Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Cost Cutting

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Operations » Film Handlers' Forum » Cost Cutting

Author

Topic: Cost Cutting

Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 09-27-1999 08:33 PM

Maybe everybody can help figure this out. Supposedly the economy is really good right now, for the most part. Yet everybody seems to be bending over backwards to cut costs as much as possible. Do a few pennies or dollars worth of profit really matter that much in the long run?

John Pytlak mentioned that labs do not put enough leader on the reels anymore due to cost cutting. I'm sure that the whole conversion to polyester film was cost-driven. You'll notice that most films are shipped on crummy plastic reels nowadays, instead of the more durable metal shipping reels. Depots are still using cans that are over 50 years old, and clearly not in good shape, just so they can save a few bucks by not having to buy new ones.

John also tells me that Kodak has developed anti-static film stock that also can endure an incredible amount of abrasion. The cost of the film stock? A few extra dollars per print, if even that. But the studios refuse to pay it. I'm sure that there are many more examples. I guess money is the only important thing, right?

| IP: Logged

Rick Long
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 759
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 09-27-1999 09:29 PM

Granted, that the competition for the entertainment dollar is tough. Instead of having the more free time technology promised us, years ago, the general public has less free time than before.
To this end, theatres seem to have tried to cut their operations "to the bone" (elimination of union operators, fewer staff, more duties for the manager, ect.) instead of investing in the business to make it a truly viable entertainment option.
Looking back at this industry, from a hundred or so years in the future, students of twentieth-century history may be astounded as to why we did not make the most of the existing technology - such as 70 MM. (The true 70 stuff such as "Hamlet" and "Far And Away" or "Lawrence of Arabia" - not the 35 blow-ups of the 80's). Coupled with today's superior digital sound technology, the result would make digital projection much less of a threat than it currently is.

| IP: Logged

Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 09-27-1999 09:31 PM

Well, with movies like Dog Park hogging the number 1 slot in grosses...

Still, I must agree. Even Neumade's clear splicing tape widt has been trimmed ever so slightly. It now will not fit nicely in between the sprocket holes, but will cross through one! How much does that 2mm really save there??? If it turns out that I did NOT just happen to get a bad batch, I'm switching to another brand. That's how I look at cost cutting measures.

(And Neumade probably thought no one would notice and it wouldn't make a difference.)

| IP: Logged

Aaron Mehocic
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 804
From: New Castle, PA, USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-27-1999 09:43 PM

I have my personal thoughts on this subject that I don't think are appropriate for this forum.

| IP: Logged

John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 09-28-1999 02:10 AM

Joe --- just to clarify: the amount of leader on a print is a decision of the distributor. The labs would be happy to print and process a longer length of leader, as long as someone pays for it.

Also, Kodak has been providing the labs an antistatic process additive at our expense since early this year. It helps reduce "static cling" on both our film and that of other manufacturers. It sounds like many have noticed the improvement, and the few remaining recent "static cling" incidents have been due to "the learning curve" in labs getting the right concentration on the film. As you know, the platter type is part of the equation too, correlated with whether the platter surface is conductive, and at what angle the film is peeled from the inside of the feed roll.

The additional back-side improvements now being tested on Vision Color Print film likewise will be done without passing the added manufacturing cost onto our customers.

| IP: Logged

Pete Lawrence
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 192
From: Middleburg, PA
Registered: Aug 1999

posted 09-28-1999 10:57 PM

Unfortunately in the film industry and many others (I'm in electronics) the undeniable truth is generally "Follow the Money". Even a few cents makes a difference. Be it short leaders, a few millimeters off the width of a roll of splicing tape, short staffing, or low pay for staff. Customer satisfaction, and product performance be damned! Get that extra few cents to make the corporate bottom line look good to the investors and stock analysists if your a publicly traded company! Very short sighted, but that's what it seems to be.
Now in the company I work for, a private corporation making RF test equipment, if a customer buys one of our units (custom made for them at $25,000 to $200,000 each) and doesn't like something, even the paint color (a very nice blue, by the way) we will take it back, NO QUESTIONS ASKED! No kidding! That's the real difference between a customer satisfaction driven company and a bottom line driven company! Very rare today. A sad comment on the state of the movie industry and others. But then the movie customers can't tell the difference anyway. Aren't they the ones who will sit through an entire feature that's scratched or out of focus without complaining?

Sorry folks, but I just had to get this off my chest.

Pete

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.