Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: See every Trailer on Lobby Monitors.

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Topic: See every Trailer on Lobby Monitors.

Rob Brooks
Film Handler

Posts: 57
From: NY, U.S.A.
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 06-06-2000 03:09 PM

How many lobby monitors or video walls do you have? What do you think is the movie going public's reaction to seeing trailers and advertisements while they wait on concession lines. Is it adding to the fun of going to the movies or just more, more, more advertising for the theater circuits. Now everyone can see just about every trailer out there.

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Ian Price
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1714
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-06-2000 03:31 PM

I used to work for a company that installed lobby video monitors and video walls. We also installed side programs.

I now own my own movie theatre. There are no lobby video monitors, video walls or slide projectors. Does this tell you something?

For in-theatre maketing we have flyers, postcards, trailers (no more than 3 per film) and posters.

What we need is more out of theatre marketing that is effective and inexpensive.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

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

posted 06-06-2000 06:14 PM

I work in your typical megaplex (although ours is better than most) and we do not any provisions for showing trailers in the lobby!

That's the way it should be. I don't like making people watch the same trailers again in the auditorium. Plus it is super-tacky and the noise that eminates is annoying.

Ian used to work for the enemy. Not only did he install this crap, it was VIDEO and he loved it!

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Sean M. Grimes
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 247
From: Lunenburg, MA
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 06-06-2000 06:50 PM

I actually like lobby rearscreens. At my theater we have a super simplex with a five hundred watt orocon(sp) lamphouse playing all of the "current" trailers. when we dont run it our patrons are so very dissapointed... which leads me to a question that prehaps is suited to it's own thread... does anyone out there know of any special way to actually keep a strong endless loop projector from not brain wrapping? I have tried all of the brain adjustments in the manual but the "perfect star shape" just never seems to stay. Maybe the perfect solution is just a lighter and about five gallons of gas... (:

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-06-2000 07:02 PM

For a while, a lot of the newer Regal theatres were being built with smallish rear-screen 35mm projection setups for the lobbies. I don't know if they still do this, but I thought that it was a reasonable idea, as long as it didn't disrupt lobby traffic and as long as the sound wasn't turned up too high. Some of these setups used endless-loop platters and others used conventional platters carrying an hours' worth of film (or so).

I don't know if the newer Regal theatres are still being built with this feature or not.

I guess that I'd say that I'm sort of lukewarm on this concept, but it really depends on the type of theatre. What is appropriate for a typical generic multiplex is not necessarily so for an art house.

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Ian Price
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1714
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-06-2000 07:12 PM

Regal was doing rear screen film projection in the lobby. They are trying to switch out to video.

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Scott D. Neff
Theatre Dork

Posts: 919
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 06-07-2000 02:39 AM

One of our theatres has a used video wall -- it's not the best configuration - but I think it ads to the excitement of going to the movies.

UA does it fairly well at their older theatres by simply putting a 25in tv up near the ceiling on either side of the lobby and just plays a videotape of trailers. I think that this sort of installation is small enough to ignore, yet obvious enough to work.

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Joshua Lott
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 246
From: Fairbanks, AK, USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 06-07-2000 04:30 AM

At one point during a major promotion for a movie I had a flat screen tv installed in the theatre lobby. It was complete with its own receiver, surround speaker and subwoofer! I also had two 27" tv's mounted at the ends of our concession stand. The crowd really enjoyed it. I wasn't playing a bunch of trailers but I was playing the "making of" for several upcoming movies. I kept it up beat. And it distracted people if they were waiting in a concession line to long. After that promotion they removed the flat screen (worth over $10,000) and put in a 65" tv. It was very cool and very professionally done. I also had a local tv/production place make a special loop that made it special to my theatre.

It can be a good advertising tool that informs people more than a poster or something else if it is done right.

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John Pytlak
Film God

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

posted 06-07-2000 06:55 AM

I have rarely seen good quality on video lobby displays. On video walls, the different panels usually don't match for color or tone scale, and normal video doesn't have the quality to support such large displays close-up. Large screen projection video and even simple CRT monitors are often poorly maintained and incorrectly set up.

IMHO, video trailers for the current features are useful when displayed for those waiting in line to buy tickets, to aid them in their decision. But "coming attractions" are best shown once people are seated, on the large screen with good sound and no distractions, to build excitement for future movie-going.

I really dislike being subjected to television-like commercials anywhere in a theatre.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com

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Aaron Sisemore
Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day!

Posts: 3061
From: Rockwall TX USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 06-07-2000 05:02 PM

Scotty Said:
"One of our theatres has a used video wall -- it's not the best configuration - but I think it ads (sic) to the excitement of going to the movies."

Unfortunately the thing has been broken for close to a year...

-Aaron
A cinema tech, not a TV repairman...

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

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

posted 06-08-2000 12:32 AM

Perhaps they should play all of the ads in the lobby on a TV screen - like Coke/Pepsi, Moviephone, Hollywood Online, Levi's, Will Rogers, Dealin' Dougs Used Cars, etc.... And the film trailers should play in the auditorium.

I hate ads. There is no escaping them these days. It makes me sick.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 06-08-2000 01:51 AM

Joe that is such an excellent idea! It's ashamed no one will do it though. Advertisers want their "captive audience" (aka: trapped in advertising hell).

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