We refuse to spend extra time and expense breaking down a print because Technicolor screwed up. They have to deliver the print elsewhere?? Not our problem. We tend to experience these little demands occasionally, being a small independent, but I have found that by being insistent that we are keeping the print, they go bug someone else. On the other hand, if you're an easy mark........

I am fortunate to be backed up on this by our Managing Director and owners. I realize that may not always be the case elsewhere, but it should be.

Josh

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"Film is made of silver, video is made of rust"
'nuf said
 

We spend a lot of time ripping on TES. And, granted, they have it coming. But, for the most part, I have seen a significant improvement in the service since I started dealing with them at their genesis. However, most of the people on the phones have no idea what it’s like to run a theater and think nothing of asking you to do something that costs us money to make their lives easier. So, with that in mind, I don’t take them very seriously when they ask for something stupid. I just have everything broken down for my pick-up window (and raise ten kinds of hell when my print doesn’t arrive in it’s delivery window).

 

Actually, Technicolor has been fairly good about that to us, and we have not had any problem with them as we did in the past.

quote:

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We tell them what time the print will be ready for pickup. If they come early, they just simply wait until the appointed time.

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There was an old episode of Star Trek where Scotty tells someone something to the effect of "You didn't tell the captain exactly how long it would take, did you? Jeeze. Then how do you ever expect him to think you're a miracle worker when you can't finish early?!"

In Arizona, we regularly had promotion pre screenings. About one a week was normal. The revenue that they generated by filling up our large auditiorium on a tuesday or wednesday(which would have otherwise only been at about 20% capacity) more than made up for the extra man hours required to build up and break down the screener print. Not to mention the positive word of mouth that was generated around town for when the movie went wide. (A free movie always generates positive feedback, even for Fredie Got Fingered! ) The best part about getting a new release print for the regular opening, is getting paid to screen the same film again. (except for Fredie Got Fingered ).

Anyway, I have no problem circuiting prints. I know the headaches of not getting a print untill friday morning or afternoon because another theater wouldn't share theirs.

-Adam
 

I agree with You about circuiting prints that wasn't My gripe My whole gripe was that they never bothered to pick-up the print that night and then they knew nothing about the whol;e situation when they were called the next day about it.
 

I had to shovel that print together at warp speed to make my showtime. Meanwhile, I was running 9 other movies at the same time.

Now, THAT was a wild day! But, I still hit my schedules perfect without any print damage to the warp speed build-up! Damned the torpedos - full speed ahead!

Anyway, I don't blame Technicolor.....they did their best to get me the print as soon as they could. As a matter of fact, I thank Technicolor for doing their best!

This brings a chuckle when I showed Josh a little off-the-wall trick (even Brad would puke at if he saw it) at the Fargo Theatre in Fargo, North Dakota. Josh had a dismayed look on his face, and said, "How dare you".....

Josh, I thought you were going to throw me out of your booth. But you didn't. Probably because I was your ride home in the single-digit temperatures in your North Dakota Ice Cube. Jeeze, that was a cold night....

Adam, get off your butt and send a picture of yourself to Brad for posting. If you don't, I'll skin your backside! That's an order!

ps: if you don't have a digi camera, I'll take your picture and send it to Brad.

Just this past week, we didn't receive our Blade 2 print until AFTER the first scheduled show. ... wait, that wasn't technicolor though, that was from ETS. I've actually never had a problem with technicolor and find that their 24/7 phone number really helpful. I just wish their marketing services was also 24/7.

Arthur, my reply was directed more towards John T. and Paul T.

-adam

Adam- Just wait awhile! Your time will come.

Getting back to TES, I will give credit where credit is due. As of the last several months to a year I have actually had few problems. Whoever is in charge has finally taught the ladies who answer the phone not to be rude, and over this last year calling in to TES has been quite pleasurable. VERY friendly folks there now answering the phones and my requests were taken care of in a zippy manner.

Here is my list of current problems with TES (for those interested)...

*Someone needs to explain to the people putting the reels together that at least one of the drive holes in the core MUST be lined up with one of the drive holes in the reel. I mean really, is this that hard? When the reels are assembled incorrectly, I have to disassemble them and reassemble them properly, which is just adding unnecessary wear to the life of the reels. Those extra couple of seconds would far more than pay off with respect to the cost of replacing reel flanges.

*Someone also needs to explain that there is a certain way the paper reel bands should be applied. As there are many things that greatly annoy me in regards to the reel bands, I have broken them down further:

#1 The bands need to be placed on the reels in the same direction of the film when it unwinds. How annoying!

#2 The label that tells the movie title and reel number should NEVER EVER be placed over the string catch UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH!!! My solution is to rip those bands off and promptly throw them in the trash, mutilating them as much as is humanly possible whenever I see that.

#3 The label I was speaking of above needs to go on the proper side of the reel band. STOP LOADING THE BANDS ON THE REELS BACKWARDS! How can we possibly be expected to use the reel bands when the string catch is underneath the band?

#4 When a string breaks during mounting and is no longer long enough to wrap fully around the reel, GET ANOTHER ONE! Using tape to secure a reel band is incredibly stupid. If I have to use tape, why not just tape the leader down and forget about the band? (And as for that one guy who keeps cutting the strings off 2 inches away from the catch and using the label to hold everything together, this guy needs to be fired without consideration for re-employment.)

#5 The sticker goes about 2 inches away from the string catch where the printed "SUBJECT" is on the reel band. This allows the projectionists to roll up the bands around the head leader and stuff them into the reels so that the reel numbers may be easily identififed. Placing them here also guarantees that the label will always be there in the future (unlike putting it over the string catch!!!)

*Stop using broken reels on new prints! AAAAAAAAAAARGH! This is just inexcusable.

*Get rid of the latest translucent clip together reel design. It is a joke and it sucks very much. Go to the clip together reel that ETS is using please. They actually stay together, there is always a drive pin hole available when using film mounted on the older cores and the flanges are not warped.

Now what kind of a pattern is there to all of this? Simple. TES' problem nowadays lies within the boneheads running the mounting/packing floor. With the exception of the choice of reel design, EVERY significant gripe currently is being caused by careless people mounting the cores of film onto the reels and packaging them into the cans.

Where is Brad Carroll anyway? Come on guy, I know you read these forums and you've managed to get most of the other problems taken care of. It's time to hit the packing floor and straighten them out.

ETS-style reels would be a good second choice. At this point, however, I would settle for non-broken reels of any design.
 

I had a print of In the Bedroom playing at my theater. On the Tuesday before it was slated to be shipped out, Technicolor gave us a call, and asked us when we could have the print ready for pickup, and they were told around 12:30AM, Friday. (The last show ended before midnight, but not much before.)
After I arrived on that Thursday, I found out that the print was going from my booth, to our nearest 'competitor'. They're in a different city, but about 4.2 miles away from us. The assistant manager and I discussed that it would just be ridiculous for Technicolor to send a courier to pick the print, to drive 15 minutes with it, and drop it off, when she would have to drive in that general direction anyway, and could drop it off there, possibly still assembled (and clamped, of course!), or at least only broken down onto 6000' reels...
So, she called Technicolor, and asked them about it, only to find out that they had been told by Miramax to have us send the print over there ourselves! And of course, they never thought to call us, or the other theater, with that info.
...silly pimp fairy bastards.

Yeah, it all went okay, but that had nothing to do with TES!

~GLB

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In some cultures, what I do is considered normal.
 

But keep in mind: They are frequently working with a limited number of prints. The individual distributors are responsible for determining how many final prints are in distribution...TES is charged with shuffling them around so that no one is dark. I can imagine it to be a rather difficult thing sometimes.

ALSO, and I cannot stress this enough (and i'm not saying it's right that it's this way) but Airborne Express service varies in quality DRASTICALLY from one area to another...I have much firsthand experience with this. This explains some cases of drivers coming outside of their windows and being late with deliveries.

**Funny Story told for no reason(or is it funny)** Last year I watched the Airborne van drive up on the curb in front of one of my theatres and come to rest against a column out front. Upon investigation I found the driver slumped over the steering wheel. I thought he might be in trouble, but no, he was just passed out drunk. I called the police and complained about him to his supervisors several times, but he was our driver for a month more! When I asked TES about it a week or so later they had no idea what I was talking about (even though I told them about it that night).

As for the paper bands: I used to think some of you guys were silly for complaining about the way they were fastened with the sticker, but GEEZ! I have had nearly every reel for months come in with the sticker placed in the worst positions. Now, I tear them off and throw them way. I think they are useless anyway.

As for the shipment of prints that you are "sneaking" that will be opening a few days later: I have adopted a policy EXACTLY like Mr. Paul Turner: "Hmmmm...ummmm, NO. Anything else?" I said exactly this on last Tuesday night after screening SCORPION KING. I make exceptions with art house titles that I know are really spread thin.
 

It looks like i've been jinxed! No sooner do I marvel at the fact that i seem to be in the minority on never having a problem with Technicolor, Airborne looses one of the "Rookie" shipping cans that i need for tomorrow. Granted, thats an Airborn Express problem, but we'll see if my luck holds out and if Technicolor can come through for me again! (fingers crossed)

-Adam

 

Please don't misunderstand. I don't wish bad luck on anyone, and I really hope that TES comes through for you on your print of The Rookie. In fact, they probably will. I have found that they are generally good at helping you out when you are truely in a bind.

I guess that some of my wrath is directed at the things that occur when people know better. For instance, we were shipping out only one print today- Big Trouble. Our Airbourne guy, who by the way is top notch, says he has not only Big Trouble, but also Frailty for pickup on his list. When I told him that Frailty is still running, he didn't bat an eye and simply said "See you next week." He knows the score- not his problem. Simply put, there are communication problems at Technicolor.

Another issue is one Brad brings up. How the hell they are able to mount prints on some of the reels they send out defies belief. It just blows my mind to see new prints mounted on trash.

I will be the first to accommodate any other theater that needs a print at the end of our run. Just give us notice and we will have the print broken down and ready for transport ASAP, professionally done. However, please don't jerk us around by demanding that a print be ready early Friday morning and then never being picked up.

Adam, I'd love for you to have one of our prints of "The Rookie". They are four weeks into the run and look as good as the day they arrived. Unfortunately, we're going to keep them at least one more week.

Anyway, hang in there and don't get discouraged.

JTH
 

Also, I really wish we could transfer prints from specific locations instead on relying on the shipping depots to distribute them around. It would do wonders for the condition of the prints as the so-called "film-handlers" who don't give a rats behind about presentation got blacklisted from the rest of the community. I remember getting "Black Hawk Down" from the Navy theater here in town after they had a pre-release screening. They had one show, and the print looked like it had been tied to the bumper of a hum-vee and dragged to our theater for the wide release. I'd blacklist that theater in a second.

Anyway, i don't really think i was jinxed. Just wierd timing.

-Adam