Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Leaving through front exit doors.

This is topic Leaving through front exit doors. in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 12-06-2009, 02:25 PM:

All our newer theatres have exits only through the rear of of the auditorium but a few older ones have doors up front next to the screen and it used to annoy me very much when people would leave through these doors when the credits are rolling during a daytime showing. The Varsity in Honolulu that was demolished almost two years ago had such a set up and there were times when some idiot would leave through these doors in the middle of a movie during a matinée Grrrr [Mad]

Do you have this happening at your theatres if you have exit doors next to the screen?

-Claude

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 12-06-2009, 02:32 PM:

Most building codes require some sort of front emergency exit doors, unless the auditorium is very small.

Posted by Robert Minichino (Member # 3495) on 12-06-2009, 04:14 PM:

You need emergency exits, but you can have them alarmed with delayed opening if you don't want the patrons to use them.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 12-06-2009, 04:47 PM:

The Regal Colorado Mills 16 here in Lakewood Colorado almost always have their front exit doors locked shut. You can usually open them if you slam against them with the full force of your body, though. I hope that there is never a fire in that theater as that is a huge liability.

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 12-06-2009, 08:28 PM:

quote: Joe Redifer
always have their front exit doors locked shut. You can usually open them if you slam against them with the full force of your body, though.

That's interesting. In our area, the fire marshall's office does periodic inspections... at least once or twice a year. The exits, exit signs and hallway lighting are usually the first things they check. Any problems generate follow-up calls within something like 30 days.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 12-06-2009, 08:56 PM:

Ours are alarmed with signage depicting "Emergency Exit Only -Alarm will sound"

Kinda put the kabosh on patrons wanting to go out that way. But some still go out through these doors...and setting off the location alarm that goes off in the lobby.

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 12-07-2009, 12:37 PM:

I have never been in a theater where the exit doors by the screens were restricted in any way, and I'll use them if it's a more convenient exit than going through the back again.

Some of them, particularly in mall theaters, exit to an awesome maze of corridors.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-07-2009, 03:01 PM:

We have an exit next to the screen but nobody ever uses it. Once we had a situation where we had two shows too close together, and the lobby became TOTALLY packed with people so we decided to exit the early crowd thru the front exit. You'd have thought we were teaching blind people to walk again...I would point and say "We'd like everyone to use THAT exit down there please" but they just kept coming towards me like zombies until I repeated it about five or six times.

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 12-07-2009, 05:06 PM:

Are we talking about theaters designed so that the main exits are next to the screen? Like the old Pasadena Hastings Ranch? The concession area was behind the screen, and the main exits for the auditorium were either side of the screen.

Posted by Jeremy Jorgenson (Member # 2989) on 12-07-2009, 10:22 PM:

quote: Sam Graham
Some of them, particularly in mall theaters, exit to an awesome maze of corridors.

The multiplexes in Krakow, Poland always have the patrons exit through the front exit doors by/near/under the screen, rather than back into the lobby. Even if it was a very dead show and I was the only one in there, an usher would be there to direct me to those doors. Depending on which location, it could be kind of confusing the first time when it turned into a maze like Sam talks about.

Thankfully, they let out in an area where bathrooms are available.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 12-07-2009, 10:26 PM:

quote: Paul Mayer
Are we talking about theaters designed so that the main exits are next to the screen? Like the old Pasadena Hastings Ranch? The concession area was behind the screen, and the main exits for the auditorium were either side of the screen.

I think he means that at most places you enter and exit through the back, but there are emergency exits at the front. And so when someone would go out the emergency exits in mid-day, light would shine inside and screw up his watching the credits (or blind him from not adjusting). [Smile]

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-08-2009, 12:29 AM:

Our theatre actually used to have exits on either side of the screen -- but when the screen was widened to accommodate "scope" pictures in 1953, the exits were covered, so they cut a new exit into the side of the auditorium right next to the screen. But it goes into a hallway, so no light gets in if somebody does happen to use it.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 12-08-2009, 02:50 AM:

All three of the theatres I've worked it were designed so the exit at the bottom of the auditorium sends a signal to an alarm panel behind the concession stand. If a door alarm goes off when people are supposed to be exiting, it's not big deal. If it's in the middle of the show, employees are supposed to run and check it out - this happens maybe 2-3 times per month. Most often it's just someone trying to smoke or talk on the cell without "missing" the movie.

People use these doors to exit all the time, especially the two auditoriums where the doors face the packing lot.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 12-08-2009, 11:03 AM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
But it goes into a hallway, so no light gets in if somebody does happen to use it.

Yeah because when there's an emergency and everyone needs to get out as soon as possible, it makes perfect sense to make it so they can't see a damn thing...

Dumbest idea ever.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-08-2009, 11:20 AM:

Chris, you are the king of stupid assumptions around here. I didn't say the hallway was dark. There's a motion-sensor light in there that comes on when the door is opened, but the light itself is located around a corner so it doesn't shine into the auditorium. Duh?

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 12-08-2009, 11:32 AM:

Touché

Though it wasn't me making assumptions. It's more me being dyslexic, but whatever. I misread it.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 12-08-2009, 04:38 PM:

Chris, you are the king of not understanding what dyslexia means around here. I read Mike's entire post backwards, jumbled the words into several different orders and did not come up with your conclusion.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 12-08-2009, 11:40 PM:

Dyslexia actually only means that a person has difficulty reading, not necessarily that they jumble letters/words, just so you know. But I do have it where I jumble up letters and words often; and incidentally, jumbling this up can also make it easier to skip over a word altogether and get the wrong meaning that way.

It also doesn't help if you come on here after being up late studying for some finals.

So perhaps I don't know what dyslexia means on this forum, but I sure know that I have it and how it affects my reading/comprehension.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-08-2009, 11:59 PM:

Chris, now being aware that you have this condition I'll try not to be so judgmental in the future. Apologies.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 12-08-2009, 11:59 PM:

I hate it when words and letters seem to jump around on the page.

One time, you read, "Chickens and witches." It's confusing and it doesn't make sense so you go back and read it again but, this time you read, "Chicken sandwiches."

Shit like that happens to me all the time. I often have to read things two times just to be sure.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 12-09-2009, 12:04 AM:

I'll never forget one time reading some book in HS and then going "WTF? That sentence made no sense at all." Then I looked back through and realized that I changed "was" to "saw."

Though the more annoying part personally is that the same kind of stuff happens in my speech too. I'll regularly be thinking something like "I hate Mondays" and start to say "I mate hondays" then start stuttering. I fucking hate that.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 12-09-2009, 09:48 AM:

When I was in school, I had designs on being a radio DJ. That was quickly put to rest during my first auditions when I discovered that I have mild dyslexia and simply can't do cold reads of copy. I just can't. Over the years I have gotten the occasional gig, but only it if I know I can rehearse and rehearse over and over to get it right. Even then, after fully preparing, I still give the audio engineer a good editing workout. They like my voice; they are not fond of the editing sessions.

When following driving directions, I will invariably get left and right confused. MANY times my lady will be sitting right next to me and she's learned she shouldn't use words -- she points. Visuals I can understand perfectly; it's words that need to get translated into mental concepts get messed up. They say it has something to do with the left and right hemisphere of the brain receiving signals out of sync and slightly time delayed or something.

We have too theatres in our complex. I will many times say the name of the one when meaning the other. When I am in a meeting or such with the suits, I have even tried to force myself to think about the correct name and force myself not to say the wrong one, but that can actually make me stutter.

It used to bother me a lot when I was a kid, but I got to accept that's just the way it is and you just have to make adjustments and deal. I do double check telephone numbers or any other data that someone tells that I am writing down -- I will always ask them to repeat it and I tap each number with my pen as they say it. A bit of an annoyance, sure, but as disabilities go, this is just quirky; there are many others out there that make it look like a walk in the park, albeit most likely in the wrong direction. [Big Grin]

Oh, and to get back on topic about theatres designed with exit doors next to the screen: THAT problem can be adjusted quite readily with a few pounds of plastique explosives and a talented demolition team -- level that multiplex box in less than 60 seconds. Theatre designers who put exit doors next to the screen are an abomination and need to have their pubes pulled out one by one.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 12-09-2009, 04:21 PM:

quote: Chris Slycord
I'll regularly be thinking something like "I hate Mondays" and start to say "I mate hondays" then start stuttering. I fucking hate that.

I often have this same issue. Drives me nuts. Usually the more people in a room, the better I'll speak, oddly enough.

Posted by Jeremy Jorgenson (Member # 2989) on 12-10-2009, 07:59 PM:

quote: Chris Slycord
"I mate hondays"

Reminds me of the Aerosmith album "Night in the Ruts".

Posted by Poon Limpapun (Member # 4551) on 12-19-2009, 03:54 PM:

In Thailand, we have a building code that requires aisles running around each and every auditorium in the house so we always have side front doors on each side of the screen and we always use these doors for the audiences to exit. These exits are usually located on one level down from the lobby (due to stadium seating) and we place restrooms down there so that we could separate guests exiting and entering the theatre.

Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 12-19-2009, 04:32 PM:

When I worked at LucasArts (video games), we had company screenings of almost anything that ILM or Skywalker Sound worked on. These were often at a single in Corte Madera at around 9am on Saturdays or Sundays.

We would get regular email reminders asking folks to not leave out the side doors, because it threw light on the screen while people were trying to see their names in the credits. The emails didn't seem to work - there was always somebody...