This is topic Oops! I played the wrong movie! in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Jason Winn (Member # 3568) on 03-28-2006, 09:47 AM:
 
A common problem at the theatre I used to work at was that some of our "projectionists" (I use that term loosely) would play the wrong movie. Seriously. They were too lazy to check their schedule. They would just start threading and hope it's the right movie. I, on the other hand, have always played the correct movie. Other than me, there was maybe 1 or 2 other projectionists that never played the wrong movie. Everybody else did it at least once, some of them even did it multiple times.

This mistake is unacceptable no matter what. But what's really bad is when you're supposed to play a kid's movie and you end up playing an R-rated movie instead, especially if the opening scene has a lot of profanity or sex. One example of that was when this guy was supposed to play Finding Neverland, but instead he accidentally played Assault on Precinct 13. The audience sits through the trailers expecting Finding Neverland to play, but instead they see Ethan Hawke buying drugs (or selling drugs, I don't really remember), and he uses the F-word about a dozen times within two minutes. This particular example was on a Saturday night and it was packed mostly with families and little kids. There were a lot of pissed off parents to say the least!

That's just one example! It happened a lot more than that. Especially the last 2 or 3 months I worked there, it was happening almost every week. Everytime someone did this, I was always the one that had to fix it. I was the only one that was good enough to unthread the film, take out the trailer pack to the correct movie (because nobody wants to sit through two trailer packs) and then thread the correct movie. I guess that's too complicated for some people. What really pisses me off is that these guys were going unpunished. Not even a slap on the hand. Nothing. As a matter of fact, there was one guy that played the wrong movie at least 3 times within a couple months from each other. Guess what happened to him. He got promoted to booth manager. Don't you just love big-chain theatres? They always seem to reward incompetence.

Anyway, I got two questions for you guys.

1. Is this a common problem at other theatres or was it just the one I worked at? Have any of you ever experienced anything like this before?

2. How would you handle a situation like this? If one of your projectionists played the wrong movie, what would you do? Personally, if I was a booth manager, I would just kick them out of booth. I wouldn't tolerate incompetence. But that's just me. What would you do?
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-28-2006, 09:55 AM:
 
You get what you pay for. If someone can't read a schedule, and verify the title of a film they are about to show, this industry is sinking to a new low.
 

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Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 03-28-2006, 10:02 AM:
 
1) It is probably as common as playing the wrong reel was in the days of 20 min reels. Yes, I've gotten distracted and played the wrong reel. In my defense, it was at the AFI at the Kennedy Center and we had about 10 movies in the booth that weekend, all on 20 min reels. I grabbed the wrong one and didn't realize until it hit the screen. That's the advantage of reels, you can correct it lots faster.

There was a theatre in VA (the Shirley Duke/Foxchase) that used to show hardcore porn alternated with family movies on platters. More than once someone got their films mixed up there;>

2) Accidents happen. You don't fire someone for making a mistake once. You fire them for making it again.
 

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Posted by Jason Winn (Member # 3568) on 03-28-2006, 10:11 AM:
 

quote: Martin McCaffery

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Accidents happen. You don't fire someone for making a mistake once. You fire them for making it again.

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quote: Mark Hajducki

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Are the schedules printed out and taken with each projectionist, or on the wall next to each projector.

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Actually, both. Each projectionist carries a piece of paper with them. It lists each auditorium, what movie is supposed to play and what time it's supposed to start. And if they still can't understand that, there's a computer screen right next to each projector that lists the title of the movie that's supposed to play on that projector and the exact time it's supposed to start. When it's time to start the movie, it will beep and, on the screen, it will flash in big bold letters, "Start (Name of Movie)." If they still can't figure it out, I can't help them.
 

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Posted by Steve Scott (Member # 630) on 03-28-2006, 11:44 AM:
 
I apply a length of masking tape to the print's tail & write the title-(scope/flat)-# of reels-& sound formats in black caps. If you've got DTS, place the discs in their case on top of the inactive print. The liability becomes theirs
 

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 03-28-2006, 11:52 AM:
 
I confess to having done this once. This was in a two-screen arthouse/mainstream crossover theatre. The features ran off platters, and there were separate features at 2pm/6pm and 4pm/8pm in both screens. The ad and trailer reels were on 2k spools. One of the four features was 18-rated, which had its own ad and trailer reel. Another, PG-certificate ad and trailer reel went with the other three features.

You can guess what happened. I got distracted by a 'phone call, and then when I came back I laced up the 18 ad reel to run before a screening of Toy Story. The little darlings were treated to condom and beer commercials and an explicit public information film on the dangers of substance abuse. They were taking in the David Cronenberg Crash trailer (which included a graphic voiceover description of some unusual types of sexual activity) before I realised what was happening.

It took a while to live that one down...
 

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Posted by Jason Winn (Member # 3568) on 03-28-2006, 11:56 AM:
 
Yeah, Steve, we also did that. We would put two pieces of masking tape on the tail of the print. We always wrote the title of the movie in big, bold, black letters. The problem is that they won't even check the title of the movie or their schedule. They'll just start threading.

We'll usually have 2 prints on the same platter. One will play during the day and the other one will play at night. The "B" print (that plays at night) is supposed to play at 7:00. The "A" print will end at 6:30. They'll take the "A" print and just start threading it again without even looking at their schedule. They just ignore the other print entirely. Every time I start to thread, I always check my schedule even if there's only one print on the platter. Sometimes, I'll check my schedule 3 or 4 times just to make sure I'm threading the correct movie.
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-28-2006, 12:38 PM:
 
Yes, a common mistake in a platter house. I'm at fault with that as well..and my films are marked, and the schedules are posted on the consoles..

It's an easy thing to get into a routine of what shows should be at which times. Then, the scheduling get's changed for the next week, and that "routine" thing takes over out of habit.You are not paying attention at the change and 'bingo' wrong movie laced up (or, just caught the goof as you're lacing up the machine) and you have to yank it out and do the right movie.

More embarrassing is when you hit the start button and recognize the first trailer as the wrong film laced up. And the pinnacle of embarrassment is when the manager hollers up via intercom that No."X" house has the wrong movie on the screen (and heaven forbid if you start a "R" rated movie that is doubling up with a Disney...and the Disney is the one that is scheduled..lol)

...Monte...
 

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Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 03-28-2006, 12:44 PM:
 

quote: Jason Winn

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take out the trailer pack to the correct movie (because nobody wants to sit through two trailer packs)

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quote: Chris Hipp

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It took four people five hours to fix the prints. He didn't actually get fired for dropping the prints, he got fired because it costed $200 or whatever in payroll to fix the prints.

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With damage that took four people that long to "fix", those two dropped prints were probably severely compromised for presentation quality.

On opening night, no less.
 

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Posted by Steve Scott (Member # 630) on 03-28-2006, 02:12 PM:
 
Jason, I sympathize. In the booth, as in most jobs, there are people who are really comitted to what they do & there's others that see it as just a job, not worthy of greater care. You might explain the proper procedure to their face several times, but once you're off work a few days, the lazy asses will bury that procedure under all their other cares & claim to have forgotten

See also in my frustrations file:
Sweeping the whole damn auditorium
Marquee slacking
 

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Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 03-28-2006, 02:50 PM:
 

quote: John Pytlak

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With damage that took four people that long to "fix", those two dropped prints were probably severely compromised for presentation quality.

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I should add that the people fixing the print were not qualified to do it, read as managers.

They hack both prints up pretty good but they were dumped in a carpeted area so there weren't many, if any, scratches. Tons of splices though.
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 03-28-2006, 03:39 PM:
 
A dropped print if picked up properly can be reassembled with only a couple of splices, and commonly less than a dozen. I've repaired dropped prints many times for people. Funny thing is that if someone is moving a print by themselves and he sees that it is about to slip and KNOWS that he will lose it with there is no chance of saving it, the best thing he can possibly do is try to throw it down to the floor as flat as he can.

I've only dropped a print once and it happened with a 2 1/2 hour movie. I was carrying it vertically (there was no reliable help around) and I tripped. As I was falling I threw it down to the floor as hard and as flat as I could. About 20 minutes later I got it put back together only making 3 splices.

My best record for a mangled mess was on a print of Titanic. What happened was when the last reel was being broken down, the center ring peg snapped and the print went slinging some 20 feet away down the booth hall. 6 splices later and voila! Funny thing is that if done properly, it's entirely possible to reassemble a dropped print without any hint of it ever being dropped. Much of this does depend on how it hits the floor though, hence the "throw it down" recommendation. Also important is carpet in the booth. If you don't have carpet in the booth and the film hits the floor, you might as well throw it away.

(Please note do not ever "throw a print down" if you are losing it if you have someone helping you move it, as if you throw it down and the other guy doesn't, well...you've just made a disaster for yourself.)

As far as what to do to get the brain-dead to realize there may be a different movie they are supposed to be threading, my recommendation has always been to remove one of the two brains on the platter and train the staff to know that "anytime you have to move the brain to thread the next show, you need to double check the schedule because you are probably running the wrong film." It works quite well so long as you don't have a butthead who keeps pulling that spare brain out of the cabinet and re-mounting it.
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-28-2006, 03:46 PM:
 
Of course, "Film Done Right" would not have someone try to move a 50 pound print roll by themselves. Oh, I forgot...adequate staff costs money.
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 03-28-2006, 03:47 PM:
 
Life isn't always a bed of roses though.

In this example, do you move the print by yourself or get someone who will greatly increase your odds of dropping it to help? What'll it be?
 

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Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 03-28-2006, 04:01 PM:
 
I've got as far as putting the wrong reel of film on a machine a handful of times over the years; it last happened just a couple of weeks ago, but I've always spotted it before lacing up the machine. I guess we can all make mistakes; soome of you may remember that I made a pretty bad one a year or so ago, but thankfully it doesn't happen very often.

I did run the adverts reel with a 'PG' film on Friday, without noticing that there was an alcohol item it it which I should have taken out.

I'm working my last projection shift, at least for a while, on Friday evening this week, So I can stop working the very log hours that I have been doing for the past few months, and get a rest. Maybe I'll find time to actually go and see a few films as well. I'm also hoping to get a few days off in May, to pay a visit to the Lafayette, Suffern, and do a few other things while I'm over there.
 

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Posted by Kyle Anderson (Member # 3504) on 03-28-2006, 05:14 PM:
 
We had this problem (along with a few others), but since we recently purchased $600,000 in Christie DLP's, the projection staff all got raises to $7/hr.

I guess they didn't want the guys who play with the $3 million in equipment to be paid the same as the guy in the Taco Bell out front.
 

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Posted by Nathan Fettes (Member # 3545) on 03-28-2006, 08:08 PM:
 
I admit I have done this once. After three years in a booth, it finaly happend in a theater that had two people in it. The embaricment of it was enough to make sure it never happened again. Getting on the night shift and there was only one move that changed, I just was in a grove and neglected to look. It was within the first five minutes of the "Dreamer" that I noticed it was not the horror movie it was supposed to be. I got it changed and cut the trailer pack so they only got delayed five minutes so management never knew. Still The fact that it happend scared my for a while and was a good wake up call.
 

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Posted by Joseph Pandolfi (Member # 223) on 03-28-2006, 08:49 PM:
 
So far I never had to play the wrong movie in my seven years. I came up with my own method of two or more movies on a platter. If both movies are playing alternately I would use only one platter brain and run the movie off of it. When the feature ends I would first remove the brain and place it on the next movie to play and then wrap the tail of the movie that is finished playing. On the others again I would use only one platter brain to pay out the correct matinee(lets say G rated) movie. The other movie that is not playing I would take a large core from a trailer and place in the center of the platter. Now if this is the last showing I would switch the trailer core to the takeup platter which tells me not to play it on the next show and to remove the head after it has finished playing and place it on the second evening(rated R)movie to play. Of course checking the schedule is mandatory for me.
 

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 03-29-2006, 12:59 AM:
 
Agreed entirely with Brad on dropped prints. They are a pain but recoverable, but in my experience the problem can be made 100 times worse by panicing at the sight of one. I've had to deal with two incidents. The first time, my colleague (who was a bit of a drama queen anyway) had gone wading in straight away and had tangled up the film into a much worse state than it was in immediately after the drop, with the result that it took several cuts to recover in in any sort of sane timescale.

The second time I was in the room when Titanic hit the deck (sorry - couldn't resist the pun). It had fallen diagonally while being lifted from a platter, and so was in a pretty gruesome pile. As I was lifting the print with a colleague, she got a static zap from the side of the make-up table, and tripped as a result of the shock. My first instinct was to say 'Take a deep breath and don't touch anything', which turned out to be the right one. We spent the next 5-10 minutes looking for visible reel end splices without touching any film. When we found them, we unpicked them and started winding each reel round a core by hand. It took 2-3 hours to recover the print, but we didn't need to make any cuts and after hand-cleaning on the bench it didn't look any worse (to my eyes) than it had done before (this was towards the end of the film's run and we'd got the print after it had done several weeks at another venue, so it was already quite worn).

The same goes if the film slips off a take-up spool or plate, and starts piling up on the floor. Do not touch the film while looking for the end. If you can see a splice, unpick it and simply lift the film off onto a core without tangling it (if not you might need to make one cut). It should come without any problems.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-29-2006, 01:20 AM:
 

quote: Nathan Fettes

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I just was in a grove and neglected to look

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Well, no wonder you screwed up, being in a grove instead of the booth.
 

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Posted by Ron Curran (Member # 3631) on 03-29-2006, 04:54 AM:
 
I did receive a print of 102 Dalmatians without discs and forgot to turn off the DTS player. First reel started with the sound track to Coyote Ugly. Rare and interesting but not appropriate.
 

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Posted by Matthew Peters (Member # 1495) on 03-29-2006, 06:51 PM:
 
Thankfully I haven't played the wrong film (to date) but I have come close. With Panalogic automation you need to enter a show number, we usually have a list of the 3-4 films for each house with their show number and ad's / trailers. I was in a rush in this occasion and threaded the wrong film, as soon as I went to start the automation I realised I had the wrong film. So I quickly unthreaded, then got the correct film on. Skipped the slides as the show was more or less on time.

However on more than one occasion while working on the floor, I have had the embarrassing task of having a customer report that "the wrong film is on." Not too bad till you've gotta go in to the auditorium and explain to the audience...

[ 04-03-2006, 01:30 AM: Message edited by: Matthew Peters ]
 

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Posted by Paul Van Dusen (Member # 3640) on 04-04-2006, 03:55 PM:
 
Ok, i admit, i've almos done this as well, but i have to say, i handled it better than my manager when she threaded the wrong movie. I guess a little background is in order. I, and my manager, are dreaded manager/operators. However unlike her, i'm using this site, former projectionists, and pretty much anyone i can find to expand my knowledge and show a better product on the screen. Anyway, back to the story, last saturday my manager comes strolling down from the projection booth and said she'd accidentally threaded curious george instead of big mommas house 2. I chuckled and asked her how she liked de-threading (my term for pulling the film back into the inside of the platter and replacing the ring, not hard, but tedious). She looked very at me like i was stupid and explaimed "hell no, i just bunched it up and sat it on top of the platter. I was livid and promptly told her she was an idiot, and then i spent the next 15 minutes dodging the moving platter over my head fixing he idiocy. God i hate that womans work ethic. If she's not throwing brand new trailers on the floor to build them up she's breaking the film and rollers when she's building movies.
 

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Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 04-04-2006, 04:45 PM:
 

quote: Ron Curran

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I did receive a print of 102 Dalmatians without discs and forgot to turn off the DTS player. First reel started with the sound track to Coyote Ugly. Rare and interesting but not appropriate.

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but the DTS system won't allow that, the discs and prints are not simply time code striped, there is ID there to lock the correct sound to the correct print. Whihc is how it manages to play the tralier discs correctly.
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-05-2006, 12:14 AM:
 

quote: Pete Naples

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but the DTS system won't allow that

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..sorry, but it can and definitely in rare cases - due to the fact that even with a billion 'z-bar' combinations that can be printed in that timecode, there will be one 'z-bar' that will match up with whatever disc is in the player and that section will play from the disc..

As with the "102 Dalmations" example: we had a Disney running matinees, and an "R" for the evenings...operator forgot to switch disc from the "R" to the Disney..Sure enough with a house full of kids: Main cartoon character is uttering the "F" word due to the info from the wrong discs that were in the player happen to pick up that one in a billion section of timecode and with the foul language and sent it out for all the young hears to hear...and DID I have some explaining to do to the manager, home office on such things since parents came out like crazy, ranting and raving all over the management team...when I got to work that evening...

..then, I had to give that operator a written warning on booth neglegience of of not paying attention to proper operations..poor kid...he definitely remembered next time.
 

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Posted by Ron Curran (Member # 3631) on 04-05-2006, 12:51 AM:
 
Thank you Monte. We all know that the bumblebee can not fly but ... You just need a time code on the print and the DTS on with discs in it and it will play. It taught us NEVER to leave a loaded DTS on when playing a print without discs but with time code.
 

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Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 04-05-2006, 02:59 AM:
 
Really?! In all my years I've never seen or heard of that happening. I'll have to take you guys word for it.
 

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Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 04-05-2006, 12:49 PM:
 
Pete is correct that this is not supposed to happen.

There have also been multiple reports on this site where it has happened.

I do not think Monte's explanation is correct. The DTS timecode is organized such that the reel number, serial number, and timecode refererence (3 seperate numbers) are all seperate and clearly identifyable pieces of information. It cannot just happen that a serial number matches a timecode. But furthermore, even if it did happen, it would only happen for one timecode sequence, so you might get a blip of the wrong movie (or maybe 4 seconds if the DTS "freewheeling" logic applied), but no more.

I think there has been some speculation that it may be possible to mis-configure (with jumpers) the player such that it ignores the reel number and serial number (SMPTE timecode jumpers?).

Or perhaps some subtle bug.

--jhawk
 

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Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 04-05-2006, 01:18 PM:
 
That's kind of true John, you can put the players into SMPTE mode, however if you do that, to the best of my knowledge it won't read TC from the reader head.

I have a DTS Special Venue unit on service that regularly gets changed from SMPTE to DTS timecode mode, according to what they are playing.
 

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Posted by Marc Jensen (Member # 3561) on 04-16-2006, 07:37 AM:
 
Threading the Wrong Film 101

The following examples of how to thread the wrong film and associated near-misses are compiled from my experiences with Kinoton systems and people who just don't bloody well look what they're doing.

Option 1.

1.) Show ends.
2.) Grab the ring out of it and plant it in the spare platter.
3.) Grab the leader and move to start threading.
4.) Look puzzled as your brain catches up and nags you into the realization that you were about to do something very stupid.

Option 2.

1.) Show ends.
2.) Grab the ring out of it and plant it in the spare platter.
3.) Grab the leader and start threading.
4.) Upon returning to the platter, with leader in hand, read the name of the film lying dormant - The one that you're not actually dragging the front end of.
5.) Utter an expletive.
6.) Waste a few minutes sorting out the mess you made.

Option 3.

1.) Show ends.
2.) Grab the ring out of it and plant it in the spare platter.
3.) Grab the leader and thread the projector and rollers.
4.) Carefully check the loops, film path, the whole bit, because you dare not damage the print, eh?
5.) Reset the automation to run the next show.
6.a.) Read the name of the film you just threaded or the one just above or below and utter an expletive.
6.b.) Or, because your checking process is so thorough, check it off on your list where you read the name, then utter an expletive.
7.) Sort out the bluder quickly before customers get a reason to think their show is running behind schedule.

Option 4.

1.) Show ends.
2.) Grab the ring out of it and plant it in the spare platter.
3.) Grab the leader and thread the projector and rollers.
4.) Carefully check the loops, film path, etc. etc.
5.) Reset the automation to run the next show.
6.) At show start, check the picture and sound, film path etc.
7.) At feature start re-check, make any necessary focus reajustments and so on.
8.a) Run the show blissfully unaware that you've just done something incredibly twitty (until the supervisor spots it).
8.b) Answer a call from a slightly frantic sounding manager, or better yet, ignore the radio communications and tie up the phone line so nobody can contact you!

Okay, that's enough mockery of the situation for one post.

Confession time: I did Option 3 tonight. There was a 20 minute gap between shows and I saw what I'd done as soon as I had it set up to go, so no customers were disadvantaged, but that's still the closest call in the "wrong show" sense that I've managed to do in a long time. At least I've never managed to do "Option 4"... Yet.
 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 04-16-2006, 09:03 AM:
 
Option #5:

1. Manager changes schedule for multiplex, such that two films which were originally intended to swap positions (from cinema 1 to cinema 2 and vice-versa) do not
2. Manager does not give copy of new schedule to projectionist
3. Projectionist shows films according to original version of schedule
4. ...time passes...
5. Manager runs into booth screaming and waving arms
6. Projectionist unthreads both machines, removes trailers from both films, re-threads in correct auditoria using conveniently placed interlock rollers, re-starts shows according to new version of schedule (which he never received)
7. ...time passes...
8. Manager never bothers to apologize to or thank projectionist for dealing with manager's incompetence.

This is what led me to interchange "Princess Diaries" and "Rock Star"--the only time I have ever shown the "wrong" films (so far...knock on wood).
 

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Posted by Alexander Smith (Member # 1769) on 04-16-2006, 11:51 AM:
 
Further up this thread somebody suggested temporarily
confiscating one payout module where, two films are shown
in the order A, B, A, B.

Good idea, I like that and it works. Even if you just
start to thread the head of the wrong show through the
payout module, before realising your stupidity, you can
grab the "spare" module and thread the correct show with
the minimum of fuss.

Naturally, programme planners can reduce the risk of
"wrong show, wrong time" buy not putting films on in the
ABAB pattern in the first place. :-)

Alex (not that we _ever_ show the wrong film, but we like
to make it easy for us to correct our own mistake before
the show starts so the public don't see it).
 

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