Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Birds missing from Winged Migration

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Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 07-08-2003, 06:12 PM:

So on Saturday this old lady comes out of Winged Migration and accuses us of taking out some birds from the movie. I didn't get that one directly, she just told one of our managers. Apparently she saw the film at the San Rafael and they had three more birds than we did.

We had received a brand new print and had made the first cuts. We haven't had any accidents and few haven't lost any footage.

This morning we get a call from our booker saying that she had called Sony Classics to complain that we didn't have three birds in our print. We are missing the Secretary Bird, The Condor and the Flamingo. Sony then called our booker to ask them about it.

I told him that we cut those birds out of our print because we found those particular birds to be morally offensive. The Secretary Bird denigrates women, the Condor is just plain ugly and frankly we find the Flamingo just a little gay.

After guffawing and picking himself off of the floor we decided that if Sony wanted to send us a brand new print from the lab that we would build it up, tear down our old print and send it back to them so they could do a footage count on it just to prove that we haven't messed with the print. All this is to be done at their expense of course. We haven't heard back from Sony Classics yet.

Earlier I had mentioned that Winged Migration was like crack for old people. Now we suspect that some of them are on crack.

We don't have time or the manpower to sit in the auditorium with a bird list and check off each bird as it comes up on screen. I think she blinked or went to the bathroom or something.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-08-2003, 06:20 PM:

Well that's the Rialto for you! I went to see T3 there last week and it was missing approximately 6 bullets that were there when I saw the film elsewhere! I know you removed them! Oh, and let's not forget that time I watched Bruce Almighty there... a cloud way high in the sky in one of the scenes was shaped more like a dog than a wolf. I know you changed it!

Posted by Jeff Stuckey (Member # 1718) on 07-09-2003, 12:15 PM:

'Winged Migration' must be the Laser-Floyd for the 65+ crowd. It's finally making an appearace here in OKC and Tulsa on 7/18, and I am sure they will be out in droves.

And...MY GOD! Did the lady also complain that some of the birds didn't have all of their feathers and that was somehow the theater's fault? We need to produce pamplets to give to these people entitled "How To Remove Your Head From Your Ass" or "Things To Do With All That Free Time".

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 07-09-2003, 01:15 PM:

Ky's respons to the lady:

Dear Ms. *&#%$#@!,

As the co-owner of Rialto Cinemas Lakeside it has come to my attention that you made some rather strong accusations about the print of the documentary "Winged Migration" which is currently showing at our theatre. Your e-mail prompted much communication between our theatre and Sony Pictures Classics, the American distributor of the film. The print we received was a brand new never before used print of the film. We have done nothing to edit the content of this or any other film. The licensing agreements between the distributors and the theatre specifically prevent any theatre level editing of any film. As a theatre devoted to the exhibition of independent, foreign and classic films, we place a great value on the artistic integrity of the films we show. The print of "Winged Migration" which we are showing is the exact same as the other 107 prints currently playing around the United States.

Contrary to the allegations in your e-mail, we are not getting away with anything. We are presenting exactly the film we received and exactly the film that was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. You and your friend were in no way "cheated" by the film you saw here at Rialto Cinemas Lakeside. So there is nothing to "blow the whistle" about.

Furthermore, I sincerely doubt anyone on my staff would use the word bailiwick. As a locally owned business, we take great pride in our customer service and frequently receive compliments from our patrons on how friendly, helpful and interested in film our staff is. So forgive me but I take great offense at your cavalier characterization of my staff as young people who "know nothing and care less."

Sincerely,

Ky J. Boyd
co-owner
Rialto Cinemas Lakeside
Santa Rosa, CA

Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 07-09-2003, 01:41 PM:

Good for him! Bailiwick?

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 07-09-2003, 02:35 PM:

With its G rating Winged Migration is safe for Utah and Cincinnati. Too bad it's not safe for that Cinemark multiplex in Kansas City.

quote:
It's finally making an appearace here in OKC and Tulsa on 7/18

The County Theater in Doylestown PA doesn't get Winged Migration until 7/25. Two nearby Regals could have run that picture last month based on product flow and recent box office trends.

Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 07-09-2003, 10:37 PM:

Ian; Is this the film that has no dialog.. just birds flying with only a subtitle printing, naming the bird? I think it was done by a French production company.

If so, I ran that about a year ago at an exceptionally well equipped private screeening room. The photography was about the best I have ever seen. It was great to watch - and I really don't care that much about birds...!

Posted by Chase Taylor (Member # 778) on 07-09-2003, 11:08 PM:

Good for you. There is no reason to ever let a customer take advantage of you or your business.

Posted by Peter Kerchinsky (Member # 1098) on 07-10-2003, 04:06 AM:

This is probably one of the dumbest things I've heard of in a long time in this biz.
Why bother with this person, a complete waste of your time and others.
We get these occasionally, but still, ignore them. Most should be locked up and, hopefully, someone has thrown away the key.

Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 07-10-2003, 05:29 AM:

Rachel

BAILIWICK
bail·i·wick

n.
A person's specific area of interest, skill, or authority.
The office or district of a bailiff.

Peter

They may be totally wrong and a little screwy but ignoring them is the worst thing to do. They stew a little then go and find a gullible journalist in your local paper who believes them and writes a piece slamming your theatre for improper practices without even trying to contact you for your comments.

Believe me I know people who have suffered from this.

Posted by Ron Keillor (Member # 1790) on 07-28-2003, 02:36 PM:

Must have been a loon.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-28-2003, 04:34 PM:

Hey Ian didja ever get those birds and put them back in the movie?

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 07-28-2003, 05:18 PM:

Yeah! And what about them missing bullets, huh?

We need them here in L.A.

>>> Phil

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 07-28-2003, 06:07 PM:

I am going to LA tomotrrow. I am sure that will send a lot of bullets flying.

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 07-30-2003, 02:30 PM:

Ian: Make sure you put the birds back in so the County Theater in Doylestown can run Winged Migration. The theater's not getting it till 8/8, though.

Posted by Daniel Fuentz (Member # 1684) on 07-31-2003, 05:59 AM:

They stew a little then go and find a gullible journalist in your local paper who believes them and writes a piece slamming your theatre for improper practices without even trying to contact you for your comments.

A friend of mine that works at a TV station in the midwest had a similar thing happen to them over closed captioning. They had a storm alert, and the weather warning thing wiped out the closed captioning to the show that was airing. He noticed this and an engineer had it fixed in about 30 minutes. The next day someone called the station manager bitching and refused to listen to the explainaition. This viewer then wrote the local paper saying "WXXX turns off the closed captioning during weather alerts. What is the number for the ADA?" The columnist did at least get the station's side of the story, but still gave the phone number and website for the ADA. I haven't heard if this viewer pursued the matter any further.

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 07-31-2003, 08:16 PM:

Actually, as far as I'm concerned, many birds could have been cut out and I would not have noticed. I would have been grateful for the quicker running time. I stuck around for about 45 minutes, and couldn't BEGIN to remember what f*ckin' birds I saw. [Smile]

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 08-01-2003, 01:48 AM:

Chase Taylor wrote:

quote:
Good for you. There is no reason to ever let a customer take advantage of you or your business.

Chase Taylor is in Troy, Alabama - the birthplace of Pine Top Smith! A holy, holy site!