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Do you work for a large chain such as Regal or Loews? If so check the other area theatres that are within the company and see if a possible transfer of possibly better projectionists can take place. If not, well you're gonna have to come down on the worst as Stan mentioned and make an example.
 

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 585-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 585-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Fire or demote them. Priority #1 is that they must care. If they don't then you are wasting your time with them and should find someone who does. You can teach anyone to be a good operator provided they care first. Maybe you can find some who is a film student or plans to become one and can be instilled with the pride of showmanship that leads to a desire to do a good job.
 

If, after all the good management points that John has enumerated are implemented, these guys STILL ruin shows and show no signs of an attitude correction, then it's time to document their lack of attention to the job and have them replaced. Sometimes you have to cut your losses and accept the fact that they are just not right for the job. Did they sign up for work as "film handlers" or were they hired as concessionaires or ushers? If so, what makes management think that they automatically qualify or have any desire to work at a job that is totally unrelated to the job they applied for when they first walked into the theatre? Maybe they enjoyed their stint as ticket-taker or whatever. Now they are told they have to do a job that is more stressful, requires more skill and perhaps not at all to their liking....all things management probably hasn't considered.

Maybe this problem is severe enough that you can use it to open management's eyes to the fact that not everyone has the talent or the desire to work projection. Maybe this will make them understand that perhaps they should consider HIRING TRAINED PROJECTIONISTS to run projectors -- people with the aptitude and a desire to actually do that job.
 

In other areas, those same people may perform a top-notched job. Maybe an aptitude test would prove valuable for a certain job consideration.

It is like a college professor who cannot run or is not qualified to run a 16mm classroom projector. Seen those type a million times over.

As a college professor teaching film criticism, I only wish we HAD 16mm (or better yet, 35mm) to run the films on. Instead, we're forced to use (mostly) DVDs and crappy LCD projectors. The images were worse when we were using VHS. No one consulted the film faculty on what WE might like when they did the installation.

On the original topic, lack of care is why I rarely go to the multiplex anymore. Alack! There's no more SHOW in show business. It's better if I don't have to deal with the concession staff, who act as if they might just as well be working at a fast food joint. Fortunately I know several of the local projectionists and can visit the theatre when I know they'll be working and the presentation, at least, will be good.

Of course, the pay is one factor in the quality of the staff. Pay is why I'm no longer working in exhibition--not that I make much more as a college teacher. I agree that people should take pride in their work regardless of what they're paid, but nobody does, and businesses shouldn't be relying on pride as a substitute for decent wages anyway.

I got a laugh out of the first paragraph of your post. I agree with everything you say.

I also think you agree with what I mentioned about people not being able to adapt to the job. One of many instances come to mind on this one.....we tried to train some people in the booth, and even though they were well motivated and really wanted to do it right, they just could not get it, even though we spent weeks at it to try to help them break through the brick wall, so to speak.

In high school, I was in the movie projector club. It was funny to be called into a classroom and see the film tangled in a knot around a 16 mm B&H Filmosound 500. It looked like they were wrapping the projector up for a Christmas present. Some teachers were desperately afraid of those projectors. This allowed us kids in the MP club to skip classes to run a movie in the girl's PE classes.

Now, THAT was a good deal..

I have attended a couple of college classes from time to time several years ago, and it was like watching a monkey in a banana factory when some of the professors made their attempts to run a 16 mm projector. But when it came to teaching their subject, they really knew their stuff!

The idea is not to spend too much time training a person who can't learn projection; show them a little, then see how they do. Also, I need to somehow put a stop to people who don't know much, teaching new employees bad habits.

I agree with Frank and Paul; some otherwise smart people just can't do projection - their talents are elsewhere.
 

John's idea takes into account of the fact that, to paraphrase Shakespeare, "Some are born to projection. Others have projection Thrust upon them." I'm just glad I have the chance to learn from everybody on film-tech. Believe me, there's plenty of stuff on these pages I carry into the classroom (see, for example, the discussion on the quality of carbon arc light vs. xenon--something I hadn't really thought much about until it came up here.)

PS. Let me know if the quotes and paraphrases get annoying. I'm trying to break myself of the academic writing style!