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Author Topic: Newbies Training Newbies Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 10-13-2003 06:56 PM                     In the past year or so since I began participating in the Film-Tech forums, there have been a number of discussion threads inquiring about booth training programs. I work from a formalized training program and so I agree with the idea, at least in principle. However, I get strange vibes from reading some of these threads. After thinking about it for a while I can now say it is that has been bugging me all this time. It's the whole notion of "Newbies Training Newbies." It isn't that I am totally angered or upset about it but I *do* have an uneasy feeling because, on the one hand I applaud the idea of a buddy-system and on-the-job training. On the other hand, that's not exactly what is being proposed here most of the time. Instead, what I am seeing looks like one "relative newbie" lecturing to a group of "total newbies." To me, it seems akin to the proverbial "blind leading the blind." What concerns me most is that there is a great potential for misinformation and/or bad habits to be passed down. In the context of a buddy-system this would be bad enough but when you put newbies in a formalized "training program" the "teacher" takes on a sense of added authority and wisdom whether merited or not and, thus, I have a hunch that bad habits and/or misinformation may tend to go unquestioned in such a scenario. I recently spent a day examining Human Resources files on the current crop of employees working in my booths. Some of them were not trained by me and I was looking for any evidence of training prior to my return to the company. It turned out that several of them (some no longer with the company) had received formalized training. There were homework assignments and tests. It resembled the training program that I had developed and -- I have to admit -- I was flattered for a second. And then I was horrified -- bad ideas were being introduced into the program and in some cases, wrong answers had been marked as correct. Reasons for doing certain things were being fabricated. Clearly, whoever was doing the training obviously felt a need to have an answer for everything. He was apparently unwilling or afraid to say "I don't know." This is a commonly observed phenomenon wherein students are encouraged to have questions whereas teachers are supposed to have all the answers. The problem is compounded when a student is prematurely upgraded to the status of teacher because, naturally, he has not had ample opportunity to arm himself with all of the necessary information. Added to which, he is likely ill-equipped to handle such responsibility. In my case, I was reluctant to take the job and I was fortunate to have been trained by an *excellent* operator who had years of experience and was being promoted to a managerial position. As fate would have it, I got lucky -- My trainer new his stuff. To this day, I am careful to admit when I'm stumped and I readily acknowledge my limitations. As a rule, I don't touch the high-voltage components; I arrange to have a fully-qualified electrician flown in from the U.S.A. whenever I need that kind of service. Certainly, I have learned a lot over the years and there are some routine procedures that I have been specifically trained to handle but I don't allow myself to tinker into the other areas. I go to great lengths to impart a similar respect for the equipment to my pupils. Premature advancement can lead to serious injury to (a) the teacher who is encouraged to get in over his head, (b) the students who receive substandard training from such an individual, and (c) the equipment itself. Not to mention the potential for reduced business due to poor presentations arising out of poor training and misuse or neglect of the equipment -- including, but not limited to, overtweaking of sound systems. If you own or operate a theatre, I urge you to consider these concerns. At the same time, I realize that *somebody* has to carry out the training. All I am saying is to set realistic goals and put safety first. Good intentions alone are not enough.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 10-13-2003 07:27 PM                     Agreed. However the problem here is that there ARE exceptions. I have trained a few and they turned out to be fantastic operators. I would be pleased to have them train others, but do note that this is very much the rare exception. Other trainees, well...let's not go there. Personally, I don't feel anyone of any stature or number of years in the business should be able to train others unless he/she has mastery of projection skills. In other words, far too often I see things like an old timer who has been doing the job for 50 years training newbies and doing a godawful job of it, not because he didn't care, but because he was poorly trained in the first place and never asked the question "why do it this way?" He just did it without question and turned out to be lacking in projection and troubleshooting skills as a result. Without knowing WHY things are done a certain way, the projectionist in training will always be lacking in proper knowledge and skill once turned loose. For this reason, I have always felt anyone who will be doing projection training should be forced to run a print for several hundred runs, including many build ups and break downs of that film. If there is a speck of dirt or mark on it after 500 runs, they fail...next? To you newbies: always ask why. If your trainer cannot answer that question, he/she shouldn't be training you. (My favorite is always the overly simple "why is the soundtrack facing this way headed toward the projector, but facing this way returning?" I have never found a trainer who can properly answer that question. Sad, isn't it?)  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 10-13-2003 08:09 PM                     All points very well taken. I think one has to keep in mind the alternatives though. The people who post here with question about training programs are trying to move their theatres boothes beyond the "Show them how to thread a movie" training program. The big chains (and many smaller chains/independants) are not interested in comprehensive booth training-some are not even interested in anything beyond showing employees how to thread and splice. Following the philosophy that 'something is better than nothing' I think the 'newbies' around here should be encouraged to develop at least basic training programs. If the vets on this board are really concerned about this issue then perhaps a joint effort should be initiated to put together a very basic training program that could be downloaded by theatres wishing to take their presentations to the next level. Most of the elements of such a program already exist in the tips section, the only job would be to compile and reformat the information into a complete packet.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 10-13-2003 09:00 PM                     Somewhere between what Brad has in mind and what's currently going on in multiplexes across the U.S.A. (and around the world) lies a workable solution. Dustin wrote: quote: I think the 'newbies' around here should be encouraged to develop at least basic training programs. Well, I'm not so sure I would encourage them to develop a training program but I'm all for having them seek out and follow a good one. Just for the record -- I don't consider myself to be among the "vets." I really hope my post doesn't read that way. I'm just a genuinely concerned citizen.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-13-2003 09:27 PM                     Dustin there are several avenues out there that allow for various levels of training but they have a cost associated with them If someone wants to learn or an employer wants them to learn then there are courses out there Kodak offers them as does Entertainment Equipment Corp who I am associated with http://www.eecnow.com/ctc_cinefest2003.asp As such there is a bit of responsibility must fall back on the candiate in question Every thing I learned had a cost involved and I don't usually part with it all for free Handing down of knowledge isn't exactly a right but a priveledge and often many take it for granted (no personal slights at anyone in particular living or dead intended )  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 10-14-2003 12:00 AM                     Brad said earlier: quote: far too often I see things like an old timer who has been doing the job for 50 years training newbies and doing a godawful job of it, not because he didn't care, but because he was poorly trained in the first place and never asked the question "why do it this way?" I have seen this in many areas, not just the booth. Some of these "Old timers" are practicing what is known as The Peter Principle. The Peter Principle is basically this: The Peter Principle is a theory originated by Dr. Laurence J. Peter which states that employees within a hierarchical organization advance to their highest level of competence, are then promoted to a level where they are incompetent, and then stay in that position. According to Dr. Peter: Work is accomplished by those employees who have not reached their level of incompetence. Thus we can see why organizations still function even as the Peter Principle causes some employees to accept one too many promotions. Peter's Corollary: In time, every post tends to be occupied by an employee who is incompetent to carry out its duties.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 10-14-2003 12:26 AM                     Peter's Corollary spells certain doom for *every* company over time!  |  IP: Logged James Falloon Film Handler Posts: 72 From: Wigram, Christchurch, New Zealand Registered: Oct 2003 posted 10-14-2003 04:23 AM                     My two cents I cannot stress enough how important proper training is, and I will admit that I have given insufficient training in the past and bore the consequences: 9:00pm at home, the phone rings, Boss: "James can you come down here we have a problem" get down to theatre, Newbie: "The sound bars are on the screen and there's no sound, and I don't know what to do", So I flipped the reel over, and threaded it up from the start like normal. Needless to say, the audience was not impressed and we both looked very stupid. I took the responsibility for that one. That's an example of what happens when our training falls short of the standard. BTW he is one of my best projectionists now. I hope that serves as a warning to others about throwing them in solo before they are ready. and I hope that answers your question Brad I learned from "the master" he claimed he knew everything, and he actually did. It was basically six months of training before I was showing movies, and I certianly know that I'm still learning. Yet I've trained someone in a month (he had previous experience and knew all the tricks) so I think it differs for everyone. I don't think a 'one size fits all' training program is suitable for every situation, but it sure is a damn good start. I should probably start writing one myself.  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 10-14-2003 08:33 AM                    Following up on James' post, I've always found it an exceptionally good training element to SHOW the trainee what happens when they do things wrong (not with a captive audience of course) - like thread the movie backwards so they can see it backwards on the screen. Or run it in analog with the sound drum roller open so they can hear what a warble sounds like. Or run the wrong lense - or the RIGHT lense and the wrong aperture plate, or whatever. Another problem is when "veterans" come in off the street bringing bad habits with them, and end up corrupting an otherwise good (although still a little green) crew. I have that problem right now, actually. But the good news is that the crew has picked up on it, and we're all working to fix it. It can be a problem, though.  |  IP: Logged Adam Budweg Film Handler Posts: 22 From: Lorain, Ohio, USA Registered: Sep 2003 posted 10-14-2003 09:38 AM                     I know that everywhere i have worked that has been the case. i will admit im not the most qualified person to train someone, but that doesnt stop management from giving me an hour or 2 with the new manager to get him up to speed (previous boot experience or not). and I also have no control over who gets trainied. i remember a past experience where i was to train this kid to thread, nothing more, and he left the booth just as clueless as when he walked in. when my current place of employment first opened I was the only person with Training, none of it formal. one of my ex-coworkers had never worked at a theater before. I learned alot from teh man that installed the units and gave me a brushup, but he left me with 2 clueless people to train. Hell i dont even have an instruction manual to use as a reference. It eventually worked out for the worst. as I expected the booth hours were cut and the managers attempt to pick up the slack, and with only one manager with booth experience theres alot of leftover slack. So reallly i dont think that its the projectionists that dont care. Its the companies that will hire anyone, and want them working teh next day.  |  IP: Logged Greg Mueller Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1687 From: Port Gamble, WA Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-14-2003 10:00 AM                        I have the same problem at the machine shop, Manny. The guys that are there tend to want to assert a "pecking order" of dominance. I've seen this time after time. And as you say some of the answers and directions given are sometimes just to give the impression that they are "a pro" and superior to the new guy/gal. I am there watching (in the back ground) and allow that all to happen. I think it's sort of a natural operation. I never interrupt or correct the student/teacher in front of the new guy. Eventually the student/teacher goes home and I take over and show the new guy the way I want it done and why. Usually the two techniques (mine and the student/teacher's) are not too far apart. The new guy gets a couple slants at doing the job, is not so intimidated by the student/teacher and the job, and knows who signs the paycheck. The student/teacher feels dominant and is secure and happy because I "trust him to teach". Through all this I learn "where everyone is" and what mistakes and misconceptions are being made, which I can diplomatically correct latter. If I correct the student/teacher (later in private) he's happy that I didn't do it in front of the new guy and accepts the lesson better. It works for me  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 10-14-2003 12:18 PM                     In all honesty -- I'm still thinking about Brad's "overly simple" question. I've got one of those "I always just assumed..." answers but nothing I'd be willing to post. I guess I failed to ask "why." Shame on me. After all, I could be wrong -- and there'd go my training license!!! It's bad enough that I'm still threading "down" instead of "up." BTW, don't think I haven't noticed the deafening silence from the rest o' you's. Brad -- if you don't let me near your machines, I won't hold it against you.  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 10-14-2003 02:15 PM                        I don`t understand Brad`s question either. We always thread the film with the soundtrack facing the column, and on the way to and back from the projector, facing towards the booth. Greg - I see you have a sensitive side too!  |  IP: Logged Chris Hipp Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1462 From: Mesquite, Tx (east of Dallas) Registered: Jul 2003 posted 10-14-2003 02:18 PM                     quote: It was basically six months of training before I was showing movies, Was that paid?? MY bosses would FREAK if I suggested six months to train someone. I don't claim to be perfect and I dont think I could ever run a print for 50 shows without any dirt much less 500, but someone has to do the training. I insist on training everyone in the building that will be do anything in booth. Occasionally there are schedule mix ups and a trainee will be with one of the booth guys and when I get in and start working with them, they haven't learned anything. When I was first trained, I was jsut told how to thread and how to start. I was never explained why we do things a certain way. I wasn't even taught to set the intermittent at rest before framing. Anyway, long story short, I am expected to have new trainees read to go in two or three days and more often than not, I am running movies at the same time that I am supposed to be training. Needless to say, that is unacceptable, but that's what happens when you let the "bean counters" run things. I hope I never become corporate natured.  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 10-14-2003 03:02 PM                        Check out the Tips section (Threading 101) in order to understand Brad's simple question. It's about keeping the emulsion side of the film towards as many rollers as possible--the theory being that orienting the film this way cuts down on shedding with polyester prints.  |  IP: Logged

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