Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Film Security for sneak previews!

This is topic Film Security for sneak previews! in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Paul Gordon (Member # 3320) on 03-13-2009, 08:32 AM:

We had a sneak preview last night of "I love you man" and Paramount had hired 5 security dudes to watch the theatre and patrons, make sure no one took pictures with their cell phones etc... they even had night vision goggles. Plus one guy had to stand in the projection booth the whole time watching the projectionist. These kind of actions make your staff and theatre feel like criminals! has anyone else had to deal with this?

Posted by David Zylstra (Member # 4230) on 03-13-2009, 10:08 AM:

Happens all the time here. I would say almost every sneak we do gets at least 1 guard hired to visually check everyone for video cameras, then depending on studio or title it could get as extreme as your event was.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 03-13-2009, 10:22 AM:

My favorite story about this was an advance show of "American Teen" (not exactly a hot item for film pirates).

This was a festival screening on HDCAM. The festival had received the tape a week or so earlier, yet Paramount made very clear that they would be sending a courier to pick up the tape immediately after the screening. They also sent security guards with night-vision goggles into the theatre during the show.

The best part with the following call to the booth:

festival volunteer: "the security guard wants to know if the format is 35mm or Imax" (note that this is a normal-looking 5-screen multiplex, and clearly not an Imax house)

me: "neither, it is on videotape"

festival volunteer: "OK, then they won't need to send a security guard into the booth"

[Confused]

Never mind that if I were going to pirate this thing, I would have done so well in advance of the screening.

Actually, it's illegal in Massachusetts for anyone other than "operators, managers, and assistants employeed therein" to enter a projection booth, so that should have been enough to keep the guards away.

And, yes, the courier guy did show up right on time to collect the tape.

Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 03-13-2009, 10:57 AM:

Jurassic Park 2 - they had the print flown in with a guard who remained in the booth while I built it and broke it down...and in the theater while it ran. I was not allowed in the theater...but I could watch through the port.

Titanic - I was smarter this time. Since I worked two jobs in November of '97 - full-time video marketing and part-time projectionist - I asked my supervisor Jim Foerst (who is a member here) to handle the work on this print while a co-worker from the other job (Dave DiPietro - our Paramount Brand Manager) arranged with the PAR publicity dept in NY to let me watch - a decision that had to go through many offices and only came down at the 11th hour. Guards again but I was on the list - me, Dave and the chain's District Manager. We were the only three allowed. Hard to understand not a single booking agent showed up but maybe there was another show in the state.

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 03-13-2009, 11:18 AM:

I work a lot of previews and film festivals.
Such high security is not exceptionally unusual.

While I've never had anyone actually stand there and WATCH
me run a print I've had shows where only myself and one other
person were allowed in the booth & they checked both our ID's.

These guys looked like retired no-nonsense cops or FBI agents.

Before the show they made sure I had no cameras hidden
in the booth, but left me alone during the actual preview.

They did hang around outside the booth in a spot where
they could see no one went in and out though.

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 03-13-2009, 07:48 PM:

I've had a few like this, not where I currently work though. Most were usually ran by two guards, and they focused on the audience and not the projectionist. I know for one Harry Potter one they had someone constantly watching the audience with night vision.

The weirdest one was for 'The Guardian' where Disney installed their own digital projector in our biggest house for the day. Downstairs had two guards who took all bags, coats and phones and set up a mini cloakroom.