This is topic House Music! in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Stephen Pike (Member # 1993) on 10-30-2003, 03:48 AM:
 
Hello Film-Tech!

I am a projectionist in the UK, and I am puzzled as to what music should be played as House Music?

Many people have suggested a Moods cd, however I cannot find anything like this on the web! If anyone could suggest some house music that is suitable for all types of audience, I would be very greatful.
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 10-30-2003, 04:12 AM:
 
no music is suitable for all audiences, so if that's what you want, go with no music. don't just assume that elevator music or soft rock or clean r&b is inoffensive to all. to some, it is quite offensive.

carl
 

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Posted by Jason Thode (Member # 1854) on 10-30-2003, 04:32 AM:
 
I know here in the U.S. our big theatre chains have the house music programed by advertising. Carl's right though no matter what your not going to be able to please everyone.

Jason
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 10-30-2003, 05:08 AM:
 
Hello Stephen!

Welcome to F-T! (you too Jason)

6 pages covering this topic can be found here .

[ 10-30-2003, 12:01 PM: Message edited by: Mike Olpin ]
 

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Posted by Dean Kollet (Member # 1789) on 10-30-2003, 09:20 AM:
 

quote:

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I am a projectionist in the UK, and I am puzzled as to what music should be played as House Music?

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I think you may have answered that question there, play some house music Drum and bass, anything you can dance to is good house music, maybe even a guest DJ

Sorry, I couldn't resist; we always have Movietunes, but in hearing them every day I have found a distinct pattern. Thrown in a song every generation will like, along with new stuff and some Jazz, can't go wrong
 

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Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 10-30-2003, 09:50 AM:
 
CD's should not be played at all the only appropriate music for the cinema is a mighty wurlitzur or compton riseing up out of thepit to be played by an organist
 

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 10-30-2003, 10:27 AM:
 
I have always thought movie soundtrack disks from the film(s) that are playing (or coming soon) in the theater at that particular time would be the definitive thing to play. In fact, the distributors should send them out to the theaters for free.

Fail that, as far as I'm concerened, the only kind of music that is pretty much guaranteed not to offend anybody is "light classical". True! They may be bored to death but they won't be offended. The only caveat to that would be to avoid playing lots of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" and other ubiquitous tunes.
 

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Posted by Jason Burroughs (Member # 68) on 10-30-2003, 10:51 AM:
 
If you're not worried about possible licensing issues, from the sue happy record industry, then you can play just about anything you want.

By going with the ever evil "Movietunes" at least licensing is taken care of. As stated before, not matter what you play, you can't make everyone happy. Just don't play anything offensive and you should be OK.
 

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Posted by Tony Ratcliff (Member # 1196) on 10-30-2003, 12:29 PM:
 
For our annual showings of White Christmas I play a CD of theatre organ Christmas music.

It's not the real thing, Gordon, but it's as close as I can get.

 

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Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 10-30-2003, 12:36 PM:
 
Tony at least you try
 

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Posted by Chris Trainor (Member # 9) on 10-30-2003, 01:07 PM:
 
I used to play music that I thought would be *right* for the crowd. I had an mp3 server and each auditorium could be running different 'house music'. If I was running a kids movie, I'd play some pop and kids music, if Sci-Fi, I'd run sci-fi showtunes, etc. I would setup the playlists each week when I setup the ticketing and scheduling computer.

To get around licensing issues I just paid ASCAP and BMI their extortion fees (about $350/year/ea for the 3 screens I had).

--Chris
 

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Posted by Jean-Michel Grin (Member # 1360) on 10-30-2003, 01:24 PM:
 
Since the manager in one of ours multiplex has allowed the employees to brign their CD on the CD changer of the lobby, the music is an horrible mess off all genre and is not suitable for all audiences: ie.: What do You think when an employee put an Hip-Hop music on the CD player, at loud level, when old people customers whent to theater for a "Old time movie" matinee
And Of course theses guys don't respect CD of other peoples, they never replace it in the jewel CD boxes, and the player comme realy full of dirt.

For this reason I prefer keep the CD Player locked in a rack, and only the manager is authorised to choose the music, regardless to the Theater's identity.

IMO, I think chillout music could be an good choice for a theather lobby (like Hotel Costes, Buddha Bar, Cafe del Mar, and manny others) But not the entire day, or Your staff could be insane !
Why not prepare an selection of various CD of different style for each moment of the journey, and play it at precise moments. Some CD changers allow the option to create Playlist.

I like House music, (I wish to go to the ministry Of sound one night) But I'm conscient that could not be apreciated by some customers in a theater.

Bye,
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-30-2003, 01:26 PM:
 
Another option is XM Radio. You can buy a business account for $24.95/month and that way you can play whatever music suits your expected audience.

Jason - The lawsuits you are referring to are courtesy of the Recording Industry Association of America, a trade organization (it is to the music industry as NATO is to theatre owners. The "record industry" itself is not one entity, but hundreds of companies and thousands of people.) The RIAA does not sue public places playing unlicensed music -- that would be BMI or ASCAP (among others), the music publishing companies.
 

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Posted by Michael Harlow (Member # 1353) on 10-30-2003, 04:32 PM:
 
Steven, welcome. We play middle of the road music, such as lve albums etc, and then the NOW albums on kids mats..... we do have loads of mood cds as well, drop me a line if you want any names etc. peter@royal-cinema.co.uk
 

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Posted by James Falloon (Member # 1933) on 10-30-2003, 05:05 PM:
 
Hi, I try and play something approate for the movie playing to "set the mood" and similar to the music in the movie. Usually soundtracks are farly good, listen to the cd first and make note of any unsuitable or possibly ofensive tracks.

John Williams is usually a pritty good choice.

And yes, who needs DTS, dolby digital or for that matter sound, when you have a Wurlitzur!
 

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Posted by John Hegel (Member # 628) on 10-30-2003, 11:41 PM:
 
What do you all think of letting the customers pick what they want to hear?

I have a Wurlitzer 1015 cd juke box that I bought with the intentions of installing in the lobby of my single screen theater.

Has anyone ever tried this?

Am I the only person on earth that likes the looks of the 1015 recreation?


 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-31-2003, 06:49 PM:
 
Sounds fine, if you keep the volume reasonable so as not to peeve the older folks.
 

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Posted by Pete Evans (Member # 1823) on 10-31-2003, 06:59 PM:
 
Welcome Stephen.......

Gordon's right it should be the Mighty Wurlitzer, but alas that's a thing of the past (almost). I remember when I first started as a projectionist at the Ritz Cinema in Chatham (part of the ABC circuit) in 1969 the Wurlitzer was still in place and regularly tuned, but never used for any performances! Instead we used to be sent records (you remember those big vinyl thingies) of a guy called Joseph Seal playing the organ, they were so damned awful that I don't think we ever played one to the publc....when the theatre closed there was a huge pile of them brand new, although some had previously been turned into flower pots!
So if you want organ music, and want to bore your audience to tears, there must be thousands of these bloody things out there as I don't know of any ABC projectionist who played them!
 

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Posted by Bernard Tonks (Member # 809) on 11-01-2003, 12:25 PM:
 
Joseph Seal who was the musical and variety booking director was based for a time at the ABC Regal Theatre, Kingston-Upon- Thames where he recorded and live broadcasted from the Wurtlitzer organ there. I had just commenced as a third projectionist from an Odeon and had bought with me a few 78s of Reginald Dixon playing the mighty organ of the Tower Ballroom Blackpool which were rather jazzy and cheerful. At the time I didn’t know of Mr Seal until suddenly he introduced himself to me during a matinee and politely forbid any records from the Tower to be played again.

I believe Cinecenta Cinemas a small circuit mostly in London used to play classical music from a very early era which was excempt from having to pay any PRS royalties.
 

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Posted by Ken McFall (Member # 845) on 11-01-2003, 03:15 PM:
 
If I have to choose I'd play easy listening vocal and instrumental with classical if it suited the film. I don't like playing the soundtrack to the film the audience is waiting to see. However all of that is no longer an option as I now have to play the promo music provided. It does remove the problem as to what to play but it's not always ideal. The current promo we are playing has the word 'whore' in one of the songs repeated about five times, playing to 'Finding Nemo'. In context the word is not offensive but on it's own it is not the sort of word that I would be playing to that audience.

Possibly the best cinema music album ever, in my opinion, is Bert Kaemphert - A Swinging Safari. It's a very old album now, sixties, but it pops up on television quite a lot recently.

I've had the pleasure of running a few shows to the mighty Wurlitzer as the cinema I was working in hosted the American Theatre Organ Society performances. Despite the fact that most of the music played was quite old the audience loved every minute of it. I doubt they would have the same reaction if it was just played on a CD but live it was fantastic.
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 11-01-2003, 04:19 PM:
 

quote:

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I have a... cd juke box that I bought with the intentions of installing in the lobby of my single screen theater. Has anyone ever tried this?

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quote:

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I will not have any customer complaints about the song they paid for being cut off by the show starting

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Good point, though the few times we had that happen here, it was still playing in the snack bar... the customers who came in to complain usually just left after hearing it play out in there.
 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 11-02-2003, 12:40 PM:
 
How about *no* music?
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 11-02-2003, 03:35 PM:
 
I think Zero background in an auditorium would make people uncomfortably self-conscious about conversation.
 

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Posted by Alexander Smith (Member # 1769) on 11-02-2003, 07:45 PM:
 
At the small chain I work for (but not speak for, natch) we play music by only one artist. It's company policy
to only play one CD by one artist. Have a listen via www.tobesmusic.com .
It's my _personal_ opinion that this music sucks. Sorry Toby if you find my opinion offensive, but it is just
my opinion.
The front of house staff agree, and even a few customers have complained also, but the company seems
to be sticking with it.
When we had a choice, we used to play a reasonably wide variety of music. I distinctly remember being
complemented on choosing the Mi:2 soundtrack before a show of "Bridget Jones's Diary". I was helping
out in the auditorium at the time.

If you have a choice at your site, I'm jealous really. ;-)

Alex.
 

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Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 11-02-2003, 11:46 PM:
 
I agree that you've got to have *some* music playing, or the theater is less warm & attractive.

It should fit the program. It's not being programmed for me, but I utterly despise & get screaming headaches from Lite Rock & Smooth Jazz. Anything else please, heavy metal, classical, boom boom house, something with an idea or other reason for existence.

We were running an 8 p.m. horror movie for an audience of about 200 kids that had been recruited via their high school media & English classes, & some volunteers. I had been running some movie horror music compilations between the shows. The manager called up with a schedule change which meant the show would be about 25 minutes late, I told him, he said OK & put in that Strauss CD & turn it up. OK, WHATEVER! Cranking & patching a reel listening to a chattery excited HS kids audience coming through the ports with some Strauss waltzes, waiting from the riot, when On the Beautiful Blue Danube ended, there was APPLAUSE! One aggravating show + one freaky moment for the projectionist.
 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 11-03-2003, 11:45 PM:
 
Okay so we agree then that *some* music is better than *no* music.

In that case...the audience should be somewhat appreciative of the very fact that I have arranged to play music at all.

For my own part, I am intensely aware of how impossible it is to please everyone and I personally can't find it in my heart to program customized selections for each and every movie.

As for radio ads...I used to say "never" but I got an offer today and, well...maybe just this once.

-- Manny I'll House You! Knowles.
 

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Posted by Greg Routenburg (Member # 1742) on 11-03-2003, 11:58 PM:
 
I've always been a big fan of Instrumental Movie Tunes. Disney releases mixed CD's of their classic movie stuff and there are all kinds of compilations out there that cover all kinds of movie genres. Music should reflect the atmosphere that is trying to be achieved in whatever place it's being played. People can get rather nostalgic if they go to a show and hear some old tunes that they know from some of their favorite old films and movies from their childhoods.
 

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Posted by Daniel Schulz (Member # 1881) on 11-04-2003, 12:51 PM:
 
The Indiana Theater in Bloomington, IN (alas no longer a movie theater) used to play an ever-changing mix of pre-show music in the lobby and auditorium, but they always arranged things so that the last song before the lights went down was Louis Armstrong singing What a Wonderful World. I still associate that song with the joys of moviegoing.
 

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Posted by Tony Ratcliff (Member # 1196) on 11-04-2003, 12:58 PM:
 
Daniel's experience reminds me of another point that always bugs me about pre-movie music.
I hate it when the song is cut-off by the show starting.
I always wait until the current song ends before starting the projector. I just think is makes for a smoother transition.
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 11-04-2003, 01:14 PM:
 

quote:

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I hate it when the song is cut-off by the show starting.
I always wait until the current song ends before starting the projector. I just think is makes for a smoother transition.

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That's called "Showmanship".

At least fade out the non-sync sound, rather than just cut it off abruptly.
 

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Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 11-04-2003, 01:34 PM:
 
Well said Tony and John! It's little touches like that which really make for good presentation.

Not wishing to blow my own trumpet, some years back I moved the bar manager of the Cameo, Edinburgh to tears with my precision non-sync timing/feature starting!
 

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 11-04-2003, 01:35 PM:
 
I always preferred score music from almost any film that had a score. I'd stick to film music, and avoid music and/or soundtracks with lyrics. Most of the time, just about any score will do. If it's a big weekend, like a Star Wars weekend, then play that. Or Lord Of The Rings... play that. Christmas, play Christmas movie scores. Whatever. Think about what kind of an atmosphere you want to create, and go from there. The presentation should start when the patron enters the building (or walks up to the building if you have music outside).
 

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Posted by James Falloon (Member # 1933) on 11-04-2003, 02:21 PM:
 
Just before I start the projector I fade the music out, I don't like starting the movie halfway through a song, but to me starting the show on time is more important. The sooner I start, the sooner I can go home
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 11-04-2003, 03:29 PM:
 

quote:

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The sooner I start, the sooner I can go home

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In the interest of Showmanship, I would prefer to say "If I work a few minutes longer to put on a better show, I get paid for it".

Obviously, I wouldn't delay a show for more than a few minutes, but most of the musical selections you might play are only a few minutes long.
 

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Posted by James Falloon (Member # 1933) on 11-05-2003, 05:08 PM:
 
Well there's no point making the audience wait if they are all seated and waiting for the movie to start. I still spend as much time as it takes untill I am happy that everything is as clean and professional as possible. Cleanliness is Godliness
 

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Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 11-05-2003, 10:31 PM:
 
When we used preshow music on tape, we'd mix the music for as close to a 25min run time as we could get. Then, with the run time clearly marked on every tape, it was no big deal to start the tape at the right time so that it would end at the published film start time. No need to abruptly shut of the non-sync (gag me with a spoon) or even fade it out (better, but unnecessary). It is just a matter of timing; if an operator has enough brains to be able to start the projector "on time," it isn't a giant leap for mankind to expect him to be able to subtract the tape run time from the desired film start time and start the tape accordingly.

Today it is even easier. You program a CD or, in a multiple CD changer, you create a more varied preshow program from a number of CDs in the caddy. The player will tell you the length of the program. Then it's just a matter of starting the CD program at the proper time. Push that play button on time and the film will start exactly when it's supposed to. Most CD players can even display a time countdown so all you have to do is watch the display and when the last cut is 10 seconds before 00:00, you can roll film exactly to the second.
 

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