Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: how is the projection booth running in US and CA?

This is topic how is the projection booth running in US and CA? in forum Digital Cinema 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=16;t=001110

Posted by Kaka Mo (Member # 6470) on 05-14-2012, 12:13 AM:

Hi guys, I am from China, China is the second largest film market in the world right now. I am working in the biggest cinema chain in china; I like to know how is the projection booth running in America and Canada?

All of our projectors are digitals with TMS control, film has already been phased out.

During this phase, we do not have the NOC system. each complex theatre has 4-5 projectionists.

in US and CA, if there only one manager work in the theatre, when there is an incident, how and who get the problem solve? Are they cancel the show and wait for the technician?

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 05-14-2012, 02:40 AM:

It depends.

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 05-14-2012, 12:54 PM:

To expand a bit on Chris' response, it really depends on how much penny-pinching the executives of a given theater chain are doing. Some full-digital complexes, even with no NOC, have NO projectionists on hand. A few have at least one person for up to 20 screens, and very few have more than one projectionist.

Some, even with the projectionists on hand, still have to rely on a tech to fix downed shows. Really depends on what caused the breakdown. The tech schools offered by the various equipment makers are expensive and few chains or cinemas, if any, can afford to send the entire "projection staff" (if one exists) to the tech schools. I understand from posts on here from Brad and others that a NOC service can remotely fix most problems with little downtime. Only "hard" breakdowns (bulb failure, modules/boards in projectors, dead hard drives in servers) would require a tech visit.

There are no universal answers to your questions though.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 05-14-2012, 02:52 PM:

It also depends on what is meant by a "NOC." Some NOC's like Brad's control practically everything in the operation whereas others simply monitor what's going on and call the local theater that's got projectionists to tell them of something they noticed.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 05-14-2012, 05:49 PM:

Isn't the NOC thing related to the VPF requirements where a cinema that has signed a VPF and/or CBG deal to include NOC monitoring?

Posted by Kaka Mo (Member # 6470) on 05-14-2012, 08:49 PM:

thanks. if you google "Wanda AMC",you will know what will gona happen

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 05-14-2012, 09:10 PM:

quote: Monte L Fullmer
Isn't the NOC thing related to the VPF requirements where a cinema that has signed a VPF and/or CBG deal to include NOC monitoring?

Not necessarily. I used to work for a chain that had (at the time) one fully-automated location with NOC and they used that one before they'd done some of the changes to get VPF money.

So yes, it's required for VPF stuff but having one doesn't mean they're doing a VPF deal.