Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Cell Phone Announcement At Rave

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Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 01-02-2010, 03:21 PM:

Went to the Rave Festival Plaza last night (Friday, Jan 1). Pretty good sized crowd. After the trailers and corporate snipe (what's a snipe in the digital world?), the lights came up and the picture went off. An usher came in an made an announcement for everyone to turn off their cellphones. Texting and phoning, he said, are the two biggest problems they have and if they were caught doing either they would be asked to leave without a refund.

He also asked people to keep talking to a minimum (instead of STFU). But it's a start. It didn't stop the chattering old folks across the aisle, at least the soundtrack was loud and noisy enough to block them out most of the time.

Anyway, [thumbsup]

to Rave in Montgomery. Is this company wide? Are other chains doing it? I hope it is a result of the power of positive complaining.

Posted by Dominic Espinosa (Member # 2122) on 01-02-2010, 03:43 PM:

We have a position specifically for it at 50% of our theaters.

We call them a "Host" and their job is to keep the lobby swept (because they are cruising from theater to theater constantly), to keep the restroom checks frequent (sending ushers or doing it themselves) be the first person to help a guest with any issue in one of the theaters or get a manager if the situation calls for it and give a speech on cue from the projectionist before each presentation.

We let folks know to tell them or any of our staff if there's a problem, we give examples of the lights, tempterature, sound, picture, or any disturbances. We remind folks to set their phones to off, silent, or vibrate for their own enjoyment and as a courtesy to others and to take important calls or text outside the auditorium.

One quick plug for the website and they're on their way, preferably this is done in the last 30 seconds before showtime as the presentation begins immediately afterward so it's all seamless.

99% of our staff absolutely detests it and doesn't like to do it...but oh that 1%...

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 01-02-2010, 04:08 PM:

Bravo! to Rave!

Sounds first class to me!

Every cinema should do this on every show. Including thanking them foir coming. Perhaps new employees should be selected for "loving this part of the job." Louis

Posted by John T. Hendrickson, Jr (Member # 849) on 01-02-2010, 05:44 PM:

You have to admit that this is a hell of a much better attention getter than running a policy trailer.

Now all you have to do is find ushers who are courageous enough to get up in front of several hundred people and make the announcement. [Smile]

Anyway, kudos to Rave.

Posted by Mike Croaro (Member # 3123) on 01-02-2010, 06:41 PM:

Hi Folks:

Landmark Theatres have been doing this in their San Francisco and Berkeley, CA art houses for the last 1-2 years. And yes, it does get peoples attention better than a trailer.

Mike

Posted by John Joseph Fink (Member # 3619) on 01-02-2010, 07:08 PM:

Sounds great. Film Forum in NYC has a snip it that reminds patrons to turn off their electronic devices with an animated crowd of annoying light up screens, they slowly turn off. The clip lasts longer than it should to enforce the point, this shows right before the show starts up.

As for intros, Crown Theaters did this for a while at the Palace in Hartford, then when they went up on the auction block they stopped. (The manager did the intros). Edgewater Multiplex (Edgewater, NJ - National Amusements) used to do intros years ago as well but they've since stopped, this was mostly the manager coming in and saying "hey if you need anything, stop by customer service". I personally think these intros are a cheap way of bringing some of the excitement of a film festival to movie going, granted you aren't going to have a programer up there talking about the merits of the film, but it creates the perception of an experience, all the better if your able to rile up a crowd before a fun picture, if people have a good time, you'll hook them to come back and have another fun experience.

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 01-02-2010, 10:33 PM:

Do the staff have access to microphones? Usually the PA system plugs in places I've worked are behind the curtains/masking and difficult to get to, so even if there were the staff to make a speech it would be awkward in a big screen. It's a really good idea that should be adopted more widely.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 01-03-2010, 10:05 AM:

They didn't use a mic at Rave, but it was loud enough to be heard. They seem to be new at this, it was not very "professional". The usher just came in and started speaking from the front entrance, he didn't go to the front center of the theatre. They need to work on their showmanship, or at least get as bored as a flight attendant [Wink]

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 01-03-2010, 10:30 AM:

Can anyone say CELL PHONE JAMMERS?! Isn't it really time the FCC gets off its butt and reviews this restriction? Why do people think there is a constitutional "right" to be able to use cell phones every place on the planet. What did people do when they went to the theatre in past decades? Did terrible fate befall them? Did they put themselves in dire danger and risk life and limb? There are plenty of places where cell phones can't get signals -- the world doesn't stop turning if you can't get signal and can't be reached for 2 hours.

Many countries allow cell signal-blocking without disaster striking. The FCC needs to get out of the pocket of the telephony industry and make the change already.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 01-03-2010, 10:42 AM:

Totally agree with you Frank, but as a political reality it is right up there with repealing the 2nd Amendment (or the 1st if you prefer that analogy).

We're talking millions of addicts who are fed by a multi-billion dollar industry who rips them off blind and demands they say "Thank you sir, may I have another?"

This in conjunction with the motion picture industry unwilling to antagonize or offend a single potential customer (unless that customer is using their cell phone to take a picture of what's on the screen).

That impenetrable wall vs a relative handful of cranky film lovers. Which one are you going to put your money on?

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 01-03-2010, 06:45 PM:

A passive "cage" is legal in the US. An active jammer is not. The effect is the same.

I would put a small jammer inside the cage; this means that my jammer stays inside my building, away from judgement. The cage would also reduce cell coverage in my building. Louis

Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 01-06-2010, 12:56 PM:

I really wish more theatres would do this.. It's time we ask folks to return to old-fashioned common courtesy and respect in our society and respect the movie theatre for what it is, or else leave and wait for the DVD. I'm sick of folks ruining my "night out at the movies".

I'd pay extra to go to a theatre that makes such an announcement and enforces the no talking/no cell phone policies.

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 01-07-2010, 12:39 AM:

Wake up!

Phone calls are not the problem, text messaging and the lights from it are.

Jammers won't help. Even if their texts were jammed, people will still try to do it and produce the light.

--jhawk

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 01-07-2010, 04:08 AM:

well, phone calls are a problem, and jamming will stop people from lighting up their phones to see who's calling them. do people actually initiate texts during movies? well, i would think they'd stop once they realize they can't do it. they'll still light up their phones to check the time, of course.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 01-07-2010, 08:30 AM:

Carl, yes, people do initiate texts during movies.
They also compulsively check their damn messages, use the light to find their seats or signal to their friends where they are sitting and I am pretty sure they play games and listen to music.
As I said above, they are addicts. [Wink]

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-07-2010, 03:04 PM:

I agree, they are addicted. I used to think a jammer would work, but not anymore...it might even make the problem worse, because people would pull their phones out every 5 minutes to see if they missed any texts.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 01-07-2010, 05:19 PM:

Yah but if jamming becomes legal, you would just post a warming sign at the door explaining that "cell phones will not function in this theatre. Anyone needing to use their phone needs to excite the theatre." Once it becomes general knowledge like Carl says, people will just give up. It would be fun to watch them twitch with withdrawl symptoms and frustration.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 01-08-2010, 07:50 AM:

The good thing is that jamming or blocking would stop incoming calls and annoying ring tones. Unfortunately, it would probably cause the problem that Mike mentions, where people would constantaly be turning the phones (and their lighted screens) on to see if they have missed any messages. It's probably not a net gain.

I hate obnoxious cell phone users (which seems to be the majority of cell-phone owners).

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 01-09-2010, 05:44 AM:

ok wait... i don't have a cell phone so please clarify: a jammer will block calls but not block people from checking messages? why is that?

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 01-09-2010, 06:14 AM:

They won't _get_ messages, but that won't stop people from checking to see if they did.

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 01-09-2010, 07:32 AM:

There's an important [ethical?] distinction between the people who make phone calls and the ones who use text messages.

People who actually make phone calls during a movie are either complete idiots or people with no disregard for their fellow human beings. They are fundamentally rude. But such people are few and far between. Generally speaking, anyone who makes a phone call knows they are doing something wrong.

The same cannot be said of text messaging, unfortunately. People who send/receive texts or check the time on their cell phones do not understand that their actions affect other people. And it is very difficult to explain it. Policy trailers that I have seen about texting do not do so effectively. (Sometimes oral announcements try, but I'm not convinced of the efficacy. And when they are effective, I think it may be because of their punitive stance, not their expository lucidity.)

Even worse, regular cell-phone users appear to get inured to it. It's become so commonplace to see the bright-light of cell phones in dark rooms that it becomes very difficult to fight, like trying to stop a river overwashing a dam. I recall an article about a press screening in a newspaper recently that casually mentioned the press and studio personnel's use of text messaging during that Hollywood screening (or maybe it was a premiere?).

It is a lot harder to stop a behavior that people don't understand is wrong.

(And curiously, as I look at this thread, and see how many people misinterpreted my "Wake up!" message, I realize how much more difficult it is. If theatre staff can't identify and agree on the nature of the problem, it should be no surprise that patrons can't do so either. I hope I'm wrong, of course, and that the problem isn't how I envision it...but I'm quite pessimistic on that).

--jhawk

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-09-2010, 09:26 AM:

You're right...people don't realize it's the light that's a bother -- they put their phone on vibrate and think they're fine.

Maybe instead of the overly polite "please turn off cell phones" clip, a new one stating "Your phone's BRIGHT LIGHT bothers everyone around you! Please keep it TURNED OFF until the movie ends" should be made.

Posted by Jonathan Althaus (Member # 5042) on 01-09-2010, 10:37 AM:

Cinemark used to use an anti-cell phone policy in their preshow not too long ago. As front row joe was walking into the theatre, someone had their phone out and he shielded his eyes from an exaggeratedly bright light. This got replaced by their 25th anniversary ad and I'd like to see it put back in.

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 01-09-2010, 10:45 AM:

Did it work?

Posted by Jonathan Althaus (Member # 5042) on 01-09-2010, 11:34 AM:

It seemed to work for us, and we have large teenager crowds, especially on friday nights. Sometimes it helps just to remind that crowd about what they're doing. Maybe I can get someone to put it back in since we shouldn't be running the 25th anniversary ad anymore.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-09-2010, 11:42 AM:

I guess I just don't feel like giving many cellular phone users the benefit of the doubt. It should be plainly obvious to anyone the bright displays of their phones will be a significant distraction in a movie theater. Might as well turn on a flash light!

I think anyone who needs to be told texting in a dark movie theater is distracting and inconsiderate of other viewers is, putting it bluntly, pretty damned stupid.

Nevertheless, I agree policy trailers need to be modified to discourage ALL cellular phone use in the auditorium. Not just phone calls. The policy has to ban texting, game playing, checking the time on the phone or anything else that involves allowing the phone's bright display to illuminate. The phone needs to stay in the viewer's pocket or purse during the entire show.

As selfishly inconsiderate as cellular phone users can be, what in the world is keeping companies like Nokia, Motorola, Apple, etc. from developing far more stealthy and less disruptive ways for people to use their phones? What about a low light setting? Some phone displays are big and bright enough that it isn't too awful difficult for someone near by to see what you're typing. That sort of mode should have been created a long time ago.

It might also be nice if the phone companies would spend a little to educate their customers about socially considerate ways to use their phones. A number of other industries do this, especially if the products they're selling can be dangerous if abused or misused.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 01-09-2010, 12:09 PM:

Bobby touches on an idea that I had thought about for a while: many modern laptops (and even some Zenith television sets from the 1980s) have a photocell that can sense the ambient light in the room and, optionally, use that to control the brightness of the LCD backlight (or CRT, in the case of the Zeniths). The idea is that the picture would be brighter in a bright room and dimmer in a dark room.

Why has this not yet been applied to cellular telephones?

This would not totally solve the issue in movie theatres, but it would certainly reduce the annoynce factor if the LCD backlight would barely glow instead of lighting up the entire room.

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 01-09-2010, 12:14 PM:

One reason is that people actually use cellphones as (poor) flashlights in dark rooms. In addition to people doing this in the regular sort of dark rooms, I have seen people do it in movie theatres to find their seats. I'm really conflicted on that one...

My cellphone has a brightness adjustment. Like my laptop (a 2007 model year thinkpad), its minimum brightness is far too bright for a movie theatre. Furthermore, it is so terribly far buried in the UI as to be ridiculous.

You've probably all heard the stories about the phones that make a loud noise in acknowledgement when you either silence them or turn them off. It's just as bad for the brightness adjustment, except of course, there is much less market for it than for volume, so it's much harder to get to (not unreasonably so in terms of user interface priorities, I'm afraid).

--jhawk

--jhawk

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 01-09-2010, 06:21 PM:

What about the technology that they use for stop lights where they want only the people in the cars in the one lane directly in front of the signal to be able to see it when it turns green. People in cars off-angle see it very reduced, almost invisible. Seems like they can design cell phone displays to have that same very severe directionality; it would not only would be helpful in darkend theatres, but would also have a security benefit in that people off to the side of you can't see what you are typing or looking at.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 01-09-2010, 06:49 PM:

All of these discussion about the use of cel phone is another reason I rarely watch a film in a theatre now. The only movies I have made an effort to see in a theatre were 3-D movies such as A CHRISTMAS CAROL and a few others and look forward to seeing AVATAR soon.. I sometimes see foreign films and have noticed how well behaved the people are at these showings. This is probable due to the fact that they are better educated and considerate by not talking during a movie and are punctual and at their seats before the movie starts. The worst behavior I have found among movie patrons are teenagers. The next group of rude people are young parents who bring their little ones to R rated films and hardly do anything when they cry. With the excellent quality of HDTV, Blu-Ray discs and a fantastic sound system, I am very happy watching movies at home. In a few years, I probably be watching 3-D movies at home too.

-Claude

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 01-09-2010, 07:15 PM:

You are right Claude, but I must say, I have heard blue-haired old ladies carrying on conversations every bit as raucus as the teens. It's just a cultural thing where the general population just seems to be less concerned about others around them. What needs to happen is....bring back SPANKING. For old farts too. [thumbsup]

Oh, and have no fear, CHRISTMAS CAROL 3D will be out as a 3D BluRay shortly. Already on sale and with its own TV ad campaign blitz will be the New Line Cinema trash, FINAL DESTINATION 3D. OK, trash, but with some beautifully choreographed 3D effects. Once they announce the 3DBluRay release of AVATAR that will push home 3D over the top. It will be a done deal like color TV reaching its critical mass.

According to the ad for FD3D, it will be boxed along with the 2D version so people who don't even have 3D hardware yet can get it and wait until they take the leap.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 01-09-2010, 07:25 PM:

Frank's right, but I think the little old broads are deaf and don't think they are talking loud. At least, that's what my mother is like;>

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 01-09-2010, 07:48 PM:

Yes, I agree about older people forgetting themselves and start taliking during a movie. I saw GLORY for the first time with some friends from Columbus, Ohio who are my age and Warren being a Civil War buff started to talk during the movie. I just politely told him it would be better if we watched the film in silence and discuss the movie at dinner after the show. He stopped talking and we had a marvelous discussion about the film later. I also remember politely asking a older gentleman to cease talking during a film and he apologized and was quiet during the rest of the show. If it was a typical younger movie patron, he would have just told me F--- Y--- and continued talking.

-Claude

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 01-09-2010, 08:56 PM:

I wouldn't be surprised if the old man wouldn't react so kindly if a youngster were asking him to be quiet.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 01-09-2010, 09:52 PM:

quote: Claude S. Ayakawa
If it was a typical younger movie patron, he would have just told me F--- Y--- and continued talking.

Isn't it marvelous how lovely today's youth has become with all of the bad parenting these days? [puke]

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 01-10-2010, 05:04 PM:

Chris,

Yes, there are rude S.O.B.'s at every age level but on the whole, most people at my age like my friend Warren who did not realize it was improper to talk during a movie would cease talking if they were made aware they were causing a disturbance. As Brad had stated, young people behave the way they do because of bad parenting such as being exposed to R rated movies when they were babies even at late hours in the evening when they should be at home sleeping. [Frown]

-Claude

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 01-10-2010, 05:22 PM:

I'm saying that if an old guy is being told to be quiet by another old guy, he would be more likely to listen and be respectful than if some "whipper-snapper" was the one telling them to be quiet.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 01-10-2010, 05:45 PM:

If I was unaware I was causing a disturbance or doing something wrong and it was brought to my attention by a much younger person than me, I would immediately stop doing it and would thank the person for bringing it to my attention. I am pretty sure I can speak for almost everyone at my age level because we were thought to be respectful to others regardless of their age by our parents. Unfortunately I cannot speak for a few my age who are truly S.O.B's because they may not have had the correct training when we were little from caring parents who could have tought them good moral behavior in life.

-Claude

Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 01-10-2010, 06:14 PM:

quote: Brad Miller
Isn't it marvelous how lovely today's youth has become with all of the bad parenting these days?

A wise statement Brad. No wonder you are so successful.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 01-10-2010, 06:35 PM:

quote: Claude S. Ayakawa
If I was unaware I was causing a disturbance or doing something wrong and it was brought to my attention by a much younger person than me, I would immediately stop doing it

The key is knowing you are doing something wrong. Far too many people - of all ages - have the attitude "I paid to get in here, I can do what I want"

They think they're watching television in their own homes. The also think their mindless prattle and inane commentary are infinitely more fascinating to those around them than what is on the screen.

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 01-11-2010, 12:19 PM:

quote: Claude S. Ayakawa
If I was unaware I was causing a disturbance or doing something wrong and it was brought to my attention by a much younger person than me, I would immediately stop doing it and would thank the person for bringing it to my attention. I am pretty sure I can speak for almost everyone at my age level because we were thought to be respectful to others regardless of their age by our parents.

Unfortunately my experience as a theatre manager (when I was 18-19-20 years old) differs from your statement. I am sure that you are always polite, respectful, and carry yourself with dignity but unfortunately a majority of seniors I dealt with were not. If it was an issue of a senior breaking a theatre rule (outside food/drink, talking etc...) they would most often become belligerent with a "How dare you" attitude. If they did not like you calling them out on their behavior they would often say things like "didnt your mother teach you to respect your elders..."

If it was an issue of wanting a senior discount before age 62, or not liking the film and wanting a refund they would always ask "Isn't there anyone older here that I can talk to" and other insulting things like that if they did not like what I had to say...

On the other hand most of the regulars who were seniors could not be nicer people. They would always stop on the way out to chat about

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-11-2010, 01:22 PM:

quote: Chris Slycord
I'm saying that if an old guy is being told to be quiet by another old guy, he would be more likely to listen and be respectful than if some "whipper-snapper" was the one telling them to be quiet.

Well - I'm no whipper-snapper, but I had one older couple (60s), I had known them for years and got along great with them. They would come to the movies and just talk like they were in their living room. They would always come on very slow nights so they'd sit off in the corner by themselves and their yaking wouldn't bother anyone -- at least we never got any complaints -- but one night I was watching the movie myself and the constant "buzz" of their talking was more than I could stand, so I went over and said (in a whisper): "Folks, could I ask you to please talk more softly - the other people can hear you....thanks." They quieted down immediately and never came to a movie again.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 01-11-2010, 03:11 PM:

Sean,

Your comments dealing with some unruly senior citizen customers made me aware of the fact that you were dealing not only with different age groups but also with different social groups. The people who gave you a hard time probably consider themselves much superior to others and they can do whatever pleases them. Age is of no difference with these group of people. The fact that you were younger and tried to tell them what not to do made them use their age to belittle you making you feel you were wrong to remind them they were causing a disturbance. These people are not nice people and if they continued to misbehave, they deserve to be evicted from the premises.

I am a 3rd generation Japanese American (Sansei), and my parents thought my sister, my brother and I to always be considerate of others and be true to ourselves. I am sure this is not only an Asian tradition for parents to teach their children the proper way to behave in life because almost all of my friends who are of my age or older from all over our great country are like me when it comes to the way we treat other people and behave in public.

-Claude

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 01-11-2010, 03:30 PM:

Now I am going to tottally contradict myself here but...

I have found in my limited experience that people who come from a background of a blue collar working class family, to immgrants, and the middle to lower middle class seem to treat people with more respect than the well to do upper class. While this isn't always the case I found that the theatres I worked at that were in upper class areas had more problems with people's attitudes and feelings of entitlement compared to poorer area's where the customers were just happy to have a nice theatre to go to.

I think some people raise thier children to be selfish and to expect the world handed to them on a silver platter, and others raise thier children to work hard and to think what can I do for someone other than myself today.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 01-11-2010, 05:19 PM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
They quieted down immediately and never came to a movie again.

Problem solved...and permanently at that! [thumbsup]

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 01-11-2010, 05:19 PM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
They quieted down immediately and never came to a movie again.

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 01-11-2010, 09:50 PM:

[Frown]

Posted by Ed Alvarado (Member # 2760) on 01-12-2010, 07:53 PM:

ahhh yes RAVE i was at the midnight release of avatar 3d here at the RAVE theater in texas and before the movie started the manager was giving out posters and as he ended his long speach he added the whole thing about the cell phone being shut off or you will be asked to leave with out a refund and of course there's always gonna be a a guy who said YEAH RIGHT and the manager said well keep it clean and if you talk or text on your cell phone you will be told to leave. I think its a good thing that they do promote that but its also bad because what if your out watching a movie and then you get a call or text informing you that your kids are at the hospital or even worse! so i guess you cant even take the time to check because they said if you get caught on your phone you will get kicked out. its a double edge sword if you ask me

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 01-12-2010, 07:58 PM:

If your kid is in the hospital you're going to be leaving anyway.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 01-12-2010, 08:41 PM:

When I go to the movies, I always turn off my cel phone as soon as I sit down and if someone wanted to talk to me during that time, I will always return their call as soon as the movie was over. If an unexpected family or other emergency should occur while I am watching a movie, I can only deal with it after the movie. If I know in advance there might be an emergency, a motion picture theatre is the last place I would rather be so the argument of allowing the continued usage of cel phones because of the possibility of a emergency is a rather weak one. When I went to the movies when I was little, the Waipahu Theatre would project emergency messages on the bottom of the picture for a couple of seconds such as "Dr. Wallace Honda, please come to the lobby" and the good doctor or anyone would immediately know there is a emergency This did not happen too often and it might be something modern theatres today could do to handle emergency situations if the banning of cel phone use in a motion picture theatre became a reality.

-Claude

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-13-2010, 11:13 AM:

quote: Claude S. Ayakawa
When I went to the movies when I was little, the Waipahu Theatre would project emergency messages on the bottom of the picture for a couple of seconds such as "Dr. Wallace Honda, please come to the lobby" and the good doctor or anyone would immediately know there is a emergency

We still do that today. We have a doctor here in town who simply doesn't bring his cell to the theatre...if the hospital needs him, they call us, we put his name on the screen and he comes to the phone. It takes maybe 15 seconds longer than if he had his phone. So far he hasn't lost a patient yet.

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 01-15-2010, 05:00 PM:

Outside of drive-ins, I can only remember one hardtop that ever had... or probably more proper used... an on-screen paging/announcing system, and that theatre has been closed for almost 15 years. If I've ever had the ability to do that at any of my theatres over the past 24 years, I've never been made aware of it.

Why do we go to the movies in the first place? To enjoy an experience we cannot properly duplicate at home, and to get away from the rest of the world for a couple hours. And as cell phones have become more pervasive in modern society, I always wonder why anyone would pay money to have an experience and then ruin that experience by engaging in activity that interferes with that experience. Forget about how it affects anyone else. You got out of your house, dealt with the traffic and the parking, buy your ticket and your concession items and all the other stuff that goes with going to the movies, and then you don't pay attention.

It just doesn't make any sense to me.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 01-15-2010, 10:33 PM:

Ed, there are LOTS of things patrons do that don't make ANY sense!

From our website --

"Evil, Patron-Disturbing Devices:

Cell phones, beepers, "i"s of any type, be they -fones, -pods, -tunes or berries, and wrist-watch alarms must all be turned OFF during performances. It is easy to forget this little nicety, but neglecting it can cause an unnecessary and easily avoidable, major distraction for the patrons around you. Even setting them to vibrate can ruin a quiet moment in a performance, as will looking at the glowing screen to see who is vibrating you! Avoid rude; avoid uncivilized; avoid whole groups of people looking at you as if you had just drowned a kidden. Please turn these devices OFF in the Grand Lobby before you enter the theatre."

I also wrote a section specifically for doctors. It remained published for two months until a doctor called up screaming bloody murder to the GM who then gave me stern looks and had me remove the offending sections (that will teach him not to proof my stuff). I guess I won't have to tell you what sentences I had to clean up --

"Doctors:
Although doctors can now rely on cell phones for emergencies, be aware that our theatre construction has been known to make cell reception intermittent at best. We strongly suggest doctors honor that long-standing tradition of leaving your name and seat location with the House Manager before the show so that you can be reached in case of an emergency. And practically speaking, surely there are others at the hospital who can cover for the two hours while you are at the theatre -- let's face it, if someone's life is hanging in the balance and depending on you to make life and death decisions for them, perhaps you should rethink being out partying on the town in the first place, eh?"

Posted by Kevin Ziemba (Member # 5575) on 01-17-2010, 01:59 AM:

A bit off topic, I know, but what's it like working for Rave Dominic? I am at one of the recently bought out National theaters... still awaiting any changes, havent seen much yet.

Like most theaters, ours is notorious for the teenage crowd talking and texting through the whole movie. We will sometimes go in before those shows to mention the talking and use of cell phones, but not often.

I guess I misinterpreted your post Dominic, I now see you don't actually work at Rave! Anyone out there work for Rave?

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-17-2010, 02:28 AM:

quote: Kevin Ziemba
ours is notorious for the teenage crowd talking and texting through the whole movie. We will sometimes go in before those shows to mention the talking and use of cell phones, but not often.

SO...... Why aren't you more aggressive with that problem?

Posted by Kevin Ziemba (Member # 5575) on 01-17-2010, 01:27 PM:

Well, I can throw out many excuses why we don't make an effort to make an annoucement before the all younger crowd films. I will admit some of it is laziness, however a big part is how much staff we are allowed and the quality of said staff. As Dominic noted there is only that 1% that can always be counted on. Then between trying to keep a huge complex clean, collecting IMAX glasses, having several theaters where we have staff seating patrons, we are always strected thin. I will be curious to see what happens when Rave takes over in regards to this topic.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-17-2010, 02:06 PM:

I have no sympathy for the point of view coming from people who insist they need their phones left active/on in case of an emergency. My response to that: if that's really the case then stay out of movie theaters.

99.99% of the cell phone activity happening in movie theaters is the useless, chatty Kathy syndrome, OCD-infected phone misuse crap. Nearly all the time all that cell phone activity is fixated on unimportant drivel.

If someone's need for immediate phone contact is more important than keeping the movie-going environment free of distractions then that person just doesn't have any business being inside of a movie theater. Period. The rights of other audience members to have a disruption-free movie going experience has to come first.

If a doctor is on call he just needs to stay out of the damned theater. BTW, stay out of restaurants too while you're at it, Doc. I have an extreme hatred of cell phone use in movie theaters, but I'm getting ever more annoyed by mobile phone use in restaurants.

BTW, many doctor and dentist offices make their customers/patients turn off their phones while in the clinic. Many have signs posted demanding this. So there's a certain kind of hypocrisy present if any doctor insists on disrupting a movie presentation with his/her phone.

If a parent is worried their kids are going to be up to no good or going to get hurt or whatever that parent doesn't need to be isolated in a dark movie theater away from the situation. If the kids have to check in with that parent constantly then the parent needs to be in an environment where the kids can check in easily. That parent doesn't need to be in a movie theater.

I hear phones going off in all sorts of places where phone use is pretty much obscene. They should never be in use during a church service. Cell phones absolutely need to be turned off during a wedding or funeral. Anyone whose phone rings during a wedding or funeral really ought to be punched in the face really really hard.

Most people still have good manners, but there's just that certain bunch among the general public which seems beyond retarded when it comes to the concept of good manners.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 01-17-2010, 02:16 PM:

I know how you guys feel. In our orientation for clinic observation they said that we should just leave cell phones turned off, because it would be inappropriate/distracting to have the thing go off while in the room with a patient.

Then one girl just starts getting agitated saying "But my girl is in daycare. What if something happens to her?" When I said "Can't you leave the clinic phone number with the daycare?" that only got her more angry as if it was somehow a ridiculous idea that the office manager could page someone to the front desk (which is less distracting than a cell phone as patients expect people to get paged to the front).

Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 01-20-2010, 10:25 PM:

Some years ago, I went to the movie theatre in the basement of the train station in Washington, DC. Before the movie, they announced that there was absolutely no talking in the theatre. Anyone talking would be thrown out and there would be no warnings.

They need to do exactly the same thing with cell phone users, whether it's calls or messaging. Once they throw out a few people, the rest of the audience will get the message (sic).

The addiction to cell phones and texting has gotten completely out of control. There are teens who get/send 500 message a day! 500! If someone forced me to text, I couldn't think of five things a day to write and I probably couldn't think of five people to send it to.

But I don't want to place all the blame on teens. I see people of all ages checking their cell phones constantly during movies. It is incredibly annoying to me. If you can't be away from your phone for two hours, perhaps you should watch movies only at home.

Now while theatre owners might say that's exactly what they don't want people to do, if the texters don't stay home, the people who are annoyed by the cell phone users might instead.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-20-2010, 11:10 PM:

This is a case where a slope-floor is better than stadium. At least here, the text-addicted teens have gotten pretty good at hiding the phones in their laps or under their shirts or whatever while they feed their habit. So at least they're only annoying their seatmates, who are usually other teens anyway who don't care.

We still go around and check frequently and bust the phoners, but it's pretty amazing how stealthy they have become.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-20-2010, 11:27 PM:

I'm surprised they're even being stealthy at all about it. The act of being stealthy with cellular phone use implies the phone user knows he's being a selfish ass inside a movie theater. Countless dip shits in my town seem clueless. It's as if I need to beat them once or twice up side their heads with a tire iron to make them realize they might possibly be doing something that translates as bad manners.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 01-20-2010, 11:35 PM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
We still go around and check frequently and bust the phoners, but it's pretty amazing how stealthy they have become.

Then you should be stealthy with your busting practices. What you need to do is purchase two of these and very quietly sneak up so you are directly behind them. Aim and fire simultaneously while pointed at their head for a real 5 seconds and then with the best posture you can manage say "the management of this establishment along with the other patrons in this auditorium would greatly appreciate your cooperation in refraining from the use of your cell phone during the presentation".

Trust me, the problem will stop.

Posted by Eric Robinson (Member # 2966) on 01-21-2010, 12:44 AM:

I used to have a boss (drunk most of the time) who would stop the movie and walk into the auditorium and kick any disruptive people out. It was great and I think the audience actually liked it. I have been tempted many a time to do the same thing when I look out the port window and see the people with their phones on through most if not all of the movie.

I forgot to mention he would start the movie back up. [Big Grin]

Posted by Ian Parfrey (Member # 5122) on 01-21-2010, 12:48 AM:

Brad.

[thumbsup]

....and subtle too.

118dB of "Turn your [sex]

ing phone off" goodness.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-21-2010, 03:34 AM:

quote: Brad Miller
with the best posture you can manage

I'd probably be too busy laughing to maintain posture! [Big Grin]

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-21-2010, 08:32 AM:

Firing a pair of those air horns would probably startle some of the compulsive text messaging ninnies bad enough to make them throw their phones up in the air.

Posted by Ian Parfrey (Member # 5122) on 01-21-2010, 10:58 AM:

quote: Bobby Henderson
Firing a pair of those air horns would probably startle some of the compulsive text messaging ninnies bad enough to make them throw their phones up in the air.

....making the phones ideal targets for Randy and his lead-tipped pacifiers. [evil]

This has promise.

Posted by Dominic Espinosa (Member # 2122) on 01-21-2010, 05:05 PM:

quote: Claude S. Ayakawa
If it was a typical younger movie patron, he would have just told me F--- Y--- and continued talking.

I had a grown man pull that with me a couple weekends ago with a noisy 2 year old in an R rated film.
After he insisted on the police being called to escort him from the theater (he was offered a full refund AND re-admits to come back for a film that might interest the youngster more) he turned out to be related to a sub-contractor employed by one of our technology partners who felt it was appropriate to seek me out and lecture me about having an open mind and not appreciating having the guy thrown out.

I have a 1 year old. She doesn't sit through movies at home so I'm not going to bring her to the theater to run around and make a fuss. Not even for the diaper-friendly shows where that sort of thing is allowed. Not yet at least.

I think my mind is pretty open...

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 01-21-2010, 05:23 PM:

quote: Dominic Espinosa
he turned out to be related to a sub-contractor employed by one of our technology partners who felt it was appropriate to seek me out and lecture me about having an open mind and not appreciating having the guy thrown out.

Wow, I would have reported that person to your "technology partner" and request that they not be sent back to the building again.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 01-23-2010, 09:32 AM:

quote: Dominic Espinosa
he turned out to be related to a sub-contractor employed by one of our technology partners who felt it was appropriate to seek me out and lecture me about having an open mind and not appreciating having the guy thrown out.

Looks like the perfect opportunity to sell the contractor and sub-contractor the naming rights to the new crying room you will construct with their money [evil]

Posted by Thomas Pitt (Member # 4322) on 02-10-2010, 06:46 PM:

It may have been mentioned before, but in this country we often have an Orange 'gold spot' commercial just before the movie itself starts. This usually involves a good premise for a movie, being completely ruined by the Orange bosses adding cellphones to it (such as the 'fastest texter' in the old west). I seem to remember some other ones from a long time ago where during shooting of a period film, a cellphone went off in one of the actor's pockets - often as they were about to shoot an arrow or something!

These are pretty good from what I've seen; people get their phones out and turn them off. But there are still plenty of people who I see lit up by the glow from their phone, and sometimes even texting without paying much attention to the movie!

Short of installing illegal cell-jamming equipment, there's not much that can be done to deter them...

Posted by Deborah Longoria (Member # 4455) on 02-13-2010, 10:43 PM:

At our theater we have a zero tolerance for cell phones.

When I first became manager our theater would glow with cell phones, then we started making announcements, individually approaching users and several times we even asked the kids to hand them over and told them that they could pick up the phones at the end of the movie. One night we had 6 cell phones at the counter.

One of my staff was actually called the Cell Phone Nazi by the high schoolers because she would wear all black and sneak into the movies to catch the cell users. Now we rarely have to tell anyone, unless they're new to the theater.