Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Dolby or THX Trailer Placement.

This is topic Dolby or THX Trailer Placement. in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=004427

Posted by Bernie Anderson Jr (Member # 410) on 01-12-2003, 09:33 PM:

I'm just wondering, for those that do film build ups, where in your preshow do you place your Dolby Digital or THX snipe? Right before the feature after the Feature Presentaion snipe? or somewhere before?

Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 01-12-2003, 11:06 PM:

The policy at a company I used to work for was digital trailer (if applicable), THX trailer (if applicable), feature pres. snipe. My personal preference is for the digital trailer to go after the feature pres.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-12-2003, 11:46 PM:

Here's what I prefer to see:
Feature presentation snipe,
THX trailer,
digital sound format trailer,
begin movie.

That's usually the way I would see things done in a lot of real high end movie theaters. Unfortunately, the trailers just plain get omitted in many places. Very often, I'll see the THX and digital sound trailers get placed before the attached trailers on a film print. Some theaters will even play the THX and digital sound before the rest of the trailers.

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 01-13-2003, 03:09 AM:

I use the order Bobby listed.

Posted by Jason Whyte (Member # 1433) on 01-13-2003, 03:38 AM:

I've seen some theater chains that prefer to put the THX and digital trailers before their feature presentation logo. Yet at most of the theaters that do this, their trailers are VERY dirty or it keeps dropping out to analog.

I also prefer Bobby's method. Nicer way of getting you into a presentation of a movie than seeing a company trailer. [Wink]

Jason

Posted by Darren Briggs (Member # 1071) on 01-13-2003, 01:49 PM:

Im sure youll find in the THX license agreement the THX trl has to go directly before the Feature Cert.
Ill check when i go to work again, but thats what I recall reading.
So i'd say Digital logo, then THX and then the Feature.

Darren

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 01-13-2003, 02:00 PM:

Local All-THX/Dolby Digital theatre plays Dolby trailer first, then coming attractions trailers, then THX before the picture starts.

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 01-13-2003, 02:04 PM:

Darren, that's the order they are in on the Laserdiscs and DVDs I have seen which have them. I very seldom see a film at the cinema which has a digital track, so I can't remember what order they put them.

How are the 70mm shows at York going?

Posted by William Leland III (Member # 1400) on 01-13-2003, 03:22 PM:

I agree with Bobby's way, but I was trained that no trailers, snipes or digital sound trailers should go after the policy.

To be honest I hated to put on digital sound trailers. I hated pulling them off after we moved prints into a smaller house. On a thursday night we averaged 10 moves [Mad]

. I worked in a 16 plex. Worked as in past tense.

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 01-13-2003, 07:05 PM:

Allthough they are supposed to go between the trailers and the feature, this setup is very difficult to maintain in a complex where more than one sound system is used. Many projectionists omit the trailers all together for this reason. In this case, I prefer that the sound system snipes are placed before the rolling stock and trailers, so that they can be switched out easily. I would rather see them in that possition than not at all.

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 01-13-2003, 08:41 PM:

It might take an extra minute to put them anywhere in the pre-show program. Split rings, sponges, and/or trailer cores, make this extremely fast and easy. Having to swap sound demos, etc. when moving prints shouldn't be an issue. Just like changing trailers isn't.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 01-14-2003, 07:26 AM:

I like using the sound format tags, but almost never do it in practice, since prints get moved often, digital tracks (or readers) become flaky and shows need to run in analog, and digital readers or cards get moved among houses for various reasons. It also doesn't really work in venues which don't have full-time projectionists for most of the week (where, even if the managers knew how to change out sound format trailers, they wouldn't bother doing it).

Add to this the fact that audiences (mostly) don't care and that Dolby/DTS/Sony/THX might get upset if the wrong logo played in the wrong format, and it just ends up being more trouble than it is usually worth in a typical multiplex environment.

I do use the sound format tags for "special" shows, screenings, etc., although I really wish that Dolby would come up with a better SR logo than "Temple," which isn't very impressive. I'd also like a tag which says "presented in glorious monophonic sound." When I do use the tags, they go immediately before the feature (usually with THX before the sound format).

Posted by Darren Briggs (Member # 1071) on 01-14-2003, 07:42 AM:

Hi Stephen,
The 70mm shows are doing well, both Lawrence of arabia shows sold out and spatacus did well too. I've got The RIght Stuff on 26th Janary which is a nice 35mm blow-up. Sound is fantastic on it.

The DVD's etc will have the THX logo before the feature as thats the licence agreement i would think. Going to check the THX paperwork when i remember at work next.
But im surrprised at all the sites that seem to play them where ever they fancy. Makes sence to play the logo before the feature in my opinion.

Darren

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 01-14-2003, 02:14 PM:

I agree with the general theories here that in a multiplex without full time operators and multiple digital formats, it just isn't practical to use digital snipes. Also, any booth that has limited projectionist hours and multiple formats generally doesn't have the time to mess with it either. This is why I am in favor of ONE digital format used throughout a complex. There can be other formats "double stacked" if desired, but the theater should maintain one constant format on all screens.

I do believe Darren is correct that the THX license agreement states the THX logo must be the last thing presented before the feature begins. I have always followed this pattern:

Coke commercial
Shampoo commercial
Designer clothes commercial
What's coming to television this month commercial
New on DVD commercial
Car commercial
Army commercial
Another coming to television this month commercial
Another car commercial
Electronics commercial
Jeans commercial
Retail store commercial
Another car commercial
Nascar commercial
Teenage television show commercial
Video game commercial
Ridiculous "be nice to others" PSA
Moviephone
Policy
THX or sound logo
Feature

Note that I generally do not run both a THX and a sound logo, but in the rare instances when I have, I always run the THX last, per the contract.

If the theater does not have THX, I only run a logo if the theater has SRD, as the dts logos are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too overplayed and outdated, and Sony will not send out free copies (of which no theater is willing to pay for).

Posted by Aldo Baez (Member # 790) on 01-14-2003, 04:21 PM:

LOL brad.

I usually only use the digital trailers for bigger movies where I know that the print will stay in the theatre for 2 or more weeks like Lord of the Rings Harry Potter Spiderman etc.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 01-14-2003, 04:32 PM:

Brad, you forgot the "Smoking marijuana will make you run over a small child with your car" PSA.

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 01-14-2003, 06:38 PM:

Brad, you don't run thirty or so trailers on top of all that?

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 01-15-2003, 02:22 PM:

Bobby mentioned that some theatres run the THX trailer before the attached trailer and then Darren brought up the fact that THX licensing agreements mandate the THX trailer should go directly before the feature. This is a perfect example of the lack of clear policies in our industy. The reason some theatres don't remove the attached trailer and place it into the pack with the rest of the previews is that over the last few years the studios have been cracking down (through random checkers) on theatres not playing the attached trailers with the movies. In the United States not playing the attached trailer with the movie is a violation of copyright law, or so my district manager informed me when I asked for clarification on the policy. Some theatres have even gone so far as to mandate tha the attached trailers cannot be removed from the print.

So who is right? I don't know. Its all just a big pissing contest and the theatres are the urinal cakes.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 01-15-2003, 02:37 PM:

So long as the attached trailer IS played in front of the movie, it can be re-located before a company policy or sound logo. I think that chain you mention that has mandated that it cannot be cut is just trying to cover their butts (because they probably hire kids in the booth and give little to no training).

What I would like to know is if it is illegal to remove the green band from trailers. I do so hate theaters that do that. It gives me the feeling I am watching a big tv and am in a commercial break.

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 01-15-2003, 03:23 PM:

It's too bad that Brad's theatre doesn't run any Previews of Coming Attractions at his theatre. [Razz]

Posted by William Leland III (Member # 1400) on 01-15-2003, 03:44 PM:

When I was trained to built up in 98, I was tought to cut off green bands. We never showed them. I was working in a second run theatre. But when I worked in 1st run theatre's we left them on. Which I thought was the correct way, even though I was tought different.

Is it normal for 2nd run theatre's to cut off green bands?

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 01-15-2003, 04:18 PM:

William Leland III,

You gotta love that Search feature! [thumbsup]