Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: AMC to project indentification "bugs" onsceen during movies!

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 01-10-2006, 07:12 PM:

quote: The New York Times
KANSAS CITY, Kansas, Jan. 9 – AMC Theatres announced today that they would be placing branding on many of their movie screens beginning this week. The branding will feature the AMC logo and remain onscreen in the lower right corner throughout the duration of the movie, a company spokesperson said.
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Max Becherer/Polaris, for The New York Times

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Specially placed video projectors already installed at most AMC movie theatre locations throughout the country will superimpose a semi-transparent AMC logo onto the film screen from the projector room. These video projectors already stream in advertisements from local and national companies before the movie begins, the spokesperson noted. The popularity of television and cable broadcasts and their branding of the screen using what is commonly referred to as “bugs” is one reason AMC is prompted to take similar action.

Only a few test theatres will feature the logo beginning this week, but the hope is to have it rolled out nationally on every AMC-owned screen by the end of March. “Brand recognition is everything,” says AMC representative George Daniels “we want customers to instantly recognize the AMC logo and animated mascots with the best moviegoing experience that exists in America.”

AMC is one of the world’s largest theatrical exhibition companies with nearly 3,500 screens.

WTF? I simply cannot believe this article. If this is true then AMC will surely piss off a whole new generation of people. But then again people don't seem to mind bugs burned into their television screens so who knows. All I can say is that this is one more reason for me to stay home. I just hope they don't ever start doing this with DVD/HD-DVD/BluRay.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 01-10-2006, 07:19 PM:

This is unbelievable. It sounds like an April Fools joke. No fucking way! Don't forget to animate the bug. Also you can do teaser promo trailers across the bottom of the screen like TV. Oh! Hey! Do a news ticker along the bottom too. Maybe real-time weather updates.

If this ever happens, I will stop going to the movies, period. Fucking idiots think the average moviegoer gives a shit who runs the theater. That's so lame it's just incredible. This needs to be nipped in the bud. NIP IT IN THE BUD!

And if DVDs ever get this kind of crap, I will not buy them.

I can put up with too many preshow ads and trailers. But I won't tolerate anything mucking with the movie itself.

Posted by Justin West (Member # 920) on 01-10-2006, 07:36 PM:

Almost sounds like an article out of the comedy newspaper, "The Onion." Whatta joke!

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 01-10-2006, 07:48 PM:

This is so cool, what a great marketing idea! They can run concession promos across the bottom, "For the next 5 minutes, buy 1 get 1 free!" Or they can do subliminal messages! "Doesn't an ice cold Coke sound good?" If they are really smart, they would do a PIP and run trailers and ads the entire time, along with subliminal messages. This is such a great moneymaker for the chain!

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-10-2006, 08:20 PM:

Who the hell around here goes to any AMC theatres anyway? I say go ahead and drive the customers away [Big Grin]

.

Mark

Posted by Floyd Justin Newton (Member # 1316) on 01-10-2006, 08:28 PM:

Just ANOTHER REASON I don't go to AMC! Someday they're going
to be running to empty houses and wondering why. Some 'trend-
setters' they are.

Posted by Jon Miller (Member # 163) on 01-10-2006, 09:01 PM:

The NYT link is dead and the article is nowhere to be found on their site. I can only guess the outcry to that felony-stupid idea came on so fast and strong that AMC backed down right away and NYT nixed the article.

...Or maybe, thankfully, it was all just a hoax (or a hacker?).

Posted by Wayne Keyser (Member # 2420) on 01-10-2006, 09:01 PM:

I can see it now ... insert 1/24-sec flashes of BUY COKE ... wait a minute, subliminal ads were tried long ago.

Maybe "VOTE REPUBLICAN"? ... "MOVIES ARE YOUR FAVORITE ENTERTAINMENT"? ... hmmm...

How about "YOU IN THE BACK ROW, GET YOUR HAND OUT OF HER BLOUSE!"???

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 01-10-2006, 09:04 PM:

Incredibly and breathtakingly stupid, even by AMC standards.

Fortunately there are no AMCs here.

[ 01-10-2006, 10:10 PM: Message edited by: Paul Mayer ]

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 01-10-2006, 09:14 PM:

This could be a wonderful thing.....for AMC's competition. Just another example of this industry's video fixation. (maybe they could add the AUDIO zooms found on the Weather channel to really annoy the customers.) Louis

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 01-10-2006, 09:36 PM:

Even if the report is true, I can't believe movie studios would go along with this. It's just too outrageous. Would Spielberg put up with an AMC bug superimposed on top of "Munich"? Goddam, I hope not.

Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 01-10-2006, 10:00 PM:

Wont those burn a hole in the screen? [Big Grin]

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-10-2006, 10:26 PM:

Sounds like a hoax to me, but if it's true I'll just add it to my long list of reasons I'm thankful to be an indie.

Posted by Cory Isemann (Member # 2517) on 01-11-2006, 07:59 AM:

How about this: so now the projectors will be on nonstop... to project the bugs and then the preshow? Wouldn't that cut the life of the bulbs in half? Those suckers are expensive.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-11-2006, 08:59 AM:

If this story is true (surely movie theater executives can't be this crazy) it will be just another example of how American business strategy has completely lost its way.

It's about the damned product stupid!!!

But all those MBAs don't see it like that. Let's vandalize the product with our brand name throughout the duration of the movie. Yeah, that will get us more sales.

All of those idiots just need to retire and play golf for the rest of their lives and let some people with a clue actually run the business.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 01-11-2006, 09:09 AM:

Bobby: your point is well taken. The very fact that we cannot tell hoax from reality confirms my worst fears about those at the helm. Louis

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 01-11-2006, 10:08 AM:

Someone's pulling our chain --- it's a hoax.

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 01-11-2006, 11:04 AM:

Well said, Louis. I was thinking the same thing.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 01-11-2006, 11:24 AM:

I had an initial gut reaction to that story but, after thinking about it, I can't believe it's true.

Whether they use the video projectors that show the advertisements on the screen or if they install special projectors just for the bugs it's not practical to use video projectors at all.

It would be like flying an airplane just to cross the street.

If they are going to put bugs on the screen it would be cheaper, easier and all-around better if they just used an ordinary spot light (like a "Source-4") with a gobo in it.

There are about a half dozen little problems I can think of if they tried to use a video projector over the top of the picture from the movie projector.

It's got to be a hoax. It just doesn't add up.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 01-11-2006, 11:46 AM:

There are lots of technical issues, but the premise that they would consider doing this if they could is totally believable.

Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 01-11-2006, 12:43 PM:

Why not just put an illuminated AMC sign on the side of the screen? Or on the walls? Would seem cheaper IMO.

Posted by James R. Hammonds, Jr (Member # 673) on 01-11-2006, 12:47 PM:

I called the AMC that I used to work for and spoke to a manager there that I know, and was told that they have not heard anything on this.
Most likely a hoax.

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 01-11-2006, 02:11 PM:

quote: John Pytlak
Someone's pulling our chain --- it's a hoax.

I agree John. I'm thinking it's a fake post that has Mr. Redifer's fingerprints all over it just to give us all something to yap about. [Wink]

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 01-11-2006, 02:37 PM:

YAP-YAP-WOOF-WOOF-BOWWOW-OW,OW,OW OWWWWWWWW-HOWL!

Just something to make Phil happy! [Big Grin]

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 01-11-2006, 02:57 PM:

Ok Will... that's it! NO MORE cough syrup or NyQuil for you today!

Posted by Mike Williams (Member # 1140) on 01-11-2006, 04:51 PM:

quote: Randy Stankey
If they are going to put bugs on the screen it would be cheaper, easier and all-around better if they just used an ordinary spot light (like a "Source-4") with a gobo in it.

If it were true, this concept could be good to combat piracy (with a camcorder).
If you put a bright array of infared LED's inside the spot light, it would be invisible to the human eye, but VERY visible to a camcorder.
You could project the word "PIRATED COPY" accross the middle of the screen using the gobo and only cameras would be able to see it.

Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 01-11-2006, 05:07 PM:

Sorry Joe, I brought this joke out YEARS ago. Not on Film-Tech though. My version had a different logo on each screen and matched with one printed on the ticket stubs, reason being with multiplexes having so many screens these days it's hard for some customers to make sure they're watching the right one.

AMC already "brands" their prints with scratches and splicing tape anyways. (Or if it's DLP, fingerprints on the port glass.)

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 01-12-2006, 10:38 AM:

quote: Mike Williams
If you put a bright array of infared LED's inside the spot light, it would be invisible to the human eye, but VERY visible to a camcorder.

Or you could just put a big-ass infrared emitter behind the screen. Any time somebody tried to photograph the screen the picture would be obliterated by infrared glow. Better yet, the emitter could flash at a randomly variable rate to maximize the annoyance of anybody trying to watch the resultant video tape. (And it would be impossible to electronically compensate for a randomly variable flash rate in the final copy.)

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 01-12-2006, 11:11 AM:

While the idea of using infrared to "jam" video cameras (which often have IR sensitivity) is attractively simple, it is also attractively simple for a "pirate" to put an IR blocking filter in front of the camera lens:

http://www.edmundoptic.com/onlinecatalog/DisplayProduct.cfm?productid=1524

quote:
IR-Cut filters are frequently used as heat-absorbing filters since they let the visible spectral range pass while the infrared rays from 780nm on are strongly blocked. They are often used to protect IR-sensitive CCD-sensors or used in illumination systems.

http://www.edmundoptic.com/onlinecatalog/displayproduct.cfm?productID=1328

quote:
Since common light sources deliver light that has a very broad spectral output, reaching beyond the visible, many visual and detector-based applications call for a filter that is designed to pass only light within the visible spectrum. For example, monochrome cameras are often used with IR cutoff filters to eliminate the effects of the presence of near infrared light incident upon the detector.

AFAIK, there are no commercially available anti-piracy systems that depend solely on IR "jamming".

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 01-12-2006, 11:58 AM:

Pardon me for asking what may seem like a stupid question, but why could you not use one of these filters with a white exciter lamp to play cyan track films, assuming you could find a way to mount it?

Posted by David Buckley (Member # 2600) on 01-12-2006, 01:44 PM:

quote: Randy Stankey
Or you could just put a big-ass infrared emitter behind the screen.

Do you folks not have hearing assistance systems that are IR based? That big-ass emitter would probably kill the audio feed stone dead.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 01-12-2006, 03:26 PM:

quote: Mitchell Dvoskin
Pardon me for asking what may seem like a stupid question, but why could you not use one of these filters with a white exciter lamp to play cyan track films, assuming you could find a way to mount it?

I recall that Kinoton had a tungsten-halogen reader retrofit that used a dichroic IR blocking filter. The issue is getting enough red light from a tungsten lamp to get good S/N. You also want to filter out the green and blue light if you are trying to read a cyan track. Fading of the filters can also be an issue.

That is why high output red LEDs were the chief enabler of cyan dye tracks.

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 01-12-2006, 05:49 PM:

Thanks John.