Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: MRS. PETTIGREW

This is topic MRS. PETTIGREW - Limited Trailer Policy? in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 03-30-2008, 03:10 PM:

We saw MRS. PETTIGREW this morning and there was only 1 trailer (THE VISITOR) shown. Usually, we can expect 4-5 trailers before the picture starts, so this came as quite a surprise. Is there some rule when booking this feature about limited trailers or did AMC just get lazy and not put any on this film?

All of the normal AMC policies were in place.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 03-30-2008, 03:21 PM:

The theater may not have had anything in stock appropriate for that movie, or they may simply not have had any trailers in that format! Lately I have come across a serious shortage of flat trailers, such that the programming is pretty much based on whoever sends us flat trailers...those are the ones that get played. I have 18 gazillion scope trailers sitting there, but usually less than 10 flat ones. (For some reason every scope movie that comes in has 10+ scope trailers in the can, but every flat movie that comes in doesn't have more than 2 flat trailers in the can.)

Does anyone have some phone numbers or email addresses I can use to get a hold of the studio people who handle trailers to tell them to ship out some freakin' flat trailers???

Posted by Scott McGuire (Member # 4508) on 03-30-2008, 07:44 PM:

I remember my dad saying that they used to add enough black leader between trailers and the feature to allow time for a lens change if the two were in different formats. would that not work any more?

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 03-30-2008, 09:05 PM:

So you are suggesting we run scope trailers, then watch as the screen gets almost half the size for the flat feature??? Ummmm, I don't think so.

Posted by Scott McGuire (Member # 4508) on 03-30-2008, 09:30 PM:

Didn't think of that, it would look pretty tacky. No trailer is deffinatly a better idea.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 03-31-2008, 08:55 AM:

If you had constant-width, it'd get bigger.

[evil]

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 03-31-2008, 10:43 AM:

Constant-width screens are a stupid design both aesthetically and technically. I will have nothing to do with them.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 03-31-2008, 12:33 PM:

I was kidding.

Posted by Thomas Pitt (Member # 4322) on 03-31-2008, 04:31 PM:

What about using a 3-lens turret with the 3rd lens projecting the scope trailers in letterbox format on the flat-size screen? Then you could just change over to the normal flat lens for the feature.

In the UK, as I'm sure I've mentioned before, 99% of adverts and trailers are supplied in the flat format. If anything, the advert and trailer reel runs in flat, then the lens/masking changes over to scope for the movie.
The only time I've ever seen a scope advert is at Cineworld Sheffield - the Orange Gold Spot advert is often in scope if the movie is as well.

I'm sure most patrons wouldn't be too concerned about the scope screen changing over to flat for the movie, even if it is fixed-height. I certainly wouldn't like it though [Wink]

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 03-31-2008, 11:37 PM:

quote: Thomas Pitt
What about using a 3-lens turret with the 3rd lens projecting the scope trailers in letterbox format on the flat-size screen? Then you could just change over to the normal flat lens for the feature.

Waste of money. You're paying for fixing a problem with the film studio not sending you the correct product. And hell, at that point what if they stop sending scope trailers? Would you then buy a 4th lens and quad-turret/aperture?

If they want a movie advertised, it's their responsibility to send out the necessary trailers.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 04-01-2008, 10:33 AM:

Here in the "sticks," it is common to only get trailers in one format or the other. I've had plenty of occasion to switch from scope trailers to a flat feature, but I always try to do it in "steps" by arranging the trailers as follows (keeping in mind that I don't always have every type of trailer in this list):

1. Regular Scope trailer(s)
2. Pillarboxed scope trailer(s)
3. Regular Flat trailer(s)
4. Flat trailers of Scope films that are letterboxed

That way the picture might actually get bigger when the flat feature starts!

As for refusing to advertise a film because the studio didn't get me the right format trailer, that's just cutting my own throat. Got too many bills to pay to do that.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-01-2008, 10:42 AM:

Well, I have considered filing a special scope plate to the flat masking just for this purpose, but that can only be done with the Kinoton locations and it might cut off titles, which would look bad.

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 04-01-2008, 12:56 PM:

Does that location normally show digital movies? Since our theatre went all digital we don't recieve any 35mm trailers. The only way to get trailers on the occasional 35mm release is to hope something comes in the can. If the print is of a limited run film this isn't very likely to happen.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-01-2008, 02:05 PM:

100% film.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 04-01-2008, 02:20 PM:

We are playing Miss Pedigrew this week.
Both my IME scoreboard and the data from our booking department state the movie is in the scope format, not flat.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 04-01-2008, 02:49 PM:

Yeah you're right; it's definitely scope.

But still Brad's original point stands that perhaps they didn't get the trailers they needed.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 04-02-2008, 12:05 AM:

We often have trouble programming trailers for the limited-release titles. G-Rated titles are another challenge. There are too few options for both, really.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 04-02-2008, 10:30 AM:

As a single screen art house in the stix, getting flat trailers for our films is increasingly difficult. I only order flat trailers, and only show trailers for films I have booked. As I book the films and order the material I may have a slight edge on those whose booking is centralized. But since we usually show films a few months after the original limited release, sometimes there are no trailers of any sort available. Oftimes the distribs blow their whole trailer wad on the opening release so there is nothing left for those of us down the food chain.

I did manage to get a Flat Miss Pettigrew trailer, so the do exist