Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Film Done Right

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Posted by Mike Jones (Member # 522) on 08-03-2001, 11:55 PM:

Could someone please repost the Film Done Right list?

I'm at my wit's end with my staff right now with ineffectiveness. They're just not living up to my expectations and thought I'd make them all read Film Done Right.

Please....before my nervous breakdown sets in.
Thanks

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 08-04-2001, 12:26 AM:

Well, "Film done right" is great. Only one problem.....If we abided with every rule and tip offered while mounting a print, we would never get it mounted in a reasonable amount of time.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 08-04-2001, 01:46 AM:

I'd have to day, that doing film right also includes taking a healthy amount of shortcuts. Somebody who knows how to do his job right should know when he can take shortcuts and when he can't. It's not about making a set of rules and following them to the letter. It's about knowing the parameters of your job and paying attention to what you are doing.

Let's take a simple example: Maintianence.
If you are the guy who does the maintainence you will KNOW when things are running right and when they aren't. YOU are the guy who did the last round of oil changes. YOU checked the levels just the other day. YOU know whether or not it's time to refill them again. If you are smart, you wrote the dates down in the log book. You have an instinct that tells you when to look at a certain projector. Maybe it's just second nature for you to look at the oil glass each time you thread the machine. Maybe you make it a point to check the levels every day. You COULD post a big sign next to each projector that says, "MUST CHECK OIL EVERY DAY!!! FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN TERMINATION!!!" You COULD make a place where the operator has to sign off every time he starts the projector. Let's face it. Those are silly rules. They aren't going to ensure that projectors get checked every day/week like they are supposed to. You KNOW that, after a while, people are just going to sign their name and walk away.

What really counts is having people with the proper work ethic who will do whatever it takes (or doesn't take, as the case may be) to get the job done right. You can't "legislate" that kind of behavior.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 08-04-2001, 03:03 AM:

Yeah, Randy. It all boils down to common sense. Do the best you can do under the existing circumstances. That's basically what I preach.

However, when TES demands their print immediately while the damn thing is on the screen, I have this uncontrollable urge to give them their &*^%$^&* print in a 55 gallon oil barrel!!

Grumpy Paul

Posted by Mike Jones (Member # 522) on 08-04-2001, 04:09 AM:

Of course, some of it can be unrealistic. All I want from my staff some days is at the very minimum a print cleaned. Too much to ask maybe?

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 08-04-2001, 07:30 AM:

In the booth where I used to work, we started to make a list of "chores" that had to be done. It included everything from cleaning and checking projectors to policing the bathroom. It was posted on a clipboard which hung on the wall near the desk. Each week, the clipboard would be checked to see who had done which chores. What chores didn't get done were assigned to somebody. (Often, that somebody was the person who had the lowest chores/shift ratio... but not always.)

There were three "dynamics" at play here:

Everybody knew who was doing the work and who was slacking because it was posted where everybody could see it. Let's say, you gave a take-apart-cleaning to every projector this week and changed all the trailers by yourself while I slacked off all week. Now the manager comes along and assigns people jobs like washing all the windows and sweeping the floors because I didn't do it like I was supposed to. Don't you imagine that there would be a couple of guys wanting to pound my face after about the third week?

People who got on the stick and started doing chores on the first day or two often got to pick their chores but as the week progressed the only chores left were things like "clean the toilet". Very often, we took turns doing the shit work. (Pun intended. ) If I know you did it last week, I would do it this week. Still, at the end of the week you would have every right to say to me, "Hey! I swept all the floors and took out all the trash! It's YOUR turn to clean the shitter!"

Finally, all those completed sheets were kept in a file in the office. It was an easy thing for the manager to go through past week's records and see that there was one or two poeple who weren't pulling their weight. On one occasion, a guy was written up for slacking off too much. The manager put about a month's worth of sheets on the table and said, "Your name isn't on this list even once. What gives?"

The nicest thing about this system is that you can make it as strict or as lenient as you want. If your guys are a bunch of slackers you can (figuratively) hit them on the head with the clipboard if you need to. If they are good about doing their work you might even let them slide for a week or two. It all depends on how you like to run your ship. Personally, I prefer managers who say, "Do this (chore) because I told you...", rather than somebody who says, "Company policy says that..." A boss who takes charge of the place will always get my vote over some pencil pusher!