Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: I Hate...

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Posted by Manuel Francisco Valencia (Member # 710) on 11-03-2002, 02:09 AM:

Had a bad day so I must bitch to blow off steam. If anyone else feels the same, then feel free.

I Hate..

...managers who send all concessionist but two home one hour before close on a busy Sat night.
...managers who take an hour to check the closing duties of box office employees when it only takes twenty minutes.
...managers who try to get off early just about every day they work and bitch because they do not get enough hours.
...customers who wait until they get to the front of the concession line and then begin thinking about what they want.
...customers who "know I got the money here somewhere."
...customers who wait till they get to the front of the box line and want to know "what you got starting right now?"
...customers who come out of the auditorium with a winter coat on and ask if you can turn the heat down.
...anyone who thinks it is wrong for all morons to be taken out in the middle of a field and shot.

I could go on but it has been a long day and I want sleep.

Forgive me Father.
Amen.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 11-03-2002, 02:37 AM:

Join the crowd...

Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 11-03-2002, 03:13 AM:

I have been advocating the shooting all morons campaign for years. It is time to carry that out already!

Dave

Posted by Ray Brown (Member # 1449) on 11-03-2002, 09:12 AM:

quote:
...customers who wait until they get to the front of the concession line and then begin thinking about what they want.

And they stand right in the way of a crowd who knows what they want.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 11-03-2002, 01:01 PM:

....and they wander around aimlessly like a herd of cows....in a complete daze completely unaware of their surroundings.

Posted by Ray Brown (Member # 1449) on 11-03-2002, 01:51 PM:

Teenage girls have got to be the worst. They wander around bumping into each other. And then they start in with the gigles....

Posted by Jacob Huber (Member # 1138) on 11-03-2002, 02:18 PM:

Man is smart, people are stupid.

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 11-03-2002, 06:53 PM:

Slightly off topic but related to the people at the cocessions: the concept of having one cash register in the supermarket where you can pay quickly if you just have two cans of beer was introduced here only quite recently. Of course it took a year for the majority of people to understand the huge sign which said, quick paying for up to 8 articles. Now that most seemed to have grasped the concept, everybody is paying with their eurocheque or credit card for a coke and a pack of cigarettes...

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-03-2002, 09:48 PM:

...people who come to the window during an R-rated movie, kids in tow, and say "Is it really THAT BAD?"

...people who come in 45 minutes after the scheduled showtime and say "Has it started yet?" or "Have we missed much?"

...people who think the aisles are soundproof

...people who don't believe the "sold out" sign and ask "You have room for TWO MORE don't you?"

...people who call in and ask if it's OK if their little kid can come to the R-rated movie because the parents are out of town (or other such nonsense)

...cell phones

...etc etc

Posted by Ray Brown (Member # 1449) on 11-03-2002, 10:01 PM:

quote:
...people who come in 45 minutes after the scheduled showtime and say "Has it started yet?" or "Have we missed much?"

I had one come in 30 minutes after the show started today.

Posted by Jacob Huber (Member # 1138) on 11-03-2002, 11:02 PM:

I remember on one occasion, our last movie was at 10:30. A couple came in at about 11:45 and insisted on purchasing tickets for it.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 11-04-2002, 02:00 AM:

...people who fail to turn their mobile 'phones off when entering an auditorium, and/or who use them during a film. For them, the shooting in a field option is too quick and painless. Saw Spartacus yesterday which gave me an excellent idea for how to deal with them: crucify the buggers. Nail 'em up, and nail the cellphones up with them!

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 11-04-2002, 02:18 AM:

...theaters with bad presentations in general, but specifically:
*dirty prints
*scratched prints
*sloppy splices
*poor or uneven light on the image
*stray lights from EXIT signs or aisle lights
*bad sound
*undercut apertures, or noticeably overcut apertures
*sloppy printing from the lab resulting in a shaky image
*"green tinted" prints where white objects such as a T-shirt are green
*poor acoustics resulting in echo
*port windows that leak sound into the auditorium

Also annoying...
*seats that have their armrests so low that it forces you to sit with your knees pressed together
*insufficient legroom between rows of seats
*super narrow seats
*ceiling lights left on during the show, even if only a glow (side wall lights ONLY people!)
*managers who seem to think that 75 degrees is plenty cool for an auditorium (this is most commonly found in theaters with all 3 examples of hated seats above...we aren't sardines!)
*corporate people who seem to think that anything under 120 degrees is plenty cool for the booth (aka: corporate penny pinchers with a death wish)
*theaters that purchase super cheap equipment, perform no maintenance themselves, do not pay anyone to service the equipment, then yell so loud that they raise the dead when they lose a show.
*theaters that do not keep at LEAST one spare new xenon bulb of each size in the building, and then complain when they lose a couple day's worth of shows due to an early bulb failure.
*booths without at least some kind of sound absorption (carpet and ceiling tiles preferred, but at LEAST one or the other please)
*booths with stairs between projectors
*managers who like to move prints on a daily basis for no valid reason (such as during the weekdays between auditoriums that only have a 20 seat difference...this usually happens most frequently in theaters with stairs for some reason)

I could go on, but I'm getting annoyed at thinking about this. I may edit more annoyances into this later.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 11-04-2002, 08:13 AM:

True story: We are sitting watching THE MATRIX when about half way through the show, a woman a few rows behind us gets a cell call. She answers it -- the first ominous sign. Everyone in my party thinks, OK, she forgot to turn it off, surely she will dispatch of the call in a few seconds. Much to our disbelief, she explains in a voice that can be heard in every part of the room, that she is watching THE MATRIX, exclaims how handsome Keanu Reaves is, and then proceeds to give a running commentary of what's happening on the screen, scene by scene. But the kicker is, when people from all over the theatre began telling her to shut up and take it outside, this imbecile started ARGUING about her "right" to do what she wanted because she paid her ticket the same as everyone else.

Taking her out in a field and shooting her would be much too lenient a punishment.

And Mike B., "People who think the aisles are soundproof" -- that's got to be the best yet. I am going to add that to our Theatre Courtesy sign.... that along with all the other house rules about no cells, no beepers, no recording devices, no rustling of candy wrappers....and the new addition: Please be aware that the aisles are not soundproof!

Frank

Never underestimate the stupidity of people in groups.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 11-04-2002, 08:41 AM:

An update to the crucifixion idea: nail 'em up ('phones and all) either side of the queue for the box office, just like Crassus did with Spartacus' army along the road to Rome. Any customer contemplating using one in the theatre should then get the message...

Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 11-04-2002, 09:44 AM:

- Automation systems that fail, resulting in a projection starting in mono, with the lights on, and Scope pictures projected with the flat lens and aperture.

- Usherettes who tell you that the doors to the auditorium must stay wide open for security reasons (it happened to me once, I then complained to the manager who regarded me as if I were a moron).

- Kids who run in the auditorium aisles from one end to the other and then backwards during the projection, and parents not having them stop.

- People who can't resist eating when they see a film. The noise of popcorn being chewed is a kind of Extended Surround which I don't appreciate. They don't eat when they go to a concert, to the opera or to see a play. So why eat at the movies?

- People who receive cell phone calls during the projection (and at other places like restaurants).

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 11-04-2002, 01:36 PM:

...and on trains.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 11-04-2002, 01:52 PM:

Patrons who suck all the liquid out of their giant soda cup, and then eat the remaining ice, tipping the cup up and down, up and down, up and down, and each time the sound of the ice slamming into the bottom of the cup makes enough noise to be heard in the lobby. In between the cup-tipping, they chew the ice as loudly as possible with their mouth wide open.

Also gum-snappers.

Posted by Matthew Bailey (Member # 601) on 11-04-2002, 02:57 PM:

Remember the two episodes of Sesame Street,one where Ernie was eating something during the movie & which annoyed Bert & everyone else or the second episode in the same theare where Ernie was acting scared,then crying,then laughing?

Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 11-04-2002, 03:50 PM:

I hate people who feel the need to let us all in on what we already know..

for example..

at my second viewing of THE RING....

WARNING SPOILER AHEAD...

When they find what the ring is... this guy says "hey thats the ring".

I followed it with "no shit sherlock", to which I was awarded a nice ovation.

This guy had been narrating the whole movie to his girlfriend, and after that he shut the hell up.

I really hate that guy, and others like him. If the director wanted a narrator, he would have put one in the film. If you think your date is too dumb to get it, then go see a disney film.

Dave

Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 11-04-2002, 06:01 PM:

quote:
If you think your date is too dumb to get it, then go see a disney film.

Disney? I think I'd rather get another date instead

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 11-04-2002, 06:02 PM:

Huh? Why can't people receive calls on trains? I only hate if if they don't squelch the ringing quickly or talk loudly. Otherwise I don't see why it's any different than someone conversing with their seatmate.

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 11-04-2002, 07:01 PM:

General Managers who don't know a nut from a bolt and who go for 4-6 months without stepping foot in the booth...unless they need to complain. Same type of person who takes all the credit for projects that they were not involved with (projection service work) and reaps the promotions and financial rewards w/o passing anything down to those who actually made it happen. Same type of manager who is the first to point fingers when something goes wrong...especially when that manager was the one to initiate the problem...and screws the subordinate in order to save his/her job.

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 11-04-2002, 07:17 PM:

Will, how can it be that you know my former assistant theater manager so well?

Posted by Ray Brown (Member # 1449) on 11-04-2002, 07:41 PM:

People who hang around and watch the ending credits when we need to lock up and get the theater ready for the next show.

Posted by Josh Jones (Member # 447) on 11-04-2002, 08:03 PM:

I'll have you know that I always watch the credits until the screen goes blank. I find it respectful to the people involved in the production, and quite frankly, I hate people that prevent me from watching the credits.

Josh

Posted by John Hazelton (Member # 898) on 11-04-2002, 08:09 PM:

I also hate it when people get up to leave as soon as the end credits start (or even before the credits start!), noisily blocking the screen and keeping others from reading the credits and hearing the end music.

The credits are just as much a part of the movie as any other part. I'm always pleased when the director has added a bonus "tag" scene at the end. It's sort of a reward to those of us who care who did what on the movie, where it was shot, and so on.

Having clean-up happening before the movie is over is irritating.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 11-04-2002, 08:11 PM:

quote:
People who hang around and watch the ending credits when we need to lock up and get the theater ready for the next show.

I hate when I've just seen a really good film that affects me in some way and I'm sitting there thinking about it while the ending credits and music play, and the cleaning crew rudely barges in. The paying customer deserves to see the last frame of film and hear the last note of music UNINTERRUPTED if they want to without being rushed out.

Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 11-04-2002, 08:14 PM:

I like to watch the end credits too. It's part of the film. I was angry when I saw "Young Sherlock Holmes" in the 1980's and the projectionist merely stopped the projection a few seconds before the end of the credits. Because of this, everyone missed the final scene of the film, which takes place AFTER the end credits. Ha! I didn't even know at that time, and only got aware when seeing the film again on TV...

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 11-04-2002, 08:56 PM:

I don't mind people staying and watching the credits... it's part of the movie and they did pay. But what I do hate is when they keep sitting there AFTER the screen goes blank to discuss... especially when it was the last show of the day to let out.

Perhaps managers need to allow more than 15 minutes between when the movie drops to when it starts again. But no, they must try to cram as many shows into a day as possible. So that's when the ushers rush into the auditorium to clean it the second the credits hit. All because of a manager who doesn't truly understand the movie theater biz. That's what I hate.

If the cleaning crew does this to you when you're trying to watch the credits, bitch about it to the management. If they are morons (which I'd say 90% of them are... you don't get into management by being smart) then flip them a double-fisted bird and insult their moms. You gotta act like a moron in order to deal with a moron

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 11-05-2002, 01:10 AM:

Joe,

I undertsand your comment but I am in "management" and I do not consider myslef a "Moron". I will agree that there are a percentage of managers who do not understand the booth, or what proper presentaion is for that matter but some of us do. What if I said "If 90% of projectionists were managers then all theatres would go broke." That is not true and it is not true that 90% of managers are morons... ony 85%.

Unfortunately sometimes your hands are tied. Say you have a movie like 8 Mile that you know will do good business at your tiny ten screen and you only have one print. You have take the opportunity to get as many rear ends in the seats as possible because you have budgets to meet etc.. So you schedule say only a half an hour between shows and say you have 300 people in the lobby waiting and 3 people watching the credits? I think the reasonable policy in this situation would be to start cleaning but ONLY BEHIND anyone who is still the theatre and as quiet as possible. Business is not a perfect world, and unfortunately theatres are a business. You have to do what you have to do sometimes.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 11-05-2002, 02:27 AM:

Steve - you're right, normal conversation isn't the issue. My bugbears are (i) the ringing noise, (ii) the constant 'bleep-bleep-bleep' as people (usually teenage girls) type in text messages, and (iii) people feeling the need to shout into their mobile 'phones at twice the normal speaking volume. You have a lot of people in a very enclosed space on trains, and with 5-10 of them at it in a carriage the noise drives me crazy.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 11-05-2002, 04:44 AM:

Sean,

I certainly am not saying that you are a moron. You may fall into that 10 (or 15) percent. 10 percent of so many people is still quite a large amount. And I wasn't referring to the amount of knowledge that managers have of the booth. I am referring to the way many managers treat customers.

Again I am not saying that you are a moron, but all managers will insist that they are not morons!

Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 11-05-2002, 11:13 AM:

quote:
Same type of person who takes all the credit for projects that they were not involved with (projection service work) and reaps the promotions and financial rewards w/o passing anything down to those who actually made it happen.

Don't you know the six stages of any project?

1. Enthusiasm
2. Disillusionment
3. Panic & Hysteria
4. Search for the Guilty
5. Punishment of the Innocent
6. Praise & Honors for the Non-participants

Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 11-05-2002, 01:48 PM:

...noticable automation cues! This includes the reflective or barcode tape that flash on the screen, or improperly placed outboard cues that cause the picture to shift to the side and/or drop out the digital sound!
Also people who work at theatres who don't know or care about what they're doing.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 11-05-2002, 02:13 PM:

I feel so strongly about the credits as being part of the film that even when our Executive Director asked if I would turn down the sound at, get this, the end credits in WEST SIDE STORY, so one of the board members could make a speech, I refused. He should have been bitch slapped for even suggestion to cut that 4 minute reprise of the Bernstein score. Not only wouldn't I turn down the music for some stupid suit to give a speech, but I wouldn't bring up the house lights either. If the patrons want to leave, let them do it with just the isle and runner lights -- if they whack a shin bone, well, hey, thems the breaks -- sometimes the movie gods seek painful retribution for people who disrespect The Credits!

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 11-05-2002, 05:17 PM:

quote:
If the patrons want to leave, let them do it with just the isle and runner lights -- if they whack a shin bone, well, hey, thems the breaks -- sometimes the movie gods seek painful retribution for people who disrespect The Credits!

So according to that we should respect the credits and disrespect the customers who pay our checks and keep the theater operating? I just want to make sure I am understanding this correctly. You are saying that the safety of the customers who choose to leave during the credits doesn't mean anything compared to the list of people who worked on the film being displayed on the screen? Does this only apply to West Side Story or does this attitude towards people potentially getting hurt apply to all movies? Is it just in your theater? How about a theater with stadium seating where it is much easier to fall? Should we not be concerned about potential lawsuits and safety regulations in general, so long as we are respecting the credits? Please clarify your statement, because that is one of the craziest things I have ever heard in terms of our paying customers. God forbid anyone want to leave during the credits!

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 11-05-2002, 05:42 PM:

The fact is 95% of moviegoers get up and leave as soon as the credits roll, which is their right. Providing adequate lighting for their safety as they exit is a no-brainer.

Just let the credit-watchers do so in peace though.

Posted by Ray Brown (Member # 1449) on 11-05-2002, 08:01 PM:

Jeeeze guys I was just joking. Guess I should have thought twice before I typed that comment out. (Long day at the regular job and in a hurry to go watch Monday Nite Football) Didn't expect to come back to this 24 hours later.

To tell you the truth, I could care less either way if people watch the credits or not. I let them roll uninterupted untill the closing studio logo. I even had one guy sitting back and rock out to the closing music of XXX and found that very entertaining. I'm usually busy trying to catch the tail as it is coming thru the projector and not let it hit the floor.

Even though the theater has good isle lighting, I do beleive in raising the house lights at least half way for safety purposes.

Sorry if I offended anybody.

Posted by Josh Jones (Member # 447) on 11-05-2002, 09:29 PM:

Perhaps I jumped the gun a bit myself.

sorry.

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 11-05-2002, 11:04 PM:

back to the topic...

...people using "it's" when it should be "its". As a possessive (something that belongs to or is associated with something else) there is no apostrophe just like there is none in "his" and "hers." It only gets an apostrophe when it is a contraction of "it is" so if you imagine substituting "it is" in your sentence and it doesn't sound proper then drop the ' because it doesn't belong.

Of course when I make one of my myriad typos it's (yes, this passes the "it is" test so the ' stays) because I am just testing you!

"Now quit your jaw jacking and listen up! Mail Call will be right back!-- R.Lee Ermey

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 11-05-2002, 11:24 PM:

>>"The fact is 95% of moviegoers get up and leave as soon as the credits roll, which is their right."<<

Now where is THAT written in the Constitution? I don't think you will find it..the Right to leave during credits has not been approved by any state that I'm aware.

However, I think credits are much like a bibliography to a book...good for reference but in no way part of the story and non-essential. Back in the good old days...it was just THE END and possibly followed by "The Players."

Put the credits in the beginning and let it go at that...people will sit through those. Heck, it can be kinda fun to see just how far into the film the credits go. Some films intersperse them on and off for most of the 1st reel.

Steve

------------------
"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 11-06-2002, 12:59 AM:

Now Steve, you're just being picky. I think the point he was trying to make is that there is no law that says a moviegoer HAS to stay in their seat until the credits are over. Same thing, slightly different wording.

Posted by Manuel Francisco Valencia (Member # 710) on 11-06-2002, 01:59 AM:

Just a few thoughts.

For those that consider the credits to be non-essential or not a part of the movie at all then it would be alright for the projectionist to cut it off and splice them back on at breakdown time and absolutely no one will have a problem with it or just place the outboard cue at the beginning of the credits.

It is a part of the movie and if ushers come in and clean be it behind or infront of the customers making noise, the projectionist stopping the projector, customers blocking the way as they are leaving, etc. then the customers should be able to get a refund.

BUT

Both of these do not fly (sorry for being a little extreme). Many of us would say certain things and react in different ways to the scenarios above. This seems to be one of those things that a good reason could be given to go both ways.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 11-06-2002, 02:24 AM:

Ray, I edited my post. I think you were "hammered" enough...

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 11-06-2002, 02:42 AM:

I like to watch the credits... I dislike be hearded out of a theatre (on the way in is bad enough).

I'm willing to bet, though, that if shooting locations were listed at the start of the credits you would see FAR FEWER people stay till the end.

quote:
For those that consider the credits to be non-essential or not a part of the movie at all then it would be alright for the projectionist to cut it off and splice them back on at breakdown time

I don't know how many second run prints I've seen that have had the credits 'edited', where the 'projectionist' has cut the film after about 25' of titles and then cut again (usually out of frame) at the start of the Song Titles, throwing out everything in between.

Like Ron MacLean has been saying about NHL hockey lately, "Do we hate it that much that we want to make it shorter?"

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 11-06-2002, 03:25 AM:

quote:
...people using "it's" when it should be "its".

And also people using 'e.g.' ('exemplii gratia' = 'I give you an example') when they mean 'i.e.' ('id est' = 'that is') and vice-versa.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 11-06-2002, 09:43 AM:

Just to clarify, my theatre has safe illumination in its "show" state, even if the screen were black. So patrons are safe leaving at any time. Getting their shins whacked is wishful thinking on my part. And it wasn't the patrons who wanted the music cut, it was a moment of insanity on the part of management to try to appease a mucky-muck political hack. And come on, Joe, surely you could see that the tone of my post was done half tongue-in-cheek -- the movie gods exacting retribution?

And talk about misusing its and it's, here's one what I've heard PhDs, presidents of universities, keynote speakers at graduations and network news anchors, folks who should know better, miss time and time again. They pronounce "et cetera," as "EXcetera." Very embarrassing.

And back on topic -- I HATE IT....when guys take 4000w xenon bulbs and install them in their headlights.

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 11-06-2002, 09:46 AM:

Isn't part of the point of credit "cookies" to reward those who stay and watch them to the end? BTW, there is a cookie of sorts on the end of HP-2.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 11-06-2002, 01:29 PM:

Maybe, maybe not. It's always hard to tell with text. That's why Film-Tech has spent 15 years designing UBB forum icons to indicate sarcasm and the such.

You can find the list of icons here

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 11-06-2002, 01:44 PM:

Frank, you might want to look at that list of smileys Joe pointed out. I read your post the same way he did and was amazed that you were pro-customer accidents over keeping the lights down.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-06-2002, 03:07 PM:

I hate it when people spell "definitely" wrong. The most common one is "definately." It's all over the place.

I also hate when people say "I axed him if I could...." as opposed to "asked."

And to get it back into the movie business, I hate it when people refer to the movie projector as a "camera."

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 11-06-2002, 03:53 PM:

...or build theatres where the auditoria are referred to as "Studios."

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 11-07-2002, 01:52 PM:

Or the news reporters that say,

"And we'll be back .. in jest a moment."

Another thing that bugs me... Some technical friends of mine will see a movie that I haven't seen -- and I'll ask, "Was it flat or scope"? They won't know what that means, then I'll ask them if it had as aspect ratio of 1.85:1 or 2.39:1. They won't remember. It baffles me.

------------------
Evans A Criswell
here

Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 11-08-2002, 05:12 AM:

quote:
Another thing that bugs me... Some technical friends of mine will see a movie that I haven't seen -- and I'll ask, "Was it flat or scope"? They won't know what that means, then I'll ask them if it had as aspect ratio of 1.85:1 or 2.39:1. They won't remember. It baffles me.

When I was a student I had to explain the same to a fellow student. He told me that he had never noticed the difference in formats. Then he said "Great, so it's better to see a film in a theatre then! That's what I don't like on TV: they sometimes hide the top and bottom of the picture and you get those black bars. Why do they do that? Is it some kind of censorship for copyright matters, what?".

And when I went to see The Abyss in 70mm, there was a sticker "70mm" on the poster bill in the theatre shop window. I was queueing at the box office and two teens were before me. One of them told the other: "Hey look, 70 minutes! That's a short film!".

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 11-11-2002, 01:33 PM:

OK, today's hatred is directed towards leaders, head leaders in particular, whose black sections include not only framelines (good!) but a sort of frame outline that will project a white vertical line on the right side of the screen(bad!). I wouldn't mind it if it reverted to solid black for the last couple feet of the run-in section but a screening I'm running right now had it right up to the distributor's logo giving me no leeway to punch in. My solution was to use automation to give me a frame accurate start, after stupid white line but before the logo but I shouldn't have to resort to such extremes. Where are the SMPTE enforcers with their baseball bats?

Lest you think this is just a changeover house issue check out my notes about "Half Past Dead" in Feature Info. & Trailer Attachments. Dialog right on the head extending out on the leader means you either include a snippet of nasty white line leader in your platter build or you cut off dialog.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 11-11-2002, 02:27 PM:

Steve Kraus asked: "Where are the SMPTE enforcers with their baseball bats?"

Just because Steve Guttag is a Baltimore Orioles fan, doesn't mean he carries around a baseball bat.

Remember, SMPTE Standards are voluntary.

SMPTE 301M-1999 specifies Motion-Picture Film - Theater Projection Leader, Trailer and Cue Marks
here SMPTE Standards

The SMPTE sells master postives of the Theatrical Projection Leader specified by SMPTE 301M-1999:
here SMPTE Test Materials

Ideally, this master should be printed to make the BH-1866 perforated duplicate negatives that are spliced in as the leader for the original negative, and printed through onto each print. Done properly, the black sections SHOULD be black (neutral density greater than 1.95) with no extraneous "junk" in the projectable image area. Unfortunately, sometimes the leader used is not a first-generation dupe negative (i.e. a copy of a copy of a copy...) , or may not be printed to the specified dense neutrality.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243
e-mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: here

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 11-11-2002, 04:47 PM:

>>head leaders in particular, whose black sections include not only framelines (good!) but a sort of frame outline that will project a white vertical line on the right side of the screen(bad!)<<

DeLuxe (both labs) and Technicolor NYC are the leading culprits of this madness

-Aaron

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 11-12-2002, 03:52 AM:

quote:
I also hate when people say "I axed him if I could...." as opposed to "asked."

At least they only say it...

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 11-12-2002, 12:45 PM:

quote:
(iii) people feeling the need to shout into their mobile 'phones at twice the normal speaking volume.

This reminds me of a skit I saw on "Trigger Happy TV" where the man answers his GIANT cellphone in the auditorium and yells into it. "HELLO??? WHAT??? I'M AT THE CINEMA!!! THE CI-NE-MA! YES!!! YOU'RE CRACKING UP, HANG ON!"

As for the credits situation, I hate people that leave BEFORE the credits. Like when it's a sold-out show, and the movie is just getting to the point where you know the actors will just exchange some witty dialogue and the music will fade up as the camera pans off into the sky, and there's a handfull of morons pushing and shuffeling through the rows to get out. Are these people trying to beat the crowd out of the parking lot? If they were in such a hurry to get home, why the hell did they plan to go out in the first place? This happened when I saw "Titanic" on opening night. At the very end scene where the ship "transforms" to life after Rose goes to sleep, I was treated to the backs of six people blocking every square inch of the screen. They started to leave, then noticed there was something more, and STOOD THERE to watch it!!

I hate it when I go to see a movie with friends, all of which think I am a moron for wanting to "watch the credits", so we leave, only to find out later that there was more after the credits. Grrr.

I've noticed that older movies had pretty much all the credits in the beginning. (Which I like better. It gives an "overture" to the film) Nowadays, some movies have ALL of them at the end, including the title of the movie!! (e.g. Punch Drunk Love) Is this for our senior citizen customers who must be reminded of the title of the movie they just saw even though they will continue to call it "That (actor's name) Picture"??

Credits to me are like the end of a play when the cast comes back out to take a bow. Yes, there are people that leave during that, too. My brother worked at a performing arts theater for a while and would get death threats daily because he wouldn't let people leave the theater until the cast is off the stage and the curtain closed. Apparently, people didn't care to show respect for those who just put forth an effort to perform for them. Kid of humorous when an 80-year old man is telling you he will kick your ass.

=TMP=

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-12-2002, 06:25 PM:

quote:
As for the credits situation, I hate people that leave BEFORE the credits.

Same here. And, I hate when people come in, sit through the previews, and then when the feature starts, THEN they head for the concession stand.

I mean, I'm glad they're going to the concession! And I'm glad they're watching the trailers. But I can't figure why people would intentionally miss the beginning of the movie they're paying for.

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 11-12-2002, 06:31 PM:

Maybe if they put the credits back at the begining 'everybody' would go get concessions when the movie starts.

Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 11-13-2002, 01:16 AM:

If I ever made a movie, I'd have it go for a good 90 minutes or so then have a viable ending, then have some nice long end credits, THEN resume the story and have it continue for at least another 40 minutes!

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 11-13-2002, 09:52 AM:

Jesse --

I've thought of this MANY times! Whenver I see people bolt for the door as if the word "Cast" is some sort of infectious disease, I think to myself, "Wouldn't it be great if there was another 10-15 minutes after the credits that answered all the questions, had some really cool effects, summed up the story, or whatever and these people missed it! And wouldn't it be better if that footage was never released to DVD?"

=TMP=

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 11-13-2002, 02:05 PM:

You could even put a line in a big bold font right after 'Cast' that says, "Don't leave, the shows only half over!", and people would still leave.

Posted by David Favel (Member # 1125) on 11-13-2002, 02:48 PM:

"Wouldn't it be great if there was another 10-15 minutes after the credits that answered all the questions, had some really cool effects, summed up the story, or whatever and these people missed it!

Like Wild Things

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-13-2002, 04:44 PM:

quote:
And wouldn't it be better if that footage was never released to DVD?

This is my dream. I think it would sell tickets.

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 11-13-2002, 06:27 PM:

The only thing 'extra' they should put on that DVD would be how so many people got up and left before the movie ended.

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 11-13-2002, 08:32 PM:

"Wild Things" had little clips interspersed through the credits. I'm talking about an entire roll of credits, 6-8 minutes or so, then BAM! Back on screen with more of the movie

Or just put the credits about 3/4 way through the movie. Have them there as sort of a "pee break" for the audience...

=TMP=

**EDIT** To add to the list of things I hate:

I HATE that the upload image feature is gone again.
I HATE that whenever a link is entered, it's replaced with "here" and you can't change it. Like here for instance.

Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 11-14-2002, 01:43 PM:

I was disappointed with Wild Things (I'd heard it was a good example of why everyone should stay through the whole credits) but the last scenes were just shown with the first part of the credits (white-on-black still screen with credits, followed by a scene, then another credits screen, then another scene, etc) and when the final credits are done there's nothing after that.

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 11-14-2002, 01:51 PM:

I HATE when people upload images wider than 1150pixels causing my window to scroll horizontally.
I HATE when people enter really long links that make my screen scroll or go past the 180 character limit and make them nonfunctional and useless.

Hey we fixed both of those. That's great!

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 11-14-2002, 02:43 PM:

I hate when I make a post criticizing something before fully researching/looking for it

Oh, and I hate people and companies who spell it Theatre!

=TMP=

Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 11-14-2002, 02:49 PM:

quote:
Oh, and I hate people and companies who spell it Theatre!

It is however the correct English spelling...

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 11-14-2002, 02:55 PM:

Theatre, centre, fibre, I could go on...

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 11-14-2002, 02:59 PM:

There's a thread on this somewhere. The general conclusion was that, in the US, a "theatre" shows movies and a "theater" is for live events (plays, etc.).

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-14-2002, 05:37 PM:

Mine's been "Theatre" since it was built in 1930 and I don't give a damn if the media has decided that "er" is now correct, I'm not changing it. I happen to think "Theatre" looks more elegant anyway.

I have, however, stopped referring to films as "talkies."

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 11-14-2002, 07:41 PM:

Brad LOVES the "theatre" spelling. He always makes me spell it (and even pronounce it -- Thee-a-tree) that way.

Posted by Adam Fraser (Member # 1074) on 11-14-2002, 09:11 PM:

Im with Mike on this one. Our THEATRE has been named the Pines Theatre since 1941, and will never change.
People do mess up our website address though and we'll probably have to end up buying here and link it to our real site here so the less savvy can get to it.

------------------
Adam Fraser
www.pinestheatre.com

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 11-14-2002, 09:31 PM:

Bah! Just give out your IP address and avoid all that trouble with 'letters'.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 11-14-2002, 09:34 PM:

It would be interesting to take a survey, but I suspect that in the USA, theatre is in the majority, perhaps even the overwhelming majority.

FWIW, the new Kodak Theatre in Hollywood (new home of the Academy Awards) is theatre:
here

Yet the 2200-seat employee theatre in Kodak Park Rochester is called the Theater on the Ridge:
here

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 11-15-2002, 12:06 PM:

That actually sounds kind of cute: The Pines Thee-a-Tree

=TMP=

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 11-15-2002, 02:40 PM:

The Pines really is a thee-a-tree:

Still don't believe me? Take a tour here (if the server isn't choking today)

Posted by Adam Fraser (Member # 1074) on 11-16-2002, 11:33 AM:

Actually several thousand Thee-a-trees

Mostly Cedar, with some oak and pine on the floors

------------------
Adam Fraser
www.pinestheatre.com

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 11-16-2002, 05:59 PM:

Because we are associated with Brooklyn College, the spelling usage is all over the map. The Theater Department uses the ER, but they perform in the Gershwin TheatRE, although on the college maps they list the theatre as ER, even though right above the door the signage says TheatRE.

The college always refers to our Whitman Theatre as the Whitman Auditorium. We never do. No one ever says, "I am going over to the auditorium. Never. Plus they always get the building mixed up with theatre. The building is Whitman HALL; it houses two theatres and lots of other practice rooms and offices. Yet the college refers to Whitman Hall when they actually mean the Whitman Theatre, or as they would call it if they weren't confusing the two, the Whitman Auditorium. The BUILDING is "Whitman Hall," the Whitman Theatre is a theatre it, as is the New Workshop Theatre and other offices, rehearsal spaces, etc. You would think folks in academia would be more precise.

On our website we run up against the problem that, on the very same page we are forced to spell it theatre BOTH ways: The Brooklyn College Theater Department presents: The Glass Manageree at 8pm in the Gershwin Theatre.

So far they are sticking with ER and we are sticking with RE and neither seems about to capitulate. But it's our brochures that go out to the public, so they can call it whatever they want.