Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Preview Trailers and commercials on United 93

This is topic Preview Trailers and commercials on United 93 in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Michael Gonzalez (Member # 593) on 04-25-2006, 04:02 PM:

Am I the only one who feels a little uncomfortable putting previews (like say MI:3) in front of this movie (let alone commercials)? Considering the seriousness and subject matter, it just doesn't seem that appropriate.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 04-25-2006, 04:39 PM:

If I have a "serious" movie like that, or something that's very unusual and I want a dramatic opening, I'll put the regular trailers on as normal, followed by the sound tag (if necessary), and then I'll put about 25 feet or so of "black" film at the head of the feature and put the lights-down cue just at the beginning of that black film, and set the lights-down to a fairly slow speed. That way I get a nice dramatic fade to darkness and then the movie starts. It's one of the many things I doubt the public notices but I like it and think it adds a little to the magic.

Posted by Wayne Keyser (Member # 2420) on 04-25-2006, 04:46 PM:

Excellent idea, Mike. Genuine showmanship.

Considering that the view of the general public vary from "sacrilege!" to "gosh those brave people deserve a tribute," who's to say how viewers will react to whatever's advertised ahead of that film?

Will what's advertised come as a relief? ("You saw the film, now it's Miller time") or an insult ("Fly USAir on your vacation") or just incredibly crass and tawdry ("Before you view this story of doomed American heroes, buy a car from us!")???

I speak as one whose son was in school about a mile from the Pentagon that day, but I hadn't recovered from a recent stroke and so was unable to drive to get him outa there.

If it were my choice (if YOU have any choice), I'd vote to eliminate the "extras" for this one. What did they do for "Passion of the Christ" (I never saw it)?? {"Before you watch Jesus get tortured to death, visit our snack bar")

Okay, I'm going to hell for this, but ... "Before you watch 'United 93', here's a trailer for 'Snakes on a Plane.'"

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 04-25-2006, 05:13 PM:

As long as they aren't distasteful ads and trailers are fine in my opinion.

Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 04-25-2006, 06:10 PM:

Screenvision sent out a fax stating that they were not going to place rolling stock ads in front of United 93.

Don't know what the digital preshow theatres will do.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 04-25-2006, 06:47 PM:

quote: Wayne Keyser
What did they do for "Passion of the Christ" (I never saw it)?? {"Before you watch Jesus get tortured to death, visit our snack bar")

We didn't run anything at all before "Passion." I started the movie 5 minutes after the advertised start time to allow for idiot latecomers.

The only other time we've run "nothing" before the feature was when we played "The Ten Commandments" in 1990. I'm tempted to do the same for "93" (if in fact we end up playing it.)

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 04-25-2006, 07:25 PM:

Nothing ran in front of "Schindler's List" when it played here in Eugene.

Posted by Joseph Pandolfi (Member # 223) on 04-25-2006, 08:00 PM:

We did not run anything on "The Passion" Just our manditory emergency exit (required by the State of Conn.) trailer and the movie. We started the show 2-3 minutes after the scheduled start times.

Posted by Andy Muirhead (Member # 712) on 04-27-2006, 05:44 PM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
It's one of the many things I doubt the public notices but I like it and think it adds a little to the magic.

Absolutely Mike, I like to think little touches like this are what seperates Projectionists from the people who are employed to run projectors.

Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 04-28-2006, 09:48 AM:

The problem I see with leaving trailers off completely is that you do set a precedent for other "serious" movies. Did you leave trailers off Hotel Rwanda, Amistad, and Pearl Harbor? What about Crash or Saving Private Ryan? Will you also leave them off Oliver Stone's World Trade Center? If you have a special group show, for which they have requested the trailers be omitted, that is one thing. Otherwise, I think you have to be very careful about deciding for your audience which movies are too deep for previews and which are not. I like Mike's idea of the extended pause before the feature, but I think that trailers should run on everything.

Posted by Cory Isemann (Member # 2517) on 04-28-2006, 09:56 AM:

Can't the studios make the call to not show trailers?

We won't be showing trailers, but the digital preshow will run normally.

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 04-28-2006, 12:32 PM:

'The Breaku Up' is a attached. Good call, Universal [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Mike Schindler (Member # 1309) on 04-28-2006, 01:14 PM:

The "When in Hollywood..." thing that's on the end of every other Universal movie is not on this one. That brings up a question that I've had for years. Was it on SCHINDLER'S LIST?

As for whether or not trailers should be on this, my feeling is that a movie's a movie. This one's no better or worse than any other movie. It may seem less abstract than most movies since the events occurred so recently, but as others have mentioned, where do you draw the line?

Posted by Jeremy Jorgenson (Member # 2989) on 04-28-2006, 05:33 PM:

No screenvision for us either (per corporate) but all the rest is the same as any other film we show.

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 04-28-2006, 07:42 PM:

quote:
'The Break Up' is a attached. Good call, Universal .

My thoughts exactly. That's why I pulled that trailer from the print: It had no place being there.

-Aaron

Posted by Ross Oba (Member # 3433) on 04-29-2006, 02:04 AM:

Universal should have attached something about donating to the Flight 93 memorial fund or something more appropriate.