This is topic film companies have no idea what movie theatres DO in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Melanie Loggins (Member # 6454) on 10-11-2012, 10:32 AM:
 
I'm so frustrated and amused at the same time, and I don't even know if this is the right thread for this, but I felt like I wanted to pass this along so we all know what we're up against.

I open movies on Thursday, not Friday, and my keys generally unlock my movies on Tuesday or Wednesday. There is one company, though, that only gives me keys to unlock at 12:01am Thursday morning. I find this frustrating because if I do have a problem with a drive, I will have almost no choice but to cancel a show and wait for a new drive to arrive Friday.

This week I wanted to do my QC on Wednesday night because I do actually try to have a bit of a life sometimes and Thursday didn't look like it was going to work. And, as luck would have it, I'm showing a film from the Thursday morning key company. So, I called Technicolor and asked if it was even possible to get a new key, one that would open even 8 hours earlier. I've had to ask for different versions or 7.1 instead of 5.1, but never more time. Anyway, they called me a couple hours later, said it was no problem, and sent me new keys.

Three hours after that, I get a phone call from the film company's sales rep ripping me a new one. "YOU ARE NOT allowed to do that!" she says. (Well, how the hell would I know?) I tried to explain why I even asked, and she yelled at me that she had been in a meeting and someone else approved that and she never would have and did I know that it had to go through FOUR people to get approved? (So, um, if this is forbidden, wouldn't one of those four have said no?) (And, really, four levels of authority? I think we might have a bloated middle management here.) But, I can handle histrionic women. It's not me, it's them. So, this company WILL NOT ALLOW me to have more time. Got it. But this is the part that really made me think for the rest of the day. And this is as near to verbatim as I can remember:

Me: Well, I won't have time to do any quality control tomorrow, so I just wanted a few more hours. I swear, I didn't know that wasn't okay.
Her: If you want to do quality control, we can send you trailers. You open the movie tomorrow, and if you play the movie today, I will have to charge you for another day!
Me: Well, I check the volume levels and framing and everything for each movie, and I need to make sure the movie, like, plays, and I really like to do quality control BEFORE the day of the movie, so if there is a problem I can get a new drive.
Her (slowly and condescendingly): If you need to test something, we can send you trailers.
Me: Look, I know my projector works. I know my server works. What I don't know is if that movie on that drive works.
Her: Well, of course it works. Those are brand new drives. That movie just came out 2 weeks ago.
Me: (pause) You know they reuse all those drives, right? I don't think I've ever gotten a brand new drive.
Her: (pause) Well, you cannot do that.
Me: Okay. I won't.

Okay, so she doesn't understand her own billing system (I don't get charged per day but PER TICKET SOLD) and SHE DIDN'T KNOW HOW THE WHOLE MOVIE DELIVERY WORKS!!! How is she supposed to sell me something if she doesn't know how it works?

I'm still pissed about this.
 

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Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 10-11-2012, 11:55 AM:
 
As well you should be.

And yes, the suits don't have a clue. It's a pity you (we?) aren't in a position to tell someone like that to f**k off and just cancel the damn movie.

I don't know how booking and keys work with DCP's, but is it possible for you to submit in writing for every film you book that you demand the key open the film at least 36 hours before the first show? It really is time that the smaller theatres got their voices heard on this whole system that's been forced upon them.

Though really, getting a life of your own? Be serious
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-11-2012, 01:03 PM:
 
I know the studio suits don't really care about us and THAT frustrates me to no end. I have a retail day job, and we give the same good service to the one-time customer as we do to our steady big customers. It's just not good business to do otherwise.

What's weird is that they won't give you a QC day if you open on a Thursday. Hell, the hard drives come with a note ASKING you to QC the film, so how can you do it and be expected to fix a problem with no extra day? It makes no sense at all.

Maybe you should just book your movies with that company to open on Wednesday, turn in zero grosses for that day, and if you get a phone call asking WTF, explain that is your QC day since they won't give you one any other way.
 

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Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 10-11-2012, 03:24 PM:
 
Let me ask you this, Melanie... when was the last time you had a problem with a digital file that required a new one be sent?
 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 10-11-2012, 03:36 PM:
 
Edward--when was the last time you worked at a second-run theatre, repertory house, film festival, historic theatre, nontheatrical venue, screening room, or any type of motion-picture exhibition business other than a mainstream, first-run multiplex?

The first-run houses pull in the $$$, and problems with delivery (film, tape, DCP, etc.) are rare there. But there is a huge chunk of the exhibition industry that exists outside of that mold, where problems can and do occur with greater frequency, and where a single lost screening can result in permanent loss of customers.
 

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Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 10-11-2012, 05:20 PM:
 
I had a bad copy of "The Thing" sent to me around the tail end of last year. It got to a certain point in the ingest and said "Exception". And that was it. By the time I got a new drive it was Saturday morning. So no show that Friday night.

I've had issues a few times with keys. "Bridesmaids" was one that I had to get new keys emailed to me, and I know there were a few this year as well but I can't remember the titles offhand.

The tech that was here a couple of weeks ago told me that someone also he deals with had a problem with "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" where the movie would play starting with reel two; the start of the movie wouldn't play at all. Some problem with the key for reel one. Apparently DCP's are still divided up into reels somehow and each one has a key or part of the key, which is something that I didn't know before.

So it's well worth the time to play your movie through and watch the whole thing before showing it to the public. At least that way you know what you've got. I have watched every minute of every movie that I've played here since I got the digital cinema before playing it for the public, and I plan to continue to do so.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-11-2012, 07:21 PM:
 
Out of about 150 movies we've played since the digital switch, I've had problems with exactly one: Red Tails, (dist. by Deluxe) which would play about 3 minutes and then jump back to the very beginning of the whole playlist.

I've never had a problem with a key yet.
 

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Posted by Melanie Loggins (Member # 6454) on 10-11-2012, 09:21 PM:
 
Edward, I haven't yet. But you know what? I'm proud of my theatre. I work hard to make sure everything is perfect. I'm not running an anonymous multi-plex in a big city. I'm running a theatre is very much the heart of of our downtown. I live in a very small town and this theatre was rebuilt through donations and volunteer labor, so people here town feel are proud that we have such a great theatre, and they are very personally connected to it. If anything goes wrong, I would hear about it, and I feel a responsibility to make sure it stays as perfect as it was the day we opened. And I still get people here who haven't been in since it reopened almost two years ago. If those people showed up and the movie was cancelled, they would never come back. I don't think it's asking too much to have time to make sure that doesn't happen.
 

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 10-11-2012, 10:02 PM:
 
Yes, your DCP should JUST WORK. You shouldn't have to pre-screen. BUT...

How many times have I been handed a DVD or a Blu-Ray to play that should have JUST WORKED but, instead froze up when it was played?

How many times have I been faced with computers to present PowerPoints to an audience which should have JUST WORKED but which crashed in the middle of a lecture with a house full of people?

How many times have I received 35mm prints that should have JUST PLAYED but which had bad soundtracks that didn't show up until Friday on opening weekend with a house packed full of people?

I can't tell you how many times I have been called into the office when a disc, fresh from the case and untouched by human hands until I put it into the player, froze up mid-show.

I can remember at least two times when computers crashed in the middle of an important lecture, after which I was questioned why this happened.

These things should NOT HAPPEN but they do. Blu-Ray players shouldn't just lock up but they do. Computers aren't supposed to crash but they do. Maybe it doesn't happen every day but it happens often enough that the prudent person should be on the lookout for it.

Now, we're talking about digital cinema technology that is largely untested as compared to film or even DVD/Blu-Ray players. Engineers and designers have gone to great lengths to be sure that these machines are as reliable as possible. Still, hard drives crash. Computers crash. Things go wrong and there is no way to prevent them from going wrong.

They're supposed to JUST WORK but, sometimes, they JUST DON'T WORK.

Now, people are trying to tell us that we can't test our equipment before we attempt to show it to a paying audience?

Ludicrous!
 

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Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 10-12-2012, 04:46 AM:
 

quote: Scott Norwood

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Edward--when was the last time you worked at a second-run theatre, repertory house, film festival, historic theatre, nontheatrical venue, screening room, or any type of motion-picture exhibition business other than a mainstream, first-run multiplex?

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quote: Melanie Loggins

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I'm not running an anonymous multi-plex in a big city.

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quote: Melanie Loggins

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But you know what? I'm proud of my theatre. I work hard to make sure everything is perfect...

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Before you start jumping to conclusions about why I was asking or how I was going to respond...

It's not asking too much to have time to make sure problems don't happen with your presentation, but if there is going to be a problem, you'll probably know about the problem before you get to the QC. I can still count on one thumb the number of issues I've had with a bad DCP file (of the 150GBs of information for a major Thanksgiving release last year, somehow the last 1K of info didn't get uploaded), and I was able to get a replacement file uploaded to my LMS within ten minutes of discovering the issue, three days before the movie opened. Yeah, I QCed that one fully, but for the most part, I only QC now to verify all the lighting and masking cues were inserted in the right places and to check the first two or three minutes of the movie. Cause when you do run a multiplex, regardless of the size of the town, you sometimes don't have the time to QC five new features, like I have this weekend, even if the keys unlock several days in advance (as usually Disney movies do).

I have no doubts that every single person in our business who participates in these forums wants nothing less than the absolute best for their theatres and their patrons. I applaud your desire to make sure everything is perfect for your customers. I do as well, despite having returned to college this fall for the first time in twenty-five years. I trust my managers to be able to pick up the slack. Maybe one of those volunteers can be trained to do a QC, so you can enjoy other activities from time to time.

Just a thought. Take it or leave it. It's all good.
 

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Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 10-12-2012, 04:23 PM:
 
Melanie. try to ignore Edward's attitude and read the meaning of what he is trying to say. His condescending attitude is well known on here. I have learned to apply a filter to what he posts, because he does post some useful info now and then.

Edward: Did you stop to think that not every theatre HAS an LMS to be able to do quick downloads to? A lot of places have stand-alone servers. Brad will easily vouch for the FACT that bad drives can and do pop up, (in fact there is a thread on here about that) and more often than in your corner of the world. It has happened several times to folks here on the Bel-Air circuit (home screening rooms) so it is not impossible or unlikely to happen to an independent theatre. If they don't care enough to send NEW drives out to the Bel-Air circuit, they sure as hell aren't going to bother to do it for smaller operations.

Back to the main point of this thread: A studio with a shitty attitude and a complete lack of understanding of how things work.

I like Mike's idea:

quote: Mike Blakesley

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Maybe you should just book your movies with that company to open on Wednesday, turn in zero grosses for that day, and if you get a phone call asking WTF, explain that is your QC day since they won't give you one any other way.

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Or, better yet, make the first show of your scheduled opening day be your QC show, report zero grosses on it and sell tickets anyway. If they holler, tell them to go get

BTW, unlike your tech thread, this is one where you should at least name the studio/distrb invovled.
 

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Posted by Melanie Loggins (Member # 6454) on 10-13-2012, 09:08 AM:
 
Yeah, Tony, I let him distract me from the point, since key issues are nothing new and not unique to my situation. The thing that amazed me was that this (WB) rep thought we got brand new hard drives for each movie. It sounds like a small detail, but it really told me how little they understand. If I'm going to buy a car, I would like to think that the person selling it to me has some idea of what it takes to put gas in that car. Sure, they're not selling me the gas, but it's an essential part of using the product they are selling me. If she thinks that... what else does she think?
 

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 10-13-2012, 10:44 AM:
 
Most of the people at call centers like that are minimum wage flunkies with an average job span of about three months.

No wonder they don't know squat! Yet, they act like they have ultimate authority... Dipshits!
 

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Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 10-13-2012, 12:19 PM:
 

quote: Tony Bandiera Jr

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His condescending attitude is well known on here. I have learned to apply a filter to what he posts, because he does post some useful info now and then.

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quote: Tony Bandiera Jr

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Edward: Did you stop to think that not every theatre HAS an LMS to be able to do quick downloads to? A lot of places have stand-alone servers. Brad will easily vouch for the FACT that bad drives can and do pop up, (in fact there is a thread on here about that) and more often than in your corner of the world. It has happened several times to folks here on the Bel-Air circuit (home screening rooms) so it is not impossible or unlikely to happen to an independent theatre. If they don't care enough to send NEW drives out to the Bel-Air circuit, they sure as hell aren't going to bother to do it for smaller operations.

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quote: Randy Stankey

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Now, we're talking about digital cinema technology that is largely untested as compared to film or even DVD/Blu-Ray players. Engineers and designers have gone to great lengths to be sure that these machines are as reliable as possible. Still, hard drives crash. Computers crash. Things go wrong and there is no way to prevent them from going wrong.

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quote: Mike Frese

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Why open on Thursdays? I can see many headaches from that. Box office reporting, national Internet showtimes listings.

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quote:

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whether I ingested Alex Cross yesterday or wouldn't have been able to do so until Tuesday, whatever system management software is being using on an LMS or individual cinema server would still show if the file ingested was corrupted and not ingested properly as soon as ingestion was completed and the list of content on said server refreshed.

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quote: Jack Ondracek

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I fully understand the group I'm asking, and its loyalty to all-things-film. However, I wonder at what point would you guys suggest that it's time to set aside the "digital stuff is untested - unproven" argument? Sometimes, I feel like this will come up until the computer gear has been around 100 years... probably not likely.

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I understand what you're talking about but my arguement is about the "digital cliff." You often don't know that a digital movie has gone wrong until it's too late.

With film, you can see the meida and, if there is a problem, you usually have a chance to fix it beforehand. With digital, you can't see the data. You have little or no chance to decide if there is a problem and what to do about it until after something bad has happened.

I can't count the number of times a DVD, a Blu-Ray, a player, a digital file, a computer, a digital projector or some type of digital equipment has gone wrong right before a show and left me in the lurch.

I try hard to make all my presentations as good as I can and I hate the feeling that people are looking down their nose at me when something digital decides to spite me. I always get questioned afterward and the only thing I can do is put my hands in the air and say, "Sometimes computers crash."

(I HATE having to say that!)

There are always the questions: Can you clean the disk? Can you check the hard drive? Can you pre-screen the show? Can you do X, Y or Z?"

Yes, I do those things but, even when I do, there are STILL unexpected problems and the questions start all over again.

I can not say that I have fewer problems with film than digital movies but, most often, there is something I can do when things go wrong: I can fix a splice. I can reframe. I can quickly readjust the projector, the platter or film rollers.

I have reset film loops while the projector was running. I have fixed exciter lamps or analog sound readers, barely missing a beat. I have tweaked settings on Dolby Digtal or DTS units without interrupting the show.

Not to say that you can't make such adjustments while the show is going but you usually can't directly observe your actions and make adjustments without risking substantial interruption to the show.

Even if I do interrupt a film presentation, I can pick up again, virtually where I left off.

Blow up a Blu-Ray presentation and you have to wait for the player to boot, the disk to load and you have to go through all the trailers, advertisements and FBI warnings again before you can even search for the point in the movie where you left off.

With DCP, you have more flexibiltiy in this matter but you still have to do more fussing around to get back to your starting point than you do with film.

The movie industry, at large, has much more experience in dealing with problems that occur on film than they do with digital. I think this is evidenced in the several high profile failures that we have seen in recent news where digital movies have gone wrong, resulting in the cancellation of some important shows.

The main problem, as I see it, is not with the reliability or unreliability of one medium over another. It is with the experience we have of dealing with problems when they occur.

Maybe it will take 100 years for the movie undustry to develop that experience.

Until then, whether it takes 10 or 20 or more years, I think it's perfectly reasonable to request that studios let us pre-screen movies to make sure they are ready to be presented to a paying audience.
 

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Posted by Melanie Loggins (Member # 6454) on 10-15-2012, 08:28 AM:
 
And as a lovely coda to this story, I had to ask this woman a question the very next day, and now I need to book one of her company's movies in a couple of weeks (I hope) and I need to talk to her about opening a movie on the break - which I have only done once before - in December. Of all the people I could have hoped to work with so much this fall, she is on the bottom of the list and, now, disinclined to acquiesce. Sigh. I just hope she can be an adult about it. My heart just sank a little lower every time I double-checked the distributor on one of these movies and it was WB every time.
 

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Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 10-15-2012, 09:55 AM:
 
Well Melanie, look at the bright side. You may be such a small account that she doesn't even remember talking to you
 

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Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 10-15-2012, 12:14 PM:
 

quote: Mike Blakesley

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The one movie I had trouble with would pass all the server's "tests" -- it would show in the list as being playable, the "quick verify" and regular verify test would pass, but it would still start the playlist over when the feature hit the 3:00-or-so mark.

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quote: Edward Havens

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Thanks, Tony. Did you ever stop to think that a problem hard drive or problem file would still be a problem regardless of whether it's ingested on to an LMS or on to a stand-alone server?

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Of course I did. But you complain about me calling you condescending and you post that?

quote: Edward Havens

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Yes, I know I am very fortunate that my multiplex in a town of 52,500 now gets 90% of its content from Technicolor's Thingest system or Deluxe's Echostar system. I'm fortunate to have a centralized LMS to store all those files. And I'm fortunate to be able to get movie files now up to a week before the start of the playdates because of all these tools that not everyone has yet. But that matters only a little in this discussion.

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quote: Randy Stankey

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Maybe it will take 100 years for the movie undustry to develop that experience.

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LOL now THAT has to be the Forum's Freudian slip of the year!! With the attitude of Maleanie's WB rep that is a fitting description of where this business is headed.
 

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Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 10-15-2012, 01:04 PM:
 

quote: Tony Bandiera Jr

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Of course I did. But you complain about me calling you condescending and you post that?

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quote: Tony Bandiera Jr

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Wrong. It matters a great deal to this discussion. Since you have the Thingest and Echostar you can immediately re-download the damaged files. Melanie, like most locations, has to WAIT for a replacement drive to be PHYSICALLY SENT to her.

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quote: Tony Bandiera Jr

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You need to stop and think before you speak.

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quote: Edward Havens

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Actually, Tony, it doesn't matter. Regardless of how one gets the file, one can see if the file is damaged or unplayable before one QCs the file.

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quote: Mike Blakesley

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The one movie I had trouble with would pass all the server's "tests" -- it would show in the list as being playable, the "quick verify" and regular verify test would pass, but it would still start the playlist over when the feature hit the 3:00-or-so mark. I've never had this happen again since but it DID happen and the only "sign" of trouble was the drive was very slow ingesting.

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And, to be fair, even if your position was 100% correct, it does NOT change the fact that YOU can do an immediate download, where Melanie and most others have to WAIT for a replacement drive. What part of that very simple FACT are you unable to grasp?

You really need to let your personal hard-on against me go and man up and admit you are WRONG in this case.
 

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 10-15-2012, 06:49 PM:
 
You can't verify a digital file until you play it: Any digital file, from any source, on any media or on any system whether it's a DCP, a DVD/Blu-Ray, a computer file, a digital tape, an internet download or anything.

The file can pass a CRC check. It can pass an MD5/SHA check. It can pass an on-disk verification. You can store it on a RAID system. You can use a journaled drive.

Maybe you got a "mathematically correct" file that checks out okay but, for some reason does not contain a complete movie? Maybe you got a complete movie but it's not formatted correctly. Maybe the metadata that ties the DCP package all together isn't correct so, even when the movie plays, it comes out wrong, somehow?

You can't see the "1s" and "0s" on the drive but, even if you could, you still can't tell if all those bits add up to a complete movie until you play them on the screen.

I'm not saying that these things happen with any more or less frequency than they would with film. In fact, theoretically, at least, these problems should happen LESS frequently with digital but that's not the point.

With a reel of film, I can check it. I can look at it. I can see if it's right. I can pre-screen it. If I so choose, I can look at every frame with a microscope.

I can take all reasonable means to ensure that I have done everything in my power to ensure that the customer gets to see the movie that he paid for, on time and, in good quality.

The movie studios go to great lengths to tell us that digital video will make all our problems seem to evaporate, that quality will be better and movies will be better than ever.

Then they turn around and tell us that we can't check our movies before the first showtime, we can't ensure that the customer gets his money's worth, we can't run our business the way we see fit and that we just have to trust them.

When was the last time you believed a Hollywood executive when he said, "Trust me."?

Maybe "undustry" was the right thing to call it?
 

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Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 10-15-2012, 07:39 PM:
 
I'm not ignoring it, Tony. In fact, you seem to have ignored something in the item you quoted from Mike: an admitted sign of trouble.

Look, I get you don't "like" me. That's cool. But you admittedly hate digital and you seemingly look for any excuse to show how "bad" digital can be. It makes anything you write about digital immediately tainted.

And you seem to ignore a very important part of the discussion: the fact that Melanie has not had a problem with digital, yet.

I hope she never does.

I admit I am fortunate to have these extra tools to get my films to my location quicker. But the one or two times I did have a legitimate issue with a hard drive or a download, I caught it quickly enough to get replacements before it caused a down show, because I pay attention to the details when I am doing my server work. I regularly check up on my ingests and uploads while I handle my other duties. Which is not to say anyone else is less observant or detail oriented. Just that I know the potential problems and try to make sure they happen as few times as possible.

Would it be nice to have keys unlock an extra day or two early? Hell yeah, it would. Would it be nice if studio reps had any idea of what movie theatres do? They actually do (a number of them have come from exhibition) but they just do what their company and their bosses tell them to do. Their companies and bosses are just doing whatever they can to minimize the very real problem of piracy. Does piracy come from theatres doing QC shows? I have seen zero evidence of it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't now nor does it mean it wouldn't happen more if keys unlocked a day or two earlier. Frankly, I don't understand why I need keys for movies like Lawrence of Arabia or The Godfather, but I do, and those studios have very right to protect their copyrighted material as they see fit. And theatre operators have the right to not play the materials of those studios who they feel are not playing fair.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-15-2012, 07:58 PM:
 

quote: Edward Havens

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And theatre operators have the right to not play the materials of those studios who they feel are not playing fair.

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quote: Edward Havens

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Actually, Tony, it doesn't matter. Regardless of how one gets the file, one can see if the file is damaged or unplayable before one QCs the file.

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That's not true. On a GDC you can run the quick verification or the full blown verification and STILL find on opening day your show is corrupted.

Then again we've had a LOT of instances where the GDCs ran a show for days and then all of a sudden in the middle of a day the content just became corrupted (similar to what Mike experienced) out of nowhere and we had to delete it and re-push it from the library. I've not had that problem with other servers.
 

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Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 10-16-2012, 12:15 PM:
 
Thank you Brad.

Oh,and Edward, you mention my hate of D-Cinema, you obviously haven't been paying attention as I have crossed over to the Dark Side. Seven installs and I have 4 more pending.
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 10-16-2012, 01:09 PM:
 
I actually wasn't picking sides there. You children can go fight it out amongst yourselves. I was merely pointing out my frustration with the GDC system of checking content.
 

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Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 10-16-2012, 01:13 PM:
 

quote: Brad Miller

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Then again we've had a LOT of instances where the GDCs ran a show for days and then all of a sudden in the middle of a day the content just became corrupted (similar to what Mike experienced) out of nowhere and we had to delete it and re-push it from the library.

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quote: Tony Bandiera Jr

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you obviously haven't been paying attention as I have crossed over to the Dark Side

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quote: Edward Havens

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And you seem to ignore a very important part of the discussion: the fact that Melanie has not had a problem with digital, yet.

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quote: Edward Havens

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And you seem to ignore a very important part of the discussion: the fact that Melanie has not had a problem with digital, yet.

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quote:

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"Your supervisor, please!"

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Hear, hear!

BTW: Call me a nut, but this last weekend I checked out a BluRay here at the house the day before some friends were to come over and watch it.
 

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Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 10-17-2012, 11:57 AM:
 
Ok Jim, you're a nut. But it is a good idea to QC any DVD or Blu Ray. Even then I've still had some surprises.
 

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Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 10-17-2012, 02:03 PM:
 

quote: Scott Norwood

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But she does have a problem: she can't pre-view her movies before there is a paying audience in her theatre.

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quote: Tony Bandiera Jr

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... But it is a good idea to QC any DVD or Blu Ray. Even then I've still had some surprises.

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quote: Edward Havens

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It's not just as convenient for Melanie as she would prefer.

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quote: Mike Blakesley

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No, there IS a problem. She opens movies on Thursday. But one company is giving her keys that don't unlock until Thursday, 12:01 AM. So even if she does her QC testing at 12:02 AM, and discovers a problem, she's going to lose the Thursday night's shows and have to wait until Friday to get a replacement drive.

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quote: Edward Havens

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I had to drive to San Jose (46mi each way) at least once every couple months to pick up a print from one of the Century domes or the Town and Country that my theatre didn't open on the break, often after 1AM on a Thursday night/Friday morning. And I did it happily, because it was a part of the job.

There are always other options.

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quote: Mike Blakesley

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Maybe you just have a Tom-Petrovian complex about admitting you are wrong.

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LOL Quote of the year.
 

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Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 10-18-2012, 04:48 PM:
 
Okay, Mike, you got me on that one. I acquiesce. But I am not firmly on the side of the studio on this issue. I am on the side of common sense, and seeing all available options. Melanie has more options than you when it comes to dealing with the possibility of a bad drive, just as I have more options than Melanie, just as a theatre operator in Los Angeles or New York has more options than I.

And the differences between Tom and I is that I am at least occasionally correct (even Tony can admit to that ) and that I can occasionally admit defeat.

quote: Tony Bandiera Jr

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Glad to see I'm not the only one who KNOWS Edward is WRONG. I was staying out of this for a while becuse Edward's trolling was becoming really annoying, and it's better to let a fool show his hand without any help.

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quote: Kris Verhanneman

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It would be nice to hear the other side of the story.
Maybe the woman at the distributor side had a bad day.
Or some other bigger problems.

Has it never happen to you girls and boys that you have an big issue at hand and that you 'talk' a bit hard to somebody at the phone. Afterwards you often think that it wasn't his or her fault and you should not have been like that.

I know I have ...

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