the worst:

Scotiabank
Coke
WIND cell phone
Telus cell phone
Virgin Mobile cell phone
Rogers Roam cell phone
Lexus
Buy your tickets at Cineplex.com
Don't Text during the movie
Coming Soon Snipe
Trailer 1
Trailer 2
Trailer 3
Trailer 4
Trailer 5
Don't Kick the seats Snipe
Please put on your 3D glasses
Feature Presentation Snipe
AVX Snipe
Dolby Atmos snipe (choice of Leaf, Unfold, Amaze)

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Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 12-22-2014 05:42 PM

quote: Bobby Henderson
Some theaters have a thin, translucent "bride's veil" like interior curtain precisely for that effect. The main curtains are one layer. The translucent curtains are on a second layer closer to the screen. It gives off a nice illusion of depth, more like the screen is really a window or opening rather than a flat, white object.

Yeah, I know what you're referring to. I've seen those "double curtains" just a handful of times though and have no clue how you actually name it.

One of the cinemas in the vicinity has also almost gone a bit over the top with their curtain construction. In an otherwise rather undecorated box, you'll find one heck of a curtain-fest:

I couldn't find a better picture, but it gives a nice impression.

They also close and open the curtains between pre-show and feature. Those side bands in the middle move up into the boxes above them. (The strange side masking described by Frank in this topic reminded me of this "contraption") Those half-circle curtains move first, then the main curtains behind them open.

They close the other way around. The whole thing is both impressive and slightly funny to witness.

quote:
AVX with Atmos is the worst:

Don't forget to mention it's all the fault of big evil Atmos, because AVX without Atmos doesn't have any of those nagging commercials, trailers and snipes. [Big Grin]

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Terry Lynn-Stevens
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1081
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2012

posted 12-22-2014 05:57 PM

quote: Marcel Birgelen
Don't forget to mention it's all the fault of big evil Atmos, because AVX without Atmos

Marcel, the big problem with Cineplex is that they advertise Dolby Atmos for every AVX feature, or at least they were doing that. So there really is no AVX without Atmos. I wonder if Dolby was afraid to say anything to Cineplex as they might of been worried of losing future sales as the Dolby is no longer the relevant brand it once was.

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Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 12-22-2014 06:08 PM

Let's not start the old Atmos/Cineplex discussion in a topic about curtains. OK?

On a side note... The picture above is also from a complex part of a franchise based chain called... Cineplex. So, some Cineplexes on this globe do have curtains on their biggest screens [Wink]

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Mark Campbell
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 148
From: Seattle, WA USA
Registered: Jul 2007

posted 12-22-2014 06:45 PM

quote: Bobby Henderson
The only alternative I've found acceptable at all to curtains is the use of a shadow box, like what the General Cinemas Northpark 1-2 theater in Dallas had. The screens at least had movable masking.

A shadowbox screen with moveable masking? In the GCC's I grew up with the screen seemed to touch the box - no gap. Like looking in a shoebox. How do they achieve this?

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Mark Ogden
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 943
From: Little Falls, N.J.
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-22-2014 07:55 PM

quote: Marcel Birgelen
Yeah, I know what you're referring to. I've seen those "double curtains" just a handful of times though and have no clue how you actually name it.

They are properly known as the traveller curtain and the title curtain. There were always variations from house to house and operator to operator on how and when they were to be opened (and I came in at the end of the whole tradition), but typically both would be opened for the trailers, cartoon, travelogue or what have you. Then, the title curtain only would be closed and the lights would be taken to feature level, and the changeover to the first reel of the feature would happen, with the title curtain held closed through the studio logo until the actual movie title hit it. Of course, what happened was that movies started to come out that had a considerable amount of exposition before the title, rendering the whole thing pointless.

A certain amount of older cinema-goers still seem to like this sort of thing, but nowadays people seem to think its pretentious. When I saw the 70mm Interstellar at the Ziegfeld last month, the curtain opened and closed a couple of times, and there were audible groans from the crowd.

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Ron Lacheur
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 650
From: British Columbia, Canada
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 12-22-2014 08:57 PM

quote: Terry Lynn-Stevens
So there really is no AVX without Atmos.

Actually Scotiabank AVX #1 in Vancouver does not have Atmos, and believe me they show the exact same about of ads as the Atmos houses.

I do like curtains, and IMO they should be used at the very start and the very end of the show. In between trailers and features seems a bit excessive.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 12-22-2014 10:47 PM

Warren Theaters does their curtain opening only once. They have no pre-show ad slides or dimly limit video commercials. They have house music playing between shows. That's all. Their pre-show consists of a policy trailer, maybe one or two movie trailers "attached" to the feature, a THX trailer and then the movie itself.

This is more along the lines of how it was when I was watching movies in 70mm at the Ziegfeld theater over 20 years ago.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-22-2014 11:07 PM

When I learned projection, I was taught to open the curtain when the previews hit the screen. The idea being that the audience should absolutely NEVER look at a blank white screen, which I still believe in (hence our lights).

The red and green lights in the middle and the small string across the front of the stage are only used during the Christmas season. We occasionally change out the colors on the other six lights for different occasions. All green for St. Patrick's day is a favorite, or red/white/blue for Independence Day.

We never did close the curtain between the previews and the feature, but the Montana Theatre in our neighboring town of Miles City did -- they had a really cool waterfall curtain, which now does not function anymore, so I'm told.

I will have to admit that I've never had a customer mention that we "would be a nice theater if only we had curtains." I don't care though, I still want one.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

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

posted 12-22-2014 11:30 PM

We closed our curtains between the trailers and the feature presentation snipe as well. I thought that this was stupid so we quickly stopped. The only time after that I ever closed the curtains after the show started was that one Jim Carrey movie where he plays Andy Cough-Man. He comes onscreen for a minute or two in the beginning and then walks off for a VERY long time. I had the curtains close and the lights come up after he left and then re-open etc as he came back on. Lots of work timing that sequence for a movie that maybe 20 people came to see during the entire run of the print. I heard one guy laugh as the curtains were closed so I guess it was worth it.

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Steve Matz
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 672
From: Billings, Montana, USA
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 12-22-2014 11:53 PM

As a Kid growing up watching Movies at Single Screen Theaters;you just took Screen Curtains for Granted. They all seemed to be Similar in every theater;Crimson Red with Sparkles all over them.The projectionist at one theater I remember started the projector when they were closed and you saw a film image verses seeing a White Screen when fully opened. Same on the Endings;just as it was getting to the end Credits,the Curtains slowly started to Close. That's the way I was use to seeing Movies.

When I went to a Carmike Multiplex here(Wynnsong 10)a couple months ago;The theater we were in had the largest Screen in the Complex. It was as large as many of the old Single Screens I remembered. I was thinking at the time how much better it would have been for this particular theater to have an old school Curtain Styling for that large of a Screen. It certainly would have made some older folks feel like they were back in the old days off watching movies. I just feel IMHO that it adds a touch of Class to something that has become plain jane looking in many multiplexes. It's like seeing two same year/model/color vintage Cars, only one of them has all the chrome trim and detailing. That's the one your attracted too. Multiplexes for the most part have taken away the old movie expierence from back in the day;I'm sure they could purchase Curtains for at least their Nicest Theater when their showing the Blockbuster Films.It might make you feel that 12 bucks you plopped down wasn't in vain. [Roll Eyes]

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Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 12-23-2014 02:34 AM

quote: Mike Blakesley
I will have to admit that I've never had a customer mention that we "would be a nice theater if only we had curtains." I don't care though, I still want one.

I guess, sometimes it's good to "tell" the customer a bit of what they want, because they often do not know what they are missing. Let's call it the "Disney factor": Attention to detail might get lost on many people, but there are still plenty around that value it greatly, or will evolve into beings that will start to appreciate it later on.

I think your "virtual curtains" are a nice touch, at least a great step up from what has become the norm. Now imagine those things in combination with a curtain [Wink]

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