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Topic: No Marquee Letters Regal In Santa Cruz CA

Terry Monohan
Master Film Handler

Posts: 379
From: San Francisco CA USA
Registered: May 2014

posted 12-08-2016 11:49 AM

Good news, after all my complaints about the Regal 9 Santa Cruz marquee issue I reached today the top West Coast Regal Div guy Chris. He has told me he has ordered for 'Kyle'and his staff in Santa Cruz a new marquee letter pole changer. The old plastic Wagner marquee letters will be changed again in the next week when It arrives. He thinks this is a safer way of doing things on the marquee, as the new manger thinks It's a safety problem with the lift. While It takes a little longer with a pole he still wants to advertise what is playing weekly at the Regal 9 Santa Cruz. Now I am trying to get Regal Theatres to put in a Dolby Atmos system with a Dolby Vision curved screen in the largest auditorium. A first for the Santa Cruz CA area. They did the recliners a few months ago now It's time to upgrade the sound and picture. Thanks Regal for bringing some advertising back to this large marquee. The honchos over at Regal in TN have told 'Kyle' the new cost saving manager to change his thinking when It comes to what is showing on the neon marquee. Do any of you theatre managers use this type of snap pole to change plastic letters rather then put a ladder or lift up each week? Does It take longer to change out?

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

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

posted 12-08-2016 03:10 PM

quote: Terry Monohan
Seems the new manager'Kyle'at the Regal 9 Cinema in Santa Cruz CA as of a few weeks ago won't put up plastic letters what they are showing on their giant neon marquee anymore.

A blank movie theater marquee tells me two possible messages:
1.: There are no movies showing currently.
2.: The theater is closed permanently.
Neither are good impressions to leave on a passing motorist or pedestrian.

quote: Frank Cox
That's one of the reasons why I never got an outside sign here when I set up my theatre. Just not into dragging my carcass out into -50 weather at midnight so I can stand on a ladder and chip ice out of the tracks on a marquee.

LED signs work pretty well when retrofit into marquees. I like what they did with the El Capitan Theater in L.A. Unfortunately LED signs are not cheap and they have their own maintenance issues.

quote: Gary Meyer
In December 2014 The Elmwood Theatre in Berkeley got hit by OSHA which said changing the marquee was an employee safety issue and they could no longer change them unless they got a different marquee or hired a cherry picker.

What method was the theater using to change the letters? A regular ladder? I looked up some images of that theater marquee. It uses slotted plastic Wagner letters. Those lines of track are pretty high. The bottom line of track looks like it's 15 feet above the sidewalk. That's too high for someone to climb an ordinary ladder to place letters on the track by hand. Scissor lifts are great, but it might cost $100 or more to rent one.

Wagner makes a mechanical hand letter changer that grips the slotted plastic letters like fingers. They serve the same purpose as the suction cup letter changers for flat clear plastic Zip Change/Pronto letters. You can reach up to 18' feet with one of the letter changing poles.

quote: Louis Bornwasser
No marquees: the theory is that we play all movies so come on inside and select one or buy popcorn or play on the games. Just leave some money on the way out.

That's one of the running philosophies. The other problem is someone driving a car will be able to read only so much copy. A single screen theater or twin with a traditional V-shaped marquee will have listings a motorist can read at a glance. That's harder to do with a street sign for a modest 6-plex or 8-plex. If there are more screens than that then there's just no point to it. Online listings for features and show times become much more important.

It's still vital for a theater to have outdoor signs on the building and next to the street if the local sign codes will allow for it. These days it just needs to be the theater name and maybe a logo for what ever super duper premium concept is being offered.

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James Wyrembelski
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 114
From: Beaverton, MI, USA
Registered: Sep 2015

posted 12-08-2016 05:37 PM

Amazingly our theater has never had a marquee in its 75 years in this town. Not even a front sign! We're opting for two smaller LED signs to go on each end of the new marquee. Not taking a chance having people use a stepladder to reach over 15 feet and no way am i doing that in 20 below weather...

When we took over and it was announced that is was under full overhaul many residents in the county that had been here less than 10 years had no idea this county ever had a movie theater...and the older residents figured it had closed long ago.... [uhoh]

So....probably best that a theater actually advertise itself...especially with a marquee.

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Adam Martin
I'm not even gonna point out the irony.

Posts: 3686
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 12-08-2016 05:55 PM

What a bunch of pussies! [Razz]

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Sam Graham
AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues.

Posts: 1431
From: Waukee, IA
Registered: Dec 2004

posted 12-28-2016 07:22 PM

Cinemark has jumped on the bandwagon...

Cinemark Layton and XD (formerly Cinemark Tinseltown), Layton, UT.

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Jim Cassedy
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1661
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Dec 2006

posted 12-28-2016 09:37 PM

quote: Gary Meyer
In December 2014 The Elmwood Theatre in Berkeley got hit by OSHA
which said changing the marquee was an employee safety issue and
they could no longer change them

OSHA seems to be cracking down on this, at least here in Northern CA.
Last year 'the union' required me to attend a "climbing safety class"
and I was surprised to learn that any company using a ladder over 3
or 4ft high is, at least technically, required to have anyone using those
ladders take the class & be "certified" in how to properly use it.

Obviously enforcement is pretty lax, or just about everybody I know
would be in violation.

I don't 'do' marquees, but in some of my convention center and trade
show work I'm required to climb quite high on ladders or lighting
and screen grids or high projector scaffolds.

(I also had to take a "fall" class, which required knowledge of safety
harnesses and 'aerial rescue'- - the trickiest part of getting through
the class was having to climb up a metal-rope ladder to a lighting
grid suspended by cables about 60ft above the floor, hook yourself
into the safety lines, pick up a tool, walk across the grid and perform
some task such as properly hanging or removing a light. Last time I
had to do such an extreme training exercise like that was in the military
- - & that was a long time ago!)

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Adam Martin
I'm not even gonna point out the irony.

Posts: 3686
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 12-28-2016 10:59 PM

quote: Sam Graham
Cinemark has jumped on the bandwagon...

They've also been replacing reader boards with the Century murals when they un-Movies various locations.

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