Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Direct TV projection booth commercial

This is topic Direct TV projection booth commercial in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=006284

Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 10-25-2010, 03:25 PM:

Anybody know what theater was used to film this? The operator is sitting in the booth when a sniper comes in and darts him. The sniper then steals cans of film ... blah blah blah

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 10-25-2010, 03:40 PM:

No idea but I have been hunting for it online to post to our Random Videos thread.

Pretty cool commercial though.

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 10-25-2010, 03:43 PM:

I think it's the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The Simplex XL's have a projection throw is 110 feet and are angled at 22 degrees. The theatre is used in many TV Specials and commercials and film premieres these days.

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 10-25-2010, 04:30 PM:

Rumor has it that NATO sent a cease and desist letter regarding this for "promotion of piracy."

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 10-25-2010, 04:30 PM:

NERDS!!!!!

Piracy -- Ha! -- Since the industry is the source of the pirated copies, this seems accurate. If I were DirecTV I'd cite "journalistic integrity."

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 10-25-2010, 04:57 PM:

NATO, like the MPAA, is out of touch with reality.

The Orpheum would be a good possibility, I thought it might also have been the Los Angeles, (or the Million Dollar) but I did a clip run some years ago at whichever one it was and it had LP Assoc. Lamps and the booth wasn't as nice.

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 10-25-2010, 05:35 PM:

Tony, the Los Angeles Theatre is a good answer but the projector angle is wrong. The Million Dollar Theatre has the booth on the front of the balcony. There are only afew deeply angled projection booths in Los Angeles today.

Orpheum Theatre
State Theatre
El Capitan Theatre's storage room (Paramount's old booth)
Alex Theatre
United Artist Theatre (Downtown-old booth)

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 10-25-2010, 06:04 PM:

And what makes us guess that it is in Los Angeles. The commercial could have been shot anywhere in the US or Canada. Unless someone recognizes the booth, the only thing we know for sure is that it is a a large old theatre, from the power/light board in the background.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 10-25-2010, 06:14 PM:

is there no possibility this was shot on a stage?

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 10-25-2010, 06:38 PM:

In Los Angeles they use the Los Angeles and Orpheum Theatres both for commercial shoots all the time. The Los Angeles Theatre is used most of the time just for film and TV and commercial shoots. It shows movies very rarely. The Orpheum Theatre has been restored for TV Specials (American Idol, etc). film shoots and concerts. The Orpheum's booth was remodeled when the theatre was restored and is a large booth, like the commercial. It was also seen in the movie "Last Action Hero" in 1993 along with the lobby and auditorium of the Orpheum. The exterior was the Empire Theatre (Pandora Theatre) on 42nd. Street in New York. And I've worked the Los Angeles and Orpheum Theatres, when I was working in Los Angeles locals.
So IMHO it looks like the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, CA.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 10-25-2010, 09:04 PM:

What is the point of the commercial?

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 10-25-2010, 09:37 PM:

Don't go there, Joe. Louis

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 10-25-2010, 10:08 PM:

I can't copy the ad, but for the moment, it's on their website over to the right.

Direct TV

You may have to scroll up to the top to get the right one.

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 10-25-2010, 10:22 PM:

quote: Joe Redifer
What is the point of the commercial?

The point is that DirecTv offers movies supposedly before Netflix and the Box DVD kiosks.

And I think the projectionist is hot. [evil]

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 10-25-2010, 10:44 PM:

The booth mustn't be air conditioned then, eh? [Razz]

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 10-25-2010, 10:54 PM:

Just watched that commercial. They're showing Gladiator or some such crap. What is this, straight from the theaters of 1999? DirecTV, only 11 years behind reality.

Also, the blow-dart guy is obviously stealing Indian movies as they are the only movies that come in cans like that. DirecTV customers are going to be disappointed again. I can't believe how much DirecTV must suck. I am glad I don't pay for their service like some schmuck.

Finally, TV stations haven't had projectionists for DECADES. Good luck trying to run that film through your Beta-whatever players, dumbasses.

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 10-26-2010, 05:43 AM:

It's Robin Hood, not Gladiator...but I can see how you'd be confused.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-26-2010, 11:17 AM:

It is true that NATO sent a letter to DirecTV about the commercial. It wasn't a "cease and desist" letter, it was just a letter expressing disappointment in the commercial and asserting that it glorifies movie theft.

NATO received a smart-assed response from DirecTV but due to the Film-Tech rules regarding posting of others' e-mails I'm not going to post it here. They basically said they are not going to change anything.

Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 10-26-2010, 03:56 PM:

I was impressed at how they squeezed 35mm prints into cans that probably wouldn't hold 16mm copies of the films.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 10-26-2010, 04:03 PM:

35mm will fit in those types of cans just as long as it is on cores only, no reels. But it looks like the sides of the cans were labeled. Nobody does that even in India where such cans are actually used.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 10-26-2010, 04:17 PM:

So DirectTV shows used prints?

There is at least one one group of people who label cans like that: Editors. Maybe the theatre is getting the films straight from the editing booth [Wink]

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 10-27-2010, 01:44 AM:

They seem to have pulled the ad from their website.

Posted by Damien Taylor (Member # 4255) on 10-27-2010, 04:58 AM:

FWIW The booth scene in Fight Club was the Los Angeles.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 10-27-2010, 08:01 AM:

I thought it was kind of a fun commercial, actually.

Round lab cans labelled with tape around the edges are common for archive prints and also 16mm educational and TV prints. I don't know why the 35mm people who ship prints in round lab cans don't label the cans this way--it's easier to read those labels than the round stickers on the face of the can (which get covered when cans are stacked).

Anyway, I'm sure that the producers weren't concerned about absolute accuracy--especially since (as mentioned above) TV stations haven't (generally) received movies in film form for a number of years, and most never had 35mm film chains, anyway.

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 10-27-2010, 09:18 AM:

quote: Joe Redifer
Finally, TV stations haven't had projectionists for DECADES.

quote:
TV stations haven't (generally) received movies in film form for a number of years,

In the Los Angeles and New York markets TV stations have their own screening rooms. They do employ projectionists and it's a Great job. The boothes are equipped for 35mm and all broadcast video formats. And the TV stations do get 35mm prints for screenings as do Talent Agencies. The 35mm prints are from the Bel-Air circuit. I worked as the extra man at KABC's screening room in Los Angeles.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 10-27-2010, 09:39 AM:

Interesting! But they don't get 35mm prints for actual broadcast use, correct?

Historically, did TV stations employ cinema projectionists to run film-chain equipment, or was that done by broadcast technicians? Was a distinction made between 16mm and 35mm equipment? As far as I have been able to determine, 35mm prints were used only for the networks and local stations in top markets (LA, NYC, and Chicago), not for general TV distribution; everything else was distributed on 16mm, even if it was originally shot on 35mm.

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 10-27-2010, 10:03 AM:

The film chain was more towards Broadcast Technicians there. Broadcast films came from tape formats depending on the station.
The job was open on a Seniority System and by test only, like studio screening rooms.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 10-27-2010, 11:29 AM:

Scott: you have it right: NYC, Chicago, LA, maybe Boston back in the day.

"normal markets" like Cincinnati, Louisville, indianapolis had 16mm way back and tape later for syndicated shows and films. Louis

Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 10-27-2010, 09:51 PM:

Here's a commercial break from 1980 recorded from a station in Rochester running a movie on 16mm- they have a bit of a problem getting back to the movie after the last commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YHbLBUQbn0

And to stay on subject- how many movies are shown on DirecTV with no cropping, time compression, interruption, bugs or any other on-screen crap?

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 11-03-2010, 11:03 PM:

I don't use the movies channels on my DirecTv of late, but in the past they were presented in their theatrical aspect ratio, unedited and without on-screen bugs.

Finally!! Found a link to the VIDEO.

Enjoy!!

Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 11-04-2010, 04:49 PM:

Aren't those just empty cans that the guy is stealing?

The print has been made up and is currently running. [Confused]

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 11-04-2010, 06:16 PM:

It's a commercial. [eyes]

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 11-04-2010, 08:57 PM:

'Mr. Blow Gun Guy' would never had a chance to get a second shot off if it was me in that booth, he would probably have a split reel flange embedded in his forehead. [Smile]