This is topic Idiots who text at the movies in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 02-01-2009, 07:50 PM:
The Honolulu Star Bulletin had a very interesting article today about idiots who uses their cell phone to text messages during a movie at theatres. Because I do not see too many movies at theatres anymore, I have not noticed this problem before except when there were times when I would see teenagers playing with their phone before the movie starts. I have also at various times would be pissed when some idiots would pop open their phone a couple of times during a movie for a couple of seconds at a time for no reason at all. The article had reported harsh exchange of words between a person who had asked another to turn off his cell phone only to be told to shove it because he had every right to do what he was doing because he paid to be there when he bought a ticket. How serious is this problem at your theeatre and what do you do when it occurs?
-Claude
Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 02-01-2009, 08:03 PM:
The severity of the problem depends on the movie. If it's something that attracts a teen - especially junior high - audience, then it can be a huge problem. I go into the auditorium periodically during the trailers and ask people to put their phones away. Once the movie starts I'll tell people if I can get to them without distracting others, but if they are in the middle of the row there isn't much I can do.
When it's an especially busy show and I have time, I'll usually try to go in the auditorium and make an announcement before the show starts asking people turn off their phones and step into the hall if they need to take a call or send a text message.
There have been a number of times when I've asked people to stop talking or put their phone away and I've gotten the "I paid my money response". They just don't seem to get that they paid to see a movie, not disturb everyone else.
Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 02-01-2009, 08:15 PM:
Once again I'll say that it should be lawful to kill these inconsiderate assholes so that the future will be free of them. On more than a few occasions I have been cheered when I told one of them to turn off the phone or be escorted to the door.
[ 02-02-2009, 11:53 AM: Message edited by: Bill Enos ]
Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 02-01-2009, 09:30 PM:
Don't see that happening much here any more. Not sure why. Maybe all the pre-show "warnings" have actually had an effect on people's behavior.
Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 02-01-2009, 09:51 PM:
It's enough of a problem that "no texting" is specifically addressed in a lot of policy trailers and door notices anymore.
Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-01-2009, 10:22 PM:
I know of a few locations that have signage posted by the house doors to refrain from texting during performances. But, unfortunately, depending on what kind of movie it is (usually something that pertains to the young adult age), a blue glow exists in these houses from all the phones in use and it's hard to contain.
Yet, I know of one indie house where the owner refuses to start the movie is he sees any 'glowing' phones in use.
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 02-01-2009, 10:39 PM:
If I had my way, any person who opens up a phone in a movie theater with a movie in progress should be thrown into a cage with narcotic-crazed gorillas. And if the offender was not ripped limb from limb from that encounter he should just be thrown in front of a speeding locomotive. I think just throwing the stupid jerk out the theater just doesn't seem to send a loud enough message to the many millions of idiot asshole text-o-holics wasting oxygen on planet Earth.
I absolutely HATE people who use cell phones when they should not be doing so. I'd like to line up such people in front of a firing squad. They are that selfishly stupid to deserve such a fate.
Just this week some tool in Utah pleaded guilty to 2 counts of vehicular homicide due to him stupidly texting while driving and then colliding with another vehicle because his hatefully stupid dumb assed eyes were looking at his phone instead of what was in front of him on the road.
I think about that kind of stuff when I see some doofus compulsively clicking around on his phone during a movie. If it was legal, I'd carry an air-powered pellet gun into the auditorium and shoot such morons in the ear when I see anything resembling the brightness of a cellphone display in a dark auditorium. These offenders truly invite violent punishment for their sins against a proper movie-going environment.
Posted by Joe Elliott (Member # 4006) on 02-02-2009, 01:04 AM:
An EMP gun would be nice, highly focused beam of electromagnetic waves that renders their phone completely useless. (of course it would do the same to anyone in a straight line from them to, but its a nice thought.)
Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 02-02-2009, 01:59 AM:
I would favor a low tech approach, but it would involve a large football player type dude to pull it off...
Large football player dude carries a sizeable bucket of water into auditorium, snatching offender's cell phones out of their hands and chucking them into the bucket of water and leaves.
"What? A large fellow did THAT? Oh no, we don't have anyone employed like THAT..."
Yeah. I wish. ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
Posted by Andrew Bangs (Member # 4938) on 02-02-2009, 02:03 AM:
Frankly I would love to see new theatres constructed with built in Cell interference so they get no signal making it easy for them to simply turn the damned device off. No Calls, no text, no Nothing! One of our security guards badly wants permission to bring in a paint ball gun to snipe any idiot with a cell. We have even discussed setting up remote camera operated guns next to the screen so people get the idea.
In Reality we operate on a one warning system. You get one warning the next time we come for you, you are leaving the theatre.
My favorite Idiocy I have seen one more than one ocassion is the two teens sitting next to each other texting one another. ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
Please explain this to me as I just don't get it.
Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 02-02-2009, 02:59 AM:
At least they weren't TALKING to each other!
Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 02-02-2009, 10:06 AM:
By now, most people have "gotten the message" about not talking on a cell phone while at the movies.
But texting continues to be a big problem.
I once missed a motor cue becuase some idiot pulled out a laptop (!) to read e-mail or something right in the middle of a show. My eye couldn't help being drawn to the giant ball of light suddenly illuminating from somewhere in the middle of the theater and I missed the cue.
Fortunataly, I have the privlege of working at several major film festivals every year where a strict "no cell phone" policy is enforced. You don't DARE open a phone or other electronic device anywhere, at any time, in the auditorium.
(Even before the show begins)
Anyone violating the the rule is approached by a very intimidating looking bouncer-guy who politely but firmly reminds them of the policy and escorts them out the door if necessary if they continue to give any problems.
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 02-02-2009, 10:40 AM:
IMHO, there should be a zero tolerance policy. Warren Theaters has started doing that. They have signs posted and information on their web site about the rule. That's enough of a warning. If you're caught messing around with a phone during a show you'll be asked to leave without a refund. Simple as that.
How feasible is it to build an auditorium to where it blocks out any cell phone signals? Does it have to be sort of like a Faraday cage? I guess such a thing could radically increase the construction cost of an auditorium. But such a thing might be worth it if it works as planned. I'd sure advertise the heck out of the feature if I had a theater that was cell phone proof.
Posted by Julio Roberto (Member # 4976) on 02-02-2009, 11:45 AM:
As many of you know, there are plenty of cheap cell phone blocker devices around, but their use is (probably) illegal in many countries.
Still, I have a customer using one in their main auditorium.
They are basically radio transmitters shooting out enough interference to render the whole cell band(s) useless in a range of so-many-meters. About $50-100 work on different bands (i.e. Europe GMS and 3G, USA GMS and CDMA).
Although pbbly illegal for many of us, if properly installed it's not (much) different than being out-of-cell-range, so I don't see much damage caused. Just clearly advertise any use of a cell phone whatsoever inside your theater is not allowed and they should be turned off upon entering your premises.
Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 02-02-2009, 12:20 PM:
Julio just beat me to this point. I hear in the UK they are installing devices to eliminate cell phone signals in the theaters. The FCC has deemed them illegal for use in the US.
Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 02-02-2009, 01:15 PM:
quote: Justin Hamaker
I go into the auditorium periodically during the trailers and ask people to put their phones away. Once the movie starts I'll tell people if I can get to them without distracting others, but if they are in the middle of the row there isn't much I can do.
When it's an especially busy show and I have time, I'll usually try to go in the auditorium and make an announcement before the show starts asking people turn off their phones and step into the hall if they need to take a call or send a text message.
![[thumbsup]](graemlins/thumbsup.gif)
Bravo!
Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 02-02-2009, 02:04 PM:
I cannot understand why it it is illegal in the United States to have cell phone jamming device installed in motion picture theatres. The reason for the FCC ruling might be due to the possibility of a family or medical emergency that might occur. Long before cell phones were invented when I was growing up, I have seen emergency massages flashed on the bottom of the screen for a couple of seconds that read, "Dr. Timothy Johnson, please go to the lobby" or " David Nagamine, please go to the lobby" The manager at the theatre that had alerted doctors and other patrons of a serious situation only did it if he or she felt it was an emergency. . I cannot see why something similar cannot be utilized today because almost every theatre here in Hawaii and possibly your theatre has a slide projector that is used to project advertisments between sHows. I think the FCC ruling is also stupid when theatres are permitted to ask patron to turn their cell phones off when they are in their theatre watching a movie thus defeating the whole purpose of a possible emergency telephone call.
-Claude
Posted by Julio Roberto (Member # 4976) on 02-02-2009, 02:17 PM:
From my point of view, if someone NEEDS to have cell phone coverage for whatever reason (i.e. doctor on call, etc) they should NOT go to a movie theater that clearly advertises their use is forbidden at that time and wait for a moment when they can afford to be out-of-touch for a couple of hours.
The excuse that they need to be connected 24/7 is, from my point of view, not good enough. There is always the choice of not going to the movies.
Also, the jammers don't affect beepers.
Also, the person can exit the theater every 20 minutes or so and check for incoming messages if he wishes.
I can vouch they work quite well. I've only installed one. It was around $75 and covered a large (two floors) classic auditorium, blocking 100% GSM and 3G signals. The range and possition and shielding was fine tuned so that the interference stopped almost exactly at the metal door, so the cell phones can be used just a few steps after coming out of the auditorium or in the lobby. As soon as you step into the auditorium, they go dead.
The owner may install more in the smaller auditoriums if the need arises. People over here don't seem to be as bad with cell phone usage as some in the USA. Flat-payment plans are not as popular as pay-as-you-go here in Spain, so most people have an incentive to NOT use their phone (less use=less €€€).
Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 02-02-2009, 02:42 PM:
At UC Irvine we have a simple policy: A pre-show announcement warning the patrons and students to turn off all cell phones and laptops before the movie starts, and the PROMISE that if anyone turns on a phone or laptop during the show we WILL stop the movie and remove them from the auditorium.
So far I haven't had to stop a show.....
quote: Jim Cassedy
I once missed a motor cue becuase some idiot pulled out a laptop (!) to read e-mail or something right in the middle of a show. My eye couldn't help being drawn to the giant ball of light suddenly illuminating from somewhere in the middle of the theater and I missed the cue.
Shame on you Jim. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Knock on wood, so far I haven't missed a motor cue in over 14 years of changeover projection..but there have been close calls and some mechanical issues that have fouled up some changeovers. (Recently one of my FP-38's decided it didn't want to come up to full speed on a changeover, it hung up at about 14fps until I stopped and restarted it.) There is a bad relay on the inverter drive control logic.
Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 02-02-2009, 03:36 PM:
I agree with Julio. If you are too "important" to be out of contact for two hours or so don't go to a movie - or live theater for that matter - at all.
I think those jamming devices should be legalized and hooked into the automation. When the program starts all signals cease.
Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 02-02-2009, 03:59 PM:
It seems that cell phone jammers wouldn't stop people from being able to open their phones to check their text messages. They'd simply open their phones, which would still be as bright, and fiddle with them a while anyway. They might fiddle with them more trying to make them work.
Last time I went to a movie, I noticed many more cell phones lit up in the auditorium from time to time. The older cell phones had LCD displays that weren't bright and were barely noticeable, but today's phones are miniature computers and have bright screens for checking email and surfing the web. They're much more distracting in an auditorium. The main reason I pull my phone out to look at it is to see what time it is. It's my watch, but doing so doesn't distract anyone since it doesn't require opening the phone and making the display light up. I always silence it before going in.
Posted by Joe Elliott (Member # 4006) on 02-02-2009, 04:18 PM:
They do have Wi-fi blocking paint, and cell phone blocking paint.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/23/rf_proof_paint/
http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2006/03/011723.htm
Just paint the insides of the auditorium only with it so they have to go out into the lobby to get signal. It's not an electronic jamming device, so it should be legal.
Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 02-02-2009, 04:35 PM:
I hear the jammers are illegal here too...doesn't stop one guy I know though.
When quizzed he simply says there's so much concrete around the building that the signal can't get in.
Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-02-2009, 05:30 PM:
(...lol, that paint is probably loaded with lead or kryponite..lol).
Course, you think that any jamming device would be controlled by the management so if an emergency does arise, that the device could be turned off for this sort of situation.
Or, even controlled by the console automation to be off during intermission and on during showtime where if an emergency situation does happen, you know that the show is gonna stop, lights comes up and with show stoppage, the unit will automatically shut down for cel usage . - Monte
Posted by Jonathan Althaus (Member # 5042) on 02-02-2009, 05:39 PM:
During our 7:30 show of Uninvited on friday, I counted 37 phones that were lit up. Incredibly annoying, but when 90% of the people in there are 13-16 yr olds, no one complains. When I went to see Dark Knight in IMAX in Dallas opening day, a manager came in and told us if they saw phones you would be removed without any refund no matter what. Nice to see some places take care of an obviously distracting issue.
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 02-02-2009, 07:36 PM:
quote: Claude S. Ayakawa
Long before cell phones were invented when I was growing up, I have seen emergency massages flashed on the bottom of the screen for a couple of seconds that read, "Dr. Timothy Johnson, please go to the lobby" or " David Nagamine, please go to the lobby"
I certainly don't mean to sound rude, but they had video projectors back then? How did they accomplish this?
Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-02-2009, 07:38 PM:
Prob was an old 4"x5" glass slide projector where one could write information on a blank slide, then shoot that on the screen.
I've done that before in a theatre I used to work at
-Monte
Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 02-02-2009, 08:24 PM:
You are correct, Monte. The Waipahu used to show a different movie every day and for a couple of minutes before the main feature started, the projectionist would show using a glass slide projector, a still movie ad for each day of the coming week. The graphic used on the slides were exactly the same as the the ones used in newspaper advertisments and were in black and white.
-Claude
Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 02-02-2009, 09:35 PM:
Here at the Temple Theatre we had a small stencil cutting machine in the manager's office. A card stock slide could be cut in the office and taken to the booth where we used the old Brenkert lantern slide machine to show the white lettering on the screen.
For Doctor calls, we had a number for each doctor and it was simply flashed in the bottom right corner of the screen without even dimming the picture. Every doctor had a code number and told the box office when entering the theatre so we knew they were there. The manager simply said "page Dr 335" on the booth phone and we flashed the number a few times on the screen.
They didn't have cell phones and pagers in 1950.
The nursery at church has a signaling service for parents. There is a digital number panel upstairs in the sanctuary that shows numbers from the nursery. Each parent has a number for the child so if there is a problem or emergency the parent can be summoned without disturbing others in the service. The modern version of the old theatre number idea.
KEN
[ 02-03-2009, 10:38 AM: Message edited by: Kenneth Wuepper ]
Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-02-2009, 10:09 PM:
quote: Kenneth Wuepper
They didn't have cell phones and pagers in 1950.
....and things were simpler then without any of this scientific gadgetry to enslave and occuy our lives with-to make life easier....You just made do with what you got and lived with it. But, it made you a better person - knew how to respect life.
Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 02-03-2009, 10:53 AM:
I've flashed similar messages using our Brenograph, just write the message on a piece of glass using a black felt marker.
Posted by Todd McCracken (Member # 4718) on 02-03-2009, 12:22 PM:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4355
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7059
This option is always a favorite, and cheap too (may not be legal in your area) ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-03-2009, 12:56 PM:
quote: Monte L Fullmer
....and things were simpler then without any of this scientific gadgetry to enslave and occuy our lives with-to make life easier....You just made do with what you got and lived with it. But, it made you a better person - knew how to respect life.
So in other words you're saying if a doctor uses a pager for emergency messages from a hospital, he/she is a worse person and has less respect for life than one who doesn't use the pager? I call bullshit.
Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 02-03-2009, 02:23 PM:
quote: Chris Slycord
So in other words you're saying if a doctor uses a pager for emergency messages from a hospital, he/she is a worse person and has less respect for life than one who doesn't use the pager? I call bullshit.
He's not saying that at all..it has to do with the fact that technology has enslaved all of us to the point that common courtesy and things like talking in person or writing an actual letter are unheard of.
And as mentioned in another post here, a pager is a LOT less offensive/disruptive than someone texting or yapping on a cell phone.
Very bad choice for an analogy Chris.
Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-04-2009, 01:36 PM:
Common courtesy went away before pagers and texting. I remember someone was angry about cell phone users talking during a movie, then this guy piped up and said that he remembered a guy shooting someone for talking during a showing of Godfather Part II.
And I still don't think my analogy was bad in the sense that his point really has little to do with the technology itself. The technology is just being used as a scapegoat. As I pointed out, people weren't courteous before these technologies and now people have the technologies and aren't courteous.
Also, I was trying to make sure not to say that he was implying that doctors who use pagers are bad people, just he was implying that having to deal without them makes you a better person and so that would imply that if I have a pager/wireless phone I won't become as good a person as when I didn't.
Though he probably didn't mean for it to be taken that way.
Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 02-04-2009, 02:00 PM:
You're right, I had also heard of the "Godfather" shooting..
Now what you said makes sense, thanks for clarifying it.
Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-04-2009, 09:01 PM:
..meant my topic to be taken in a general term - not picking on anybody particular..
It all comes to self control.
If a doc has a cel/pager of sorts, you can safely be assured that he'll use it mainly for business reasons or another - showing maturity. Now, out on the course playing 4 man best ball with his buddies, you know that he's gonna be on that thing almost constantly.
BUT, these people, being succeptable to new toys, will take these new fandangle toys to their advantage to the point they can't live without them - by losing their self control. And this is where the 'supply and demand' syndrome comes into play for the manufacturers know that if they can 'supply' the "drug" some people will 'demand' that "drug" without a hitch.
(course, this can also apply to any manufactured item..I'll let you fill in the blanks on that one..)
Example sake below:
At one of the theatres in our area, one of the supervisors was on that damned thing texting junk every other minute - even during while helping customers.
He broke his unit a month ago and about had horrible withdrawl attacks-never saw a kid so horribly addicted to his 'drug', yet he got a new unit the next day and was having his "fix" being back on the 'drug'. - might as well call them 'binkies' instead of celphones.
He wouldn't listen to his mgr on location rules of no cel usage during work hours due to the fact that he has no respect for the adult atmosphere (sounds familar?) anyway.
It took the corp office to put the kabosh on him-knocked him down to regular employee, but still manages to sneak a text here and there.
I would have fired, or at least indefinite suspension on that kid.
..perfect example being the lack of self control...
Sorry, that is what I meant: the topic of self control.
-Monte
Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-04-2009, 10:28 PM:
You should've asked around about how he got promoted if he doesn't care about the people in authority.
Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-04-2009, 11:51 PM:
Oh, that's easy. Mgr needed a sup real bad to open days..and knew of his addiction to his texting, but kinda let it slide since he was good at his job - both in money handling and booth - but that sup took advantage of the situation of the dependency and eventually became in charge of his own destiny - what he can do and how far he can get away with it.
Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 02-05-2009, 09:23 AM:
So, everyone here that runs or works in a theater that also wants cell phones to be blocked, you have your voice phone number clearly marked on your web site, right?
That way, if someone patronizing your establishment did need to be reached for some reason, the person trying to reach them could call your theater using that publicly available number, reach a human being, and actually get in touch with the person they needed to reach?
If not, don't rail on the people that choose to have the audacity to get out once in a while with the knowledge that they are reachable if they are needed.
This is a completely different issue than disrespectful use of technology, so instead of looking in the back of Popular Mechanics for the gee-whiz cell phone jamming device for $99.99, why not just monitor the auditoriums like a conscientious operator should?
Kudos to those here that set the expectation of respect by all patrons and then have the guts to enforce it!
Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 02-05-2009, 11:01 AM:
quote: Scott Jentsch
So, everyone here that runs or works in a theater that also wants cell phones to be blocked, you have your voice phone number clearly marked on your web site, right?
Yup. Same phone number since 1941.
Up until a few years ago, the doctors and worried mommies would check in with me and let me know where they were sitting. In the rare instances they got a call, I would go get them.
Last night I had someone in the lobby cell phoning someone in the theatre. Go figure.
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 02-05-2009, 12:35 PM:
quote: Scott Jentsch
don't rail on the people that choose to have the audacity to get out once in a while with the knowledge that they are reachable if they are needed.
The problem is far too many cell phone users have different ideas on when it is important enough to talk on the phone or text inside a theater auditorium while the movie is playing. Very very few of these people are responding to anything important at all.
Someone like a doctor who is on call probably shouldn't be isolating himself for 2 hours inside a theater auditorium in the first place. Even if he does go to the theater it shouldn't any problem at all to put that phone on silent/vibrate mode and simply walk out of the theater before pulling the phone out of a pocket to see who called/texted.
Without exception I turn off my phone when I am watching a movie in a theater, eating dinner with a date, sitting at church or attending a funeral. Other events may involve turning off the phone as well.
If any emergency arises while I'm involved with any of those activities chances are all but guaranteed I can't do anything about the emergency anyway. If my house is on fire and I'm watching a movie at the Carmike theater, the house will be totally engulfed in flames and collapsing by the time I drive across town to get there.
A few years ago, I was watching an Austin Powers sequel with Joe Redifer at a Mann multiplex in suburban Denver. I remember the skies storming like hell while driving to the theater. My parents loaned me a mobile phone for emergencies. I left it in my pickup truck. When the movie was finished I found that my father had tried to call 5 times. It turned out a tornado damaged a bunch of buildings just down the road from this movie theater while we were watching the movie. My father was pissed that I didn't answer the phone. I asked him what the hell else I was supposed to do? Run out to the parking lot, get in my truck and try to outrun the storm in Denver traffic? That would be real brilliant.
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-05-2009, 09:32 PM:
He was probably calling you to warn you against getting into a car with that maniac Redifer behind the wheel.
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 02-05-2009, 10:04 PM:
Actually, I was the maniac doing the driving!
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 02-06-2009, 09:33 AM:
quote: Scott Jentsch
That way, if someone patronizing your establishment did need to be reached for some reason, the person trying to reach them could call your theater using that publicly available number, reach a human being, and actually get in touch with the person they needed to reach?
Where is it that we are all given the right to be contacted at any time? I must have missed that part in our constitution.
Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 02-06-2009, 10:39 AM:
quote: Bobby Henderson
Someone like a doctor who is on call probably shouldn't be isolating himself for 2 hours inside a theater auditorium in the first place.
Amen Bob. This is what I say all the time...only not in so nice words! (My typical rant would be "If you're so fucking important you can't be out of contact for two fucking hours stay the fuck home and watch TV!")
Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-06-2009, 12:54 PM:
quote: Bobby Henderson
Someone like a doctor who is on call probably shouldn't be isolating himself for 2 hours inside a theater auditorium in the first place. Even if he does go to the theater it shouldn't any problem at all to put that phone on silent/vibrate mode and simply walk out of the theater before pulling the phone out of a pocket to see who called/texted.
Since the conversation had been about them proposing that we install devices that kill signals, mentioning silent mode wouldn't help.
Also, for a lot of doctors, saying that they shouldn't go out when on-call is impractical since they're never not on-call. For instance, if a woman is giving birth, the OB/GYN they originally hired is required to come in to do the delivery unless something bad happened (and regardless of whether they just spent all night delivering another). So even if they're wanting a few hours to sleep (and not wanting a few hours alone to watch a movie) it's not an option for them.
Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 02-06-2009, 02:29 PM:
I'm always surprised by the perspective that some here take when the cell phone issue comes up. To me, it shows an inability to look outside one's self to realize the perspectives and viewpoints of others.
As a parent, I always give our sitter a number where we can be reached. This is just common sense, and I don't know of any parents that do not do the same. If one of my kids went to the hospital because of an accident of some kind, I sure as hell don't want to find out about it two hours later!
Knowing that the sitter can reach us gives us the peace of mind to enjoy the time we have. Lacking that option, the other choice is not to patronize the establishment in question, which would be the case for any movie theater, restaurant, or other venue that intentionally blocked cell phone signals. Going to a movie just isn't that important, and it's cheaper to stay home or go somewhere else instead.
The real issue is appropriate use of the cell phone while in certain public places. Movie theaters, churches, the ballet, and other like circumstances are all places where phone use should be self-restrained by the user. Phones and pagers vibrate for just such a purpose. Even if I forgot to shut off the ringer on my phone, I certainly would not hold a conversation with someone while in a movie theater or at church. It's just not done by decent people.
The problem is with the people that don't have that same attitude and don't think about what they are doing. If it wasn't cell phone usage, it would be talking during the movie, putting their feet up on the seats, or other rude behavior. Such people are not going to be stopped in their carelessness just because you take one of their toys away.
The real solution is to monitor the behavior of the customers and enforce the policies that are supposed to be there for the enjoyment of everyone. Any theater that chooses to ignore one or both of these points is asking for problems and deserve the decreased business as a result.
My dad worked security at plenty of high school functions when I was growing up. We would always hear stories of kids trying to get away with whatever until they figured out that they were being watched, and if they stepped out of line, they were removed from the dance, football game, or whatever the event happened to be. It didn't take long for the problems to be reduced to just about nothing because they knew they wouldn't get away with it.
Why is this such a hard concept for many theaters to understand? If cell phones and texting are a problem in your theater, do something about it! Take care of the trouble-makers and everyone else will appreciate it. Ignore them, and everyone else will eventually find other things to do with their ticket and concession money.
Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 02-06-2009, 02:58 PM:
quote: Chris Slycord
Also, for a lot of doctors, saying that they shouldn't go out when on-call is impractical since they're never not on-call. For instance, if a woman is giving birth, the OB/GYN they originally hired is required to come in to do the delivery unless something bad happened (and regardless of whether they just spent all night delivering another). So even if they're wanting a few hours to sleep (and not wanting a few hours alone to watch a movie) it's not an option for them.
Chris - expanding that concept we can assume such a person can NEVER take a vacation because they shouldn't be in Europe when Mrs. Muckenfuch goes into labor.
quote: Scott Jentsch
Lacking that option, the other choice is not to patronize the establishment in question, which would be the case for any movie theater, restaurant, or other venue that intentionally blocked cell phone signals.
Exactly Scott. I have two words for you in that case...Home Theater! When my daughter was young and with a sitter we didn't have cell phones so we went to movies together on rare occasions. I would see them through my work and my ex would go with her sister or friends or - if appropriate - we would go as a family with our daughter.
Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-06-2009, 03:17 PM:
quote: Joe Tommassello
Chris - expanding that concept we can assume such a person can NEVER take a vacation because they shouldn't be in Europe when Mrs. Muckenfuch goes into labor.
Bull?
Here's how it goes:
Couple interviews some docs.
She finds one she likes.
He says "By the way, since your due date is [X] I should tell you that I will be out of the country for that whole month. If you want me to be your doctor for your prep work and check-ups that's fine but someone else will have to be hired for the delivery."
Something like that won't really work with the person doing the delivery close to the expected delivery date. The delivery could happen at any time roughly near that due date. So scheduling a couple hours of free time for the doc isn't really reasonable.
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 02-06-2009, 04:13 PM:
quote: Chris Slycord
Also, for a lot of doctors, saying that they shouldn't go out when on-call is impractical since they're never not on-call.
Being on call doesn't give a doctor (or anyone else with an "on call" duty situation) the freedom to do any kind of leisure activity he feels like doing. If he has to have a phone at the ready to answer immediately, he needs to be doing something where taking/making a phone call is easy and immediate. He's not going to be able to do that while white water rafting in an area with poor phone reception.
If a doctor is watching a movie in a theater he has options for being reached without disrupting anyone in the audience.
quote: Scott Jentsch
I'm always surprised by the perspective that some here take when the cell phone issue comes up. To me, it shows an inability to look outside one's self to realize the perspectives and viewpoints of others.
Actually, it's the obsessive compulsive cell phone users who can't bother to consider the perspective of other movie goers by taking/making phone calls and text messages for every little thing inside a dark movie theater.
Every time they fart with that phone they're basically saying their own "important" interests come ahead of everyone else in that room. So it's perfectly acceptable for them to disrupt the show for everyone else. I, for one, am not going to buy that -especially when all they have to do is walk a few steps and screw around with their phone in the lobby.
Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 02-06-2009, 04:23 PM:
Chris -
What if Mrs. M goes two weeks late and Dr. Frankenfurter had a trip planned? Doctors all have associates and one is always on call. Let the on-call Dr. handle it. Odds are she'll still be in labor after the movie or be in labor before the movie starts so if her primary is in town he'll get there in time or skip the movie.
As for Scott and his babysitter...Dude I am all in favor of being in touch. But if your phone starts buzzing in your pocket I don't only not want to hear you answer it in the theater but I don't want the obnoxious glow distracting me either. Buzz, get up and out of the theater, take the phone out of your pocket there. Don't peruse the display at my expense because it MIGHT be a call you want to take. Oh, and sit at the end of the row too...leave the center for those of us who actually are likely to sit through the movie.
The reality is it's usually going to be manner-less kids who are interrupting the show. Professionals - at least those who grew up in a time when good manners were taught - probably are used to excusing themselves quietly to take a message from a pager or the like. God help us though...kids from today's ignorant the-world-revolves-around-me generation are starting to reach the ages where they will be obnoxious self-absorbed adults. You'll be seeing a lot more them soon (at a theater near you!) some talking and texting during a movie...and others shooting them for it!
Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 02-06-2009, 04:39 PM:
Scott -
What I am saying is that as a parent, you are assuming inherent responsibilities. You are making a conscious choice to have kids and then what activities you choose to involve yourself in after having those kids come with varying risks. What you are saying is that you chose to have kids and when you choose to patronize a business, the business is obligated to allow you to be contacted at all times. That just does not make sense to me. Now, it may be in the business's best interest to allow you to be contacted, but if the reduction of customers due to a severe cell phone problem is greater than the reduction of customers due to an inability to use your cell phone in an auditorium, then it should absolutely be the theatre's ability to block cell phones.
I understand your point about monitoring auditoriums, but with the ease and speed of cell phones, you would literally have to have an usher in every auditorium for the entirety of each show. The second your guy turned his back, a sly customer could peek at his or her screen to check on a text message, annoying everyone behind him or her that sees the blue light and unless one of those guests are willing to get up and notify your usher, they get away with it. Come to think of it, you would probably need two or three ushers monitoring the movie the entire time once you got in an auditorium above 300 seats or so. That is a lot of payroll! Texting is easier to get away with than talking, putting your feet on seats, or any other bad behavior you can list. If we were just discussing people talking on their phone like 10 years ago, that would be easier to monitor, but texting is so widespread, screens are so much brighter and so many more people are doing it now, that routine theatre checks are just not going to cut it.
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 02-06-2009, 05:24 PM:
quote: Joe Tommassello
Buzz, get up and out of the theater, take the phone out of your pocket there.
Umm...no. Getting up and leaving the theatre in the middle of a film is distracting and annoying to other patrons (more so if the theatre is crowded and less so if it is nearly empty). It is one thing to do this to take care of bodily functions or to remove a disruptive child, but it is quite another to distract the audience for the purpose of an elective activity such as answering a phone call which might or might not (and probably is not) be for a true emergency.
If I owned a theatre, I would have a "cell phone check" in the lobby that would function like a coat check. Cell phones would not be permitted in the auditorium at all, under any circumstances. If someone truly needed to get in touch with a patron due to a life-or-death situation, he could call the main number and the manager could use his discretion and, if necessary, have the film stopped to alert the patron. Even if this had to happen once or twice per year, it would be less annoying than the ringing phones or text-messaging patrons which seem to be a problem at nearly every presentation now.
The problem with policing the auditorium is that it is reactive; by the time a patron is asked to leave, he would have already disrupted the show.
No one should think that he has a "right" to be disruptive in public, and people who choose to put themselves in the position of "needing" to be available 24/7 need to accept that this choice is not free, and that perhaps they should consider other entertainment options.
Incidentally, I cannot stand people who talk on cell phones in restaurants. If they simply _must_ talk on the phone, they should do so outside of the dining area, but it strikes me as extremely rude that anyone would take or make a telephone call from a restaurant table.
Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-06-2009, 09:20 PM:
quote: Joe Tommassello
What if Mrs. M goes two weeks late and Dr. Frankenfurter had a trip planned? Doctors all have associates and one is always on call. Let the on-call Dr. handle it. Odds are she'll still be in labor after the movie or be in labor before the movie starts so if her primary is in town he'll get there in time or skip the movie.
Just like I mentioned earlier, that would be something that the Doc would be expected to mention up-front. Like he'd say "If you happen to be a couple weeks late, I will not be here and the on-call person will take over."
Though really, if the woman found out that the reason the doc she hired took a long time to arrive was due to the doc being at a movie, that doc would lose referrals big-time.
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-06-2009, 11:04 PM:
Unless they're in a small town (like the one I'm sittin' in), most Docs aren't on call 24/365. They can get a break to go to a freakin' movie.
Our local doc is a regular moviegoer of ours. He owns a cell phone but he does not bring it into the theatre. If he gets a call during a film (it happens probably one out of three times he's here) we take the call in the office and go find him. He always makes sure to sit on the end of a row.
This system has worked ever since I've been here (over 30 years now) with several different docs. All the doc has to do is inform the Phone Answering Person of where he's sitting. Poof, problem solved, audience not disturbed.
DISCLAIMER: I realize this system may be more difficult to implement in a large city with a million different people "on call." But holy crap, how many doctors "on call" would be at the average multiplex on a given evening?
Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-07-2009, 12:01 AM:
quote: Mike Blakesley
Unless they're in a small town (like the one I'm sittin' in), most Docs aren't on call 24/365. They can get a break to go to a freakin' movie.
Non sequitur. I came up with a pretty good example of someone who would, in fact, have a harder time with it.
If you missed it: Depending on the state, OB/GYN's are becoming non-existent because of rising malpractice insurance rates and move to other states. So the ones who do have patients, have a shitload of them. And if you had a patient deliver a baby you must stop whatever you are doing to do that. In fact, this can go so far as to being forced to cancel other people's appointments just to do the delivery per lots of the hospital rules. And if it happens that she goes into labor at any random time you have to go and stay with them the whole time regardless of any "break" you had wanted (including even sleep).
Of course, this is all second-hand information. But I trust the info as my mom now is an RN working in an OB clinic.
But I think I'm through with this.
If you guys want to install Faraday cages or something, be my guest. Treat the symptom rather than the problem all you want. To me, this is like looking at the school shootings of the recent past and concluding that the problem was a lack of metal detectors.
Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 02-08-2009, 01:13 AM:
Please, Chris, tell us all how to cure the problem! You'll be famous!
I have yet to see you offer a solution.
Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-08-2009, 03:48 AM:
quote: Chad Souder
Please, Chris, tell us all how to cure the problem! You'll be famous!
I have yet to see you offer a solution.
I've yet to offer a solution because my "solution" would simply be repeating stuff already said and rehashed by multiple people multiple times.
But since you seem to want my amazingly shocking solution to people texting:
1) Have a policy against texting and/or using phones during showing
2) Inform guests of said policy
3) Kick out offenders
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 02-08-2009, 10:42 AM:
That's pretty much my "solution." Zero tolerance. I'm glad sites like Warren Theaters are instituting such a policy. Obsessive phone users who don't like it can just stay away from the damned theater. Go find some other dark room to go nuts with the clickety clickety phone crap.
Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-08-2009, 11:11 AM:
And if you actually follow up on the policy, people notice and don't even try.
It's no different than at my old theater, the head manager made a big deal about us always checking IDs for R-rated movies like we're supposed to. Later, we heard some kids chatting about wanting to see one of them and one kid said "We shouldn't even bother. They always check for ID."
Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 02-08-2009, 01:17 PM:
There are some very good points in this thread. Cell phone usage is a HUGE pet peeve of mine, so much so that when I'm out at a theater other than my own, I develop a tic upon seeing a cell phone and I literally can't enjoy the movie until it is gone.
I really think the only solution is to throw cell phone users out, again and again, until they stop using them or stop coming. If a show is reasonably busy, or is likely to have a high percentage of idiot teenagers, someone should make an announcement before the show, and make it very clear that it is the only warning they will get. After that, throw them out. At my old theater, when we opened Dark Knight and my GM made the announcement to a filled 300 seat auditorium, the applause was like thunder. This is a good sign and a bad sign. Good, because you can still get a huge crowd that is irritated by this kind of behavior, but bad, because they shouldn't have to know how irritating it is.
Plus, when a customer starts giving you trouble for telling them to put their cell phone away, you can stop being fake polite to them. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 02-08-2009, 02:25 PM:
quote: Chris Slycord
1) Have a policy against texting and/or using phones during showing
2) Inform guests of said policy
3) Kick out offenders
But none of those deal with the problem. The problem is general lack of respect for those around you. Texting is just one symptom of that problem, along with talking, throwing candy, refusing to slide over a seat so that more people may sit together, etc. Cell phones are simply a vehicle by which discourteous behavior is expressed, along with many other things. Your call to solve the problem isn't being answered at all by proactive tactics, such as forming a policy and notifying guests of said policy and certainly not by reactive tactics like kicking out people who have violated a policy. The problem of lack of respect still exists and your suggestion of kicking people out after being caught texting is, like Scott N. said, pointless because by then people have already disturbed the other patrons.
So again, I ask, please offer us all a solution to the problem , not to the symptom.
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-08-2009, 02:27 PM:
With teenagers I have found over the years that embarassment is the key to making them behave. They would rather cut off their arm than be embarassed. So when the cellphone comes out, I swoop down on them with the flashlight and say "Turn your phone off, please." I'm only lighting up their lap of course, but TO THEM it looks like a huge spotlight is shining on them and they cower in humility. They don't usually give any more trouble after that.
Having said that -- it's completely impossible to catch ALL cellphone users. The kids are getting pretty adept at hiding texting phones in their sweatshirt pockets, or holding them sort of sideways or whatever. Education (along with giving an example now and then) is definitely the best defense.
Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-08-2009, 05:37 PM:
Chad,
Telling me that those proactive rules don't fix the problem is like saying that we shouldn't care about laws because they haven't stopped people from committing murder.
Obviously, I don't have some magical solution to make all people respect all others and I highly doubt that anyone else has such a solution. Given that this Utopian solution can never happen, we instead create rules that try to reduce the number of distracting events. And I don't like the "solution" of blocking the phone signals because it punishes the majority for the sins of the minority.
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 02-08-2009, 07:52 PM:
Assuming that the signals can be blocked in a legal manner that does not interfere with other radio signals outside the theatre (e.g. Faraday cage), how does blocking signals "punish" anyone? No one should be using cellular telephones (or beepers or anything else that makes noise and/or lights up) in the theatre. If the signals are blocked, no one should notice.
Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-09-2009, 02:17 AM:
To me, there is nothing wrong with having a phone on vibrate for emergencies even when inside a theater. Then when the pager/phone goes off, they step outside and take their call.
And just to be clear, earlier I had said that using signal blockers is treating the symptom rather than the problem because to me phones aren't the problem and are only a problem when someone uses them in a distracting manner. The problem, to me, is the distraction.
Put it this way:
Would I ask someone to leave if they had a laser pointer? No
Would I if they, instead, were shining it on the screen? You bet
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 02-09-2009, 06:33 AM:
Ah...sorry...missed that. We'll have to disagree on leaving phones on in vibrate mode, however. If one gets up and leaves when it "rings" (vibrates), then that is a distraction. If one does not, then it was useless to allow it to vibrate at all. I agree that "using cell phones in a distracting manner" is the real problem here; where we disagree is that you believe that it is possible to use them in a non-distracting manner and I do not.
If people can't leave life behind for two hours, then they really need to see alternate forms of entertainment, rather than ruining movies/plays/etc. for the rest of us.
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-09-2009, 09:20 AM:
quote: Scott Norwood
We'll have to disagree on leaving phones on in vibrate mode, however. If one gets up and leaves when it "rings" (vibrates), then that is a distraction.
Agreed with Scott. Some people do intend to get out of the theatre, but they don't want their phone to go to voicemail, so they are not only scrambling as fast as they can to get out of their seat, but they're also answering the phone as they are clomping up the aisle toward the exit. The only best behavior is to turn the stupid things off.
Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 02-09-2009, 09:27 AM:
If the problem is the distraction, then you are not solving anything by taking a reactive behavior such as kicking someone out. The distraction has already occurred, then magnified by the usher removing them from the facility. After, all you have succeeded in doing is teaching people to take a quick look around to ensure an usher isn't watching. Like I said before, it is completely unrealistic to station one or more ushers in each auditorium for the entire movie, which would be the only way to properly deter texting. Single screens may be exempt.
I'm with you, Scott. 99.9% of those texting think their text is far more important that it is. If they can't leave it alone for 2 hours, they shouldn't be there. Not too many years ago people weren't allowed to text during movies, because the technology didn't allow it - yet they somehow survived. Texting is purely a privilege that should be able to be revoked. I have a hard time believing attendance would drop if it was blocked. It of course won't ever become legal, but until cell phone screens are incorporated into a monocle, blocking sure would be nice. It would be easy to designate an emergency band for doctors to receive pages to a beeper while other cell phones didn't work. Presumably, if that doctor gets up and leaves, he or she is not coming back anyway, so the rarity and infrequency would be an acceptable compromise.
Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 02-09-2009, 09:41 AM:
I guess we could have a "Check Cell Phones At The Door" policy;>
For those with legitimate needs to be contacted, issue them one of those hockey puck vibrators the mega-chain steakhouses use and [magic technology inserted here] have it linked to their cell phone. Then the only distraction is them getting up to go to the cell phone check in to deal with their call. After awhile, they will either quit bringing their cell phones, or have a separate number for emergencies so they don't have to get up for every stupid call. (or the magic technology can have caller ID and only buzz when certain numbers call).
Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 02-09-2009, 12:03 PM:
Here's a novel idea...How about promoting a plex or a show where talking and texting is welcomed. Where the patrons are expected to put up with other patrons doing it in exchange for having the freedom to do it themselves.
I wonder if that would be a draw.
Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 02-09-2009, 12:08 PM:
Wasn't that part of the original business plan for Michael Jordan Theatres?
Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-09-2009, 12:55 PM:
quote: Chad Souder
If the problem is the distraction, then you are not solving anything by taking a reactive behavior such as kicking someone out. The distraction has already occurred, then magnified by the usher removing them from the facility.
What a dubious argument. Again, saying that a reactive rule does nothing is like saying that laws do nothing because murders still occur.
And you say that kicking someone out solves nothing with respect to the distraction? Umm... it does stop the distraction from continuing.
quote: Scott Norwood
We'll have to disagree on leaving phones on in vibrate mode, however. If one gets up and leaves when it "rings" (vibrates), then that is a distraction.
To me, it's not any more of a distraction than someone getting up to get a refill on their drink or go to the bathroom.
Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 02-09-2009, 04:00 PM:
I agree with Chris on this - if someone has to have their phone vibrate in the event of an emergency...and they are sitting at the end of a row...they are not too much of a disturbance if they exit the theater before revealing their bright glowing screen. Oh, and if it doesn't happen ten times during the film. This would resolve the issue for professionals who might be on call but not obnoxious mannerless kids who seem to get texts every three minutes.
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 02-09-2009, 05:16 PM:
quote: Chris Slycord
To me, it's not any more of a distraction than someone getting up to get a refill on their drink or go to the bathroom.
As Mike mentioned, people are more likely to try to "race" out of the auditorium to answer their phones. Also, even if the level of distraction is the same, allowing cell phones will increase the number of people who get up and disturb others during the film. At least, visits to the concession stand will benefit the theatre owner.
I think that we will have to agree to disagree on this issue, since I don't think that either of us will change his opinion on the subject.
I still say that anyone who cannot be more-or-less "unreachable" for 2-3 hours really shouldn't be going to the movies.
Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 02-12-2009, 06:56 PM:
quote: Chris Slycord
And you say that kicking someone out solves nothing with respect to the distraction? Umm... it does stop the distraction from continuing.
Yes, but again, the distraction has already occurred then magnified. We're going around and around here. Your idea of kicking people out after the fact will not work. It is not working. Yes, it stops that individual from further texting during that movie, but that is all it guarantees. The only long-term effect it has (and I repeat here) is making people look around to see if anyone is watching.
I have to believe the majority of theatre managers don't just sit by and allow texting - yet it is problematic enough to warrant a newspaper article. The reason is (repeating again) it is too difficult to monitor all auditoriums of a multiplex at all times. It would take too much payroll. Texting is not like any other auditorium distraction we have ever experienced and therefore is not likely to be minimalized by any other method we have previously tried. Having a cell phone check or using a blocking device are extremes, but until someone here can recommend a reasonable, feasible solution that has a worthy effect, I hold they would be the best. That being said, neither will ever happen, so it is kind of pointless. We'll just keep warning people and kicking them out and having it distract everyone else.
Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 02-13-2009, 04:24 PM:
I don't think there's an easy solution. Not allowing cell phones and checking people at the door will drive many customers away, and would require a level of search (searching women's purses and all clothing pockets) that customers would find unacceptable. Many people would take the search as a challenge and come up with ways to get them in.
When I go to the movies, I don't want to be contacted once I'm inside the auditorium. However, since I got my phone, I don't wear a watch, so my cell phone is used as my watch more than anything since I get so few calls. I carry it with me, either in a pocket or clipped on my belt and would resent being told I couldn't bring it in. It's always set to silent in the auditorium and I'd never answer it, text on it, or talk on it in there. It can keep track of incoming calls and when I leave, I can see if I missed any (rarely) on the way out. Pulling the phone out and looking at the time displayed on it (using it as a watch) does not require opening it or lighting it up in any way to cause a distraction.
That being said, nobody else seems to think anything of pulling the phones out and opening them (lighting up the bright little screens) during the show. It's become as much of an epidemic as the use of AutoTune on current top 40 music.
Posted by Sally Ann Burgess (Member # 4746) on 02-19-2009, 12:52 AM:
I just lean out of the porthole window (not too far) and shine my torch on whoever is texting. Works every time.
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-19-2009, 09:34 AM:
I had a good one last night. A lady was texting during the movie, so I gave her my standard "Turn off your phone, please...everyone behind you can see it." She proceeded to ignore me, so after a couple of seconds I said "Right now, please." She finally turned it off. Situation over, I thought.
A few minutes later I had to go do a couple of errands so I left for about 30 minutes....came back to find out that the lady had come up to the concession stand and yelled at my employee about how "rude" I was. Then she left and vowed to come back to give me a piece of her mind. Of course, I haven't seen her yet.
Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 02-19-2009, 10:33 AM:
Mike,
I have always found it ironic that so many people are willing to share what they have so little of.
KEN
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 02-19-2009, 12:34 PM:
I think the lady is an out and out coward for blowing her stack at a counter employee who wasn't even involved in the situation.
Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 02-21-2009, 11:58 AM:
Unfortunately they are who received 95% of the complaints and rudeness, while they may only be involved in 2% of the problems.
Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 02-21-2009, 02:03 PM:
As much as being reactive to the problem doesn't actually solve it, we have nothing else. I don't have a cell phone problem at my current theater, but at my old theater, it was a pandemic. Even making announcements beforehand only completely alleviates you of having to give warnings and cuts down on ejected patrons arguing, but it doesn't ease the problem for the customer. The only way it can be effectively prevented (legally) is exerting social pressure on the offenders, and considering how large a percentage the offenders are in some key demographics, that is unlikely to happen.
Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 02-23-2009, 12:15 PM:
What would be illegal about having a cell phone check like Scott mentioned? That would be proactive and in theory 100% effective.
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-23-2009, 01:34 PM:
quote: Chad Souder
What would be illegal about having a cell phone check like Scott mentioned?
It wouldn't be illegal, but it would be an enormous pain in the ass. Even in my small one-screen, on a busy night there might be 100 or more cell phones in the auditorium. The amount of space, time and labor required to "check" all of those phones in and out for each show would be huge. Multiply that by 25 times or more in a busy multiplex and it's easy to see how that just wouldn't work.
Then you'd also have legions of people who couldn't be bothered with "checking" their phone and would use them in the auditorium anyway.
Ultimately that solution would just keep the good people good. The idiots would still be as big a problem as ever.
Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 02-23-2009, 04:49 PM:
A cell phone check, like a coat check, if that's what you mean, would depend on voluntary action, much like compliance to the already existing cell phone rules. A cell phone search would be extremely intrusive, and you wouldn't have many customers after long. Creating interference to block the device is illegal. Those are the only proactive measures I've seen, and none of them are viable. I would really like to see a real solution to the problem, one that can be implemented in a multiplex, but it needs to be legal in more than a few jurisdictions, and can't piss off rule following patrons.
Posted by Hal Smith (Member # 4356) on 02-23-2009, 08:24 PM:
From a movie going point of view I try to catch as many movies as possible on my "want to see" list at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art's Noble Theater. A very good selection of films from current releases to art films. From time to time they have a prerelease test showing, "Chicago" played there months before its limited release.
Kinotron projectors, Dolby Digital, 250 seat auditorium with a very high seating rake...and most importantly...an audience of film buffs, young and old, who don't text, check email, talk, or otherwise ruin the experience for others.
Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 02-24-2009, 10:08 AM:
Not Exactly Off Topic, But. . . .
Student Arrested for Refusing to Stop Texting in Class
A 14-year old girl in Wisconsin, USA has been arrested by the police after she ignored requests from her school teacher to stop sending text messages during a math lesson. She was later charged with disorderly conduct and will appear in court in April.
The police were called by the Wauwatosa East High School, and when confronted by the police she initially denied even owning a mobile phone. However, a search by a female police officer found the phone, concealed in a location more usually reserved for criminals in prisons - namely the "buttocks area".
The unnamed student was issued a criminal citation for disorderly conduct, which carried "a bail of $298," and had her phone confiscated.
The girl was also suspended from the school for a week, but sneaked back into school twice and was cited both times for trespassing.
Speaking to the local news reporter, the girl's father said that he supported the school's actions as his daughter had crossed the line.
"They were more than fair. They gave her a few chances, but for some reason she didn't abide by that," he said.
<sent to me by a friend, so source link is unavailable>
Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 02-24-2009, 10:34 AM:
I understand a cell phone check would make some customers unhappy and would be difficult to implement, but I was simply responding to Galen's statement that the only way it can be effectively prevented legally is social pressure. A cell phone check would be both legal and effective, just not practical.
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 02-24-2009, 11:33 AM:
quote: Mike Blakesley
It wouldn't be illegal, but it would be an enormous pain in the ass.
Not to mention, a phone check would also need methods in place to guard against various pieces of thieving scum lying about which phone belongs to them. I wouldn't put it past certain people to steal another person's overpriced iPhone or at least steal phones to grab personal information out of them -and even mine them for info that could be used in identity theft.
I think a simple, no tolerance policy would work the best. But it would only work if the theater staff has the balls to enforce it. Certain ill-behaved customers would learn pretty quick after they've been bounced out of the theater a time or two.
A lot of people routinely break rules just for the sake of showing how weak the level of enforcement is and laughing at it. The syndrome is a lot like that of a spoiled child who has pussies for parents. The kid acts up, talks back and breaks shit around the house and typically only gets threats of punishment from the parents. So he just turns up the intensity knob on his mischief even higher. Those kinds of brats shape up pretty quick if they have a parent who is consistent and doesn't compromise. My brother and I knew the rules when we were growing up and when we broke any of those rules. There wasn't bluffing warnings of "if you keep doing that you're really going to get it." We simply got the punishment we deserved.
I think about that when I see all these dicks sprawled in movie theater seats with their feet up on the next row's headrests texting feverishly to their friends. A bunch of these people have no sense of discipline and no fear of consequence. All they've seen is all talk no action.
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 02-24-2009, 02:03 PM:
The problem with zero-tolerance policies is that they only deter regular customers. If someone shows up at a theater for the first time and his cell phone rings in the auditorium, he's already disturbed the audience before he can be tossed out.
The "cell phone check" policy could be made to work like a "coat check" at a restaurant. Customer gives phone to attendant and attendant gives him a claim ticket. No claim ticket, no phone. Yes, it would be a pain in the ass. No, it would not stop people from smuggling in their cell phones. It would be better than what 99% or existing theatres are doing at the moment, however. It would also send a message that the theatre in question is concerned about maintaining a distraction-free environment for its patrons.
The real solution to this problem is to redesign the way in which cell phones work, such that theatres, restaurants, and other establishments where cell phone use is not permitted could install a device to broadcast a "cell phone use not permitted" signal. The phones would "listen" for this signal and, if present, would not ring, light up, or allow outgoing or incoming calls (except, perhaps, for 911). Unfortunately, this sort of solution is not really in the interest of the phone manufacturers or service providers. It would also only be effective if every phone supported it and, even then, would take a number of years before existing phones were replaced with newer models.
Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 02-24-2009, 02:09 PM:
Scott, I think your lack of experience with cell phones as a personal accessory is showing...
I don't think anyone with a cell phone is going to voluntarily give it up like at a coat check (I certainly wouldn't!). I could imagine being asked to turn it off (or switch to vibrate) and being required to show them that I was doing so, and state that I understood taking the phone out to check the time or send/receive a text message was not permitted.
Not to mention that 95% of patrons have cell phones, so the labor to deal with this kind of check would be significant.
The real problem is that most people don't understand how annoying the light from a phone can be, and because violations are so frequent, people have come to expect them and tolerate them. It has become almost socially acceptable.
--jhawk
Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 02-24-2009, 02:58 PM:
I'd be curious to learn just how many complaints you folks on the ground level actually receive. As stated above, cell phone use in theaters has almost reached social acceptability. Therefore, I wonder if it is largely a perceived problem by us that the audience is upset by cell phone distractions, but that actually it is not really much of an issue for them.
On the suggestion of theaters broadcasting a cell interruption signal; if it were legal to do so I think it would be much more efficient for the signal to simply cause the phone to turn itself off.
---Rick
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-24-2009, 05:49 PM:
A little late here, but the customer I referred to in my last post came back to chew me out. Three days later! So she must have been really mad.
She accused me of humiliating her by "yelling" at her in front of the whole crowd. (I didn't yell.) Then she said she was "checking on her daughter who just had surgery." I said, "You just need to go to the lobby to do that - we don't allow phone use in the auditorium." This went round and round a few times as I reminded her that she was disturbing everyone else in the theatre with her phone.
She finally said "If you humiliate me again there will be action taken." I said, "You can make all the threats you want, it still doesn't change our rules." Then she went into the "You can't tell me what to do" phase, and finally I said "This is my privately owned building so I get to make the rules, and our rule here is 'no cell phone use in the auditorium.'"
She wrapped it up with "Just don't humiliate me any more," and I said "If you don't turn on your phone in the auditorium, I won't."
In the end I think she left still not getting it.
Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 02-24-2009, 06:05 PM:
Funny but usual case of someone getting caught red handed by not reading the rules and, to save face and their pride, blame someone else for them getting caught.
I bet when she's whizzing doing 90mph between Billings and your theatre on I-94, wonder how may times she's tried to wiggle out of a speeding tix with the state trooper.
Some people just have to be RIGHT all the time, thus figures they don't have to listen ... and she's no exception.
Sorry it had to happen to you, but guess you have to expect it.
-monte
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-24-2009, 06:26 PM:
quote: Monte L Fullmer
I bet when she's whizzing doing 90mph between Billings and your theatre on I-94, wonder how may times she's tried to wiggle out of a speeding tix with the state trooper.
Fuuny you should mention that. At one point in our little debate she said, "There was a guy next to me using his cellphone; why didn't you yell at HIM?" And I said, "I didn't catch him...it's like speeding on the highway; lots of people do it but you don't get a ticket unless you get caught."
Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 02-24-2009, 08:16 PM:
quote: Rick Raskin
I'd be curious to learn just how many complaints you folks on the ground level actually receive.
None that I can remember. It's like people talking or the film out of focus, most of the audience just sits and takes it. Or assume I'm in their all of the time. I've certainly talked to regulars one on one who will complain about it happening, they just don't do it in real time. So it just becomes another little irritant to keep them from going to the movies.
Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 02-25-2009, 10:44 AM:
quote: Rick Raskin
I'd be curious to learn just how many complaints you folks on the ground level actually receive.
I'd be curious if anyone here has taken the opportunity to monitor the situation for themselves in their theaters for a week to see what, if any, problems are happening in their theaters.
I think a concerted effort by a theater to assess the situation, take whatever measures they feel necessary to inform and enforce, and then re-assess the situation, would be successful and would be welcomed by a majority of patrons.
I don't think the disruption of a theater manager throwing someone out for using a cell phone would be objectionable to a majority of people because they know that the theater is trying to do something about the problem. The hope would be that such disruptions will decrease over time as everyone gets the hint that such behavior will not be tolerated.
One personal experience that I would like to convey about having to use a cell phone in a theater happened in the past two weeks. My mother-in-law was very sick with the ending stages of terminal cancer and the family had gathered at her home to be there with her. I had taken my two young girls up to my brother's house so that they wouldn't have to be there, but due to some scheduling conflicts, I needed to pick them up. On the way back to my in-laws' house, my wife called and said that I shouldn't bring the kids back to the house because of the activity that was going on there.
The area that we were in had very little as far as options for occupying two kids for a couple of hours, so I chose to take them to see a movie. Near the end of the movie, I did get a call from my wife, but I had the phone on vibrate and I went to the hallway exit area to speak with her (while needing to keep an eye on my girls). The call was short, and we were on the end of the aisle, so the disruption was no more than what there would be for someone going to the bathroom or getting concessions. This was a kids movie, so I don't think that my actions were any less distracting than the 3 year old from behind us who was walking up and down the stairs through the whole movie.
Perhaps I could have chosen a different activity, but my options were limited. I felt that going to see a kids' movie would provide them with a distraction (the oldest knew what was going on), and the audience at such a movie would be more forgiving than if we were seeing an adult-oriented movie.
As a result, the theater received $25 worth of ticket and concession revenue (one adult and two children, for a matinee -- ouch!). If a manager had approached me about using my cell phone in the exit hallway, I would have explained my situation and told him that I would be willing to leave if they felt it was too disruptive to other patrons. I took great care to avoid that, but I would have respected their position as well.
I don't think what I did was wrong, but I'm sure that some here do. I bring this up to throw some water on the discussion about zero-tolerance and blocking cell phone signals and such.
I think a theater manager needs to exercise good judgement with his/her customers so that overall, everyone has a positive experience at his/her theater. That good judgement requires a personal level of interaction that I think is missing in far too many theaters these days, and some of the results of which are the problems that are being discussed in this thread.
Good judgement will immediately recognize the difference between an adult getting an important phone call once during a movie, and a teenager with his feet up, texting, talking, and otherwise disturbing other patrons. You will know which people will give you trouble as they file into the theater, and just by making eye contact with them as they enter, you'll reduce the issues proactively.
I encourage all theater managers to try the assess - inform/enforce - re-assess process and report back here your experiences.
Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 02-25-2009, 11:16 AM:
Scott, in that (pretty unique) situation, if I thought your phone use may pose a disruption, I would probably have offered to supervise the children for a moment while you went out. I think omnipresent cell phones and their use are a plague on mankind, but not all cell phone use is made equal. If such extenuating circumstances exist, it is the responsibility of the patron to act in such a way as falls in line with the rules and norms of the theater, or make every effort, or else face the same punishment. But also, theaters and employees must understand that a human touch is a necessary part of their business, and judging situations on their own merits is part of the game.
Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 02-25-2009, 11:41 AM:
It's not reasonable to expect patrons to complain about this. They understand that there is very little that the theater staff can do.
By the time you left the room and got someone and returned, the person would likely have stopped. I mean, even in our theatre, I often have trouble finding the person with the cell phone because the light goes out before I can make it to the right row. And that's when I was watching in the room the whole time.
--jhawk
Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 02-25-2009, 01:10 PM:
quote: John Hawkinson
I mean, even in our theatre, I often have trouble finding the person with the cell phone because the light goes out before I can make it to the right row. And that's when I was watching in the room the whole time.
Yes, exactly, thank you for supporting the point I was trying to make earlier about how reactive measures just do not work. Even with someone watching the whole time, in every auditorium, it happens so quickly you just may not get there in time.
I experienced the same thing several times during the weekend opening Friday the 13th. No tolerance, kicking people out after the fact, whatever you want to call it, it does not work. It has nothing to do with "the balls of the staff". If you can't catch people, the balls never get called into question.
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-25-2009, 01:35 PM:
I walk the auditorium a few times during most shows and I'll stand in the back quite a bit too. To be honest I'm probably more bothered by cell-phoners than the other people in the audience are because of my vantage point. I expect it goes on more than I'm aware of, but we get virtually no complaints about it and I do stop it when I see it.
Most teens are getting very good at holding their phone sort of sideways in their lap while texting. That way nobody can see it except maybe the person next to them (usually another teen so there's no harm). But I'm standing in the back, or walking down the aisle and I see the "glow" and swoop down on the offender. So my approach is to make it quick and polite (My standard line is a simple "Turn your phone off, please") and get out of there ASAP, so as to not disturb the movie for the rest of the crowd.
My wife and I watch movies with the audience quite often and I can't say I ever notice much (if any) texting going on from the vantage point of the seat where I'm sitting.
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 02-25-2009, 02:17 PM:
I can appreciate Scott's situation, but the unfortunate reality is that most filmgoers seem to dislike distractions during a film presentation, and it is the responsibility of exhibitors to minimize these distractions. If a no-cell-phone policy serves this purpose, then I think that it has merit.
jhawk also makes a reasonable point--for those who don't know me, I should point out that I don't have a cell phone and don't particularly like them. I realize that they serve a useful purpose for many people, but I am sick of having my filmgoing experiences disrupted by glowing blue things and bizarre ringtones in the audience.
I certainly hope that cell phone use does not become socially acceptable in movie theatres. I've run Spanish-language films for groups who consider talking to be acceptable behavior in theatres. They don't seem to be bothered by it (and prefer that the sound be turned up very loud to compensate), but this sort of thing would make me want to stay home and buy a big HDTV.
Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 02-25-2009, 11:54 PM:
Chad, no one is saying the current situation is ideal. What I, at least, am saying is that I haven't seen a viable proactive measure. Unless I've missed some suggestion in here, I have detailed why none of these ideas will work. The phone check idea is voluntary and thus won't work, the searches are insanely intrusive and labor intensive and won't work, and interfering with the device is illegal, at least in the United States, where most members here live and work.
Although, I suppose you could flood the theater with blinding light so they can't see the screens of their phones.
Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 02-26-2009, 01:14 AM:
Well, some kinds of interference are legal.
For instance, you can probably monitor the phones' communication with cell towers and get their ESNs. Once you have their ESNs, you magically convert them to phone numbers (not sure how you do that).
Then, you could make the phones ring continuously until they were turned off. I think this would be legal and would probably work.
--jhawk
Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 02-26-2009, 07:31 AM:
"Once you have their ESNs, you magically convert them to phone numbers (not sure how you do that)."
You would probably need access to the cell providers database to cross reference ESN to TN. That would require inside access or some expert social engineering.
I also think there would be legal issues because of intercepting telecommunications traffic and using it for your own purpose.
---Rick
Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 02-26-2009, 08:09 AM:
I did say "magically" for a reason. Though I bet there are people you can buy a realtime database feed from...
I think we can say with confidence that there's no case law on this issue, so if you're careful, you can probably make it work.
--jhawk
Posted by Hal Smith (Member # 4356) on 02-26-2009, 09:08 AM:
Block cellphones? Cellphone check?
I'll bet that in any sizeable audience there are at least one or two paying patrons who are on 24/7 call. Doctors, radio and television engineers, law enforcement officers, and others with responsibilities that stay with them wherever they go.
Encouraging patrons to put their phones in vibrate mode and taking any calls out in the hall or lobby is fair to them.
I do like the idea of shining a flashlight on texting and email checking offenders, buy a Surefire and snoot it down to a pin spot and you've got an ideal weapon.
Posted by Lyle Romer (Member # 1266) on 02-26-2009, 09:11 AM:
The only way you could possibly monitor the communication with the tower would be to have a receiver that receives on the cell phone transmit frequency. This would have to be home built because the only one's that exist are the base radios in the towers and the test equipment used by Nokia, Motorola, etc. to test the phones during development or in the factory.
There wouldn't be much point because even if you sniffed the ESN you wouldn't be able to do anything with it. You would need access to the system real time if you did get somebody to give you the database. After initial registration with the system, the phone is assigned a temporary "ESN" (I can't remember the correct acronym). This can be changed by the system.
The best solution to this problem would be for the FCC to license a precision controlled small area jamming system. With directional antennas a system could easily be designed that Jams cell phones in an auditorium but doesn't create noise more than a few feet past the auditorium walls. They could require a registration and licensing system similar to gun licensing. The manufacturer would only be allowed to install the specific serial number system where it is authorized.
Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 02-26-2009, 09:15 AM:
Nothing surprises me any more. I still think that cell phone use in theaters sucks. That, and talking are the primary reasons I rarely go out to the movies. I do think however, that the majority of theater goers have come to accept that which I abhor.
---Rick
Posted by Joe Elliott (Member # 4006) on 03-11-2009, 03:17 PM:
People can also take matters in their own hands. Want to watch your movie undisturbed? Check out this device.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4355
edited for spelling and to add:
That place also sells 20mw lasers, for when you really want to get peoples attention, . . . and set them on fire. (not available in the US)
Posted by Joshua Haney (Member # 5164) on 03-15-2009, 11:48 AM:
Thats funny I noticed someone said they counted quite a few cell phones in "The uninvited" well last night I was starting the movie and noticed the same thing so I stepped away sent a text to our security guard and he went in and got everyone :-) I looked in periodically and guess what no cell phones whatsoever.
Posted by Greg Haas (Member # 1804) on 04-09-2009, 02:37 PM:
Topic hashed and rehashed and fried up good. but thought I'd add a little something to the spice.
We have to know our audience at least a little. We have to be flexible human beings. Just like we're asking the teenieboppers to be (they need to learn, nobody's taught them yet, apparently).
As manager I teach my employees things. I also teach many of my patrons things. One of my favorite lines when asking groups of middle-schoolers is to say something like, "and please remember, this is not a school, it is a theater so we need to be quiet and treat each other nicely."
But I also wanted to bring up small communities' Volunteer Firefighters. We have a couple that try to support us at the ticket booth and the concession stand. There have been times when I've handed them movie passes because they had to leave the movie to fight a fire. They had to do that *while the rest of us lounged about in Air Conditioned Luxury*. They were notified of the need by radio. A little distracting for the audience. But worth it. They fight the fires so we can keep watching the movie.
That being said, I ask at least two or three people every day to turn off their phone or use it in the lobby.
And I also pay monthly bills to have unlimited texting on my cellphone. I communicate with more than half of my employees via text.
Just all food for thought, I guess.
Not unreasonable to allow cellphones in Theaters. Also not unreasonable to expect/ask people to not take advantage of it.
It really is part of the job. Not my favorite part, for sure. But phone, talking, texting, whatever, we have obligations to all our patrons. If they really need to do those things we provide places for them to do it. They just need to be edumacated. Mostly.
Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 04-19-2009, 02:24 AM:
Tonight when I asked a girl to put her cell phone away, she actually asked me to point out where it says "No Text Messaging". She was prepared to argue the point with me that since our slides only ask people to silence their cell phone, there was nothing wrong with her texting.
While I almost threw her out by the ear for arguing the point, I'm not sure whether to be pissed off or give her credit for using that degree of critical thinking. Either way, it's apparent the intent of the message was lost on her.
Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 04-19-2009, 04:00 AM:
Seems like we have to keep our policies ahead of the technology curve; when we first ordered those "Please turn off your cell phone" snipes, there was no such thing as texting....just "voicing." I guess we have to get a new set of snipes to thwart smart-ass customers like you encountered.
Posted by Thomas Pitt (Member # 4322) on 04-25-2009, 03:32 PM:
UK cinemas have had Orange adverts in the 'gold spot' for quite a while now. Most of these take the form of an actor proposing a new movie to Orange (for funding), and Orange make all sorts of phone-related changes to the storyline. The advert ends with a message "Don't let a mobile phone ruin your movie. Please switch it off"
Cineworld has a kind of policy trailer that runs between the commercials and trailers, saying things like "Please don't add your own sound effects". VUE often has a pre-show slide saying "Turn off your phone before we turn on the film".
The general message with these policy trailers seems to be "Switch off the phone" - not put it on silent, or leave it hoping people don't call, so it would apply to texting as well.
The problem with texting at the movies isn't so much the noise, but the sudden bright light emanating from somewhere in the audience as the phone screen lights up. If you're sitting a few rows behind the person who's texting, this can get very distracting!
That said though, the only foolproof way to stop people texting at the movies would be to force them to hand in their cellphones as they go into the auditorium, giving them back at the end. That would be rather difficult to implement, though...
Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 04-25-2009, 11:06 PM:
quote: Thomas Pitt
UK cinemas have had Orange adverts in the 'gold spot' for quite a while now. Most of these take the form of an actor proposing a new movie to Orange (for funding), and Orange make all sorts of phone-related changes to the storyline. The advert ends with a message "Don't let a mobile phone ruin your movie. Please switch it off"
That's pretty much identical to a set of ads here for Sprint. They end it with "It takes many calls to make one, but only one call to ruin a movie" followed by a blurb to not use them or text during the movie.
Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 04-25-2009, 11:18 PM:
I texted all throughout Seven Pounds. IT's the only thing that kept me awake (was forced to see it w my bro and his family). So texting is a great thing, I think.
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-25-2009, 11:39 PM:
What about the people in the theater who are actually trying to watch the movie? The bright display from that mobile phone is a distraction.
If I'm watching a movie and I find it to be pretty crappy, I'm still not going to disrupt the show for other people who may actually be enjoying it. If the movie is especially excruciating to watch I'll simply get up, leave and perhaps try to think of some excuse to get a refund.
![[joe]](graemlins/joe.gif)
is pretty good at securing refunds. We walked out of The Wicker Man because the theater's sound quality was pretty terrible. Nice place, but someone had some EQ work to do. As bad as that movie turned out to be, I'm thankful we left early.
Obviously, mobile phone companies really need to develop low brightness modes for phones so people can text in dark rooms without their activity being equal to someone turning on a flash light. I'm sure someone could come up with an iPhone application pretty fast for such a thing. But every new phone needs such a mode.
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 04-26-2009, 12:32 AM:
As common as the problem of phones-in-theatres is, I'm amazed the companies haven't created a "theatre mode" for phones where it uses gray-text-on-black, or something.
Of course the reason is: They wouldn't make any money on it.
We used to sell cellphones at my day job. When Cellular One was promoting the crap out of their phone games, but the signal in this area sucked, I complained about it to our area rep. I said, why don't they quit screwing around with the games and improve the service? He said, we make a hell of a lot of money on those games. So we stopped selling their stupid phones at the store, and my wife switched carriers. ![[fu]](graemlins/fu.gif)
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