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Author Topic: Scratch-free presentations John T. Hendrickson, Jr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 889 From: Freehold, NJ, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 10-13-2004 04:11 PM                     I keep a notice board in our projection booth that lists the number of days of scratch-free presentations. It is updated each day. This serves as an incentive to our booth staff, and has become a topic of pride in our operation. I am happy to report that yesterday, October 12, we broke our previous record of 156 days of scratch-free presentations. We had gotten close to the record on several previous occasions, only to go back to zero on the board. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge my staff for the great job they are doing. My thanks goes to: Mike Cummins Bill Mishak Rob Bell Todd Maniscalki Eric Wohltman Mike DePasqualle Great work, guys. No mean feat, considering that we run an average of sixty shows a day on 13 screens.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 10-13-2004 04:42 PM                        Film Done Right! I hope you did something special for your crew as a reward for a job well done! Suggestions: Pizza and/or Wings Party (with ) Gift Cards (e.g., money at a grocery, hardware, computer, or video store) Kodak Single Use Cameras New equipment for the booth to make their jobs easier. Other suggestions?  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 10-13-2004 05:39 PM                        (Film) strippers.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 10-13-2004 07:34 PM                    New equipment for the booth to make their jobs easier. 13 DLP or D/ILA projectors! hehehehe Operated via satellite by an $8/hr engineer in Bangalore, India.  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 10-13-2004 10:19 PM                        I'm sure Steve meant $8/day, not an hour.  |  IP: Logged Chris Byrne Expert Film Handler Posts: 102 From: Kirwan, Australia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 10-14-2004 04:11 AM                     Good going John (and team), that's an awesome result and a great tool for binding team morale.  |  IP: Logged Steve Scott Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1300 From: Minneapolis, MN Registered: Sep 2000 posted 10-14-2004 05:32 PM                     Congratulations John! Were any of those days spent training in staff? Even if they weren't, that's still an impressive feat.  |  IP: Logged John T. Hendrickson, Jr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 889 From: Freehold, NJ, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 10-14-2004 07:42 PM                     Thanks, Steve. Yes, some of those days were involved with training, as two of those guys were newbees during the run. They were brought along under strict supervision, but sooner or later, everyone has to learn to fly on thier own. I had one other situation where we were within two days of the record, and a trainee on his first solo flight scratched a print!! Those are the risks you take. I am happy to say that the record was tied on a night where one of the two new people was running alone for the first time. Talk about pressure! It's sort of like a pitcher throwing a no-hitter- everyone knows, but no one talks about it. Anyway, he came through with flying colors. To answer John Pytlak's comment about rewarding the staff, here's what we have done: 1. A letter of thanks from the principle owner, the Managing Director (also a partner), and myself. This letter will be placed in their personal files. 2. A meal voucher to our Nathan's Restaurant in our complex. 3 A $25 gift certificate to the mall where our theatre is located.  |  IP: Logged Steve Scott Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1300 From: Minneapolis, MN Registered: Sep 2000 posted 10-15-2004 10:32 AM                     John, sounds like you can hunt out the good ones from the job pool Rewards well deserved!  |  IP: Logged Bill Langfield Master Film Handler Posts: 280 From: Prospect, NSW, Australia Registered: Apr 2001 posted 10-15-2004 10:56 AM                        Good one John, but where's the free movie ticket? OH I GET IT PROJECTIONISTS can cheat and watch from the projection room! I've been going 300 days without seeing a scratched print. Btw: I left Hoyts 300 days ago. GUO 'Thats what I want'. and that's what I got! YAHOO Bill.  |  IP: Logged Dean Kollet Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 591 From: Florida State University Registered: Jul 2003 posted 10-15-2004 02:07 PM                     Congratulations....I've gone 500+ days with personally scratching a print....well since I started 500+ days ago...I did get a Chick-Fil-A cupon last week though  |  IP: Logged Ian Joseph Parfrey Film Handler Posts: 56 From: Bollier Queensland Australia Registered: Sep 2004 posted 10-17-2004 04:11 PM                     Bill, I gather you weren't "Happy on your coit in a Hoyt's Suburban Cinema"!  |  IP: Logged Bill Langfield Master Film Handler Posts: 280 From: Prospect, NSW, Australia Registered: Apr 2001 posted 10-22-2004 12:31 PM                        Ian, It's very hard to describe my days at HOYTS. Basically it WAS great. But they do VERY dumb things. I quit, went back, then got fired. Due to my posts here. (I have since admitted I got several facts wrong, though) I a have file (to be completed) that I will email to you, for your info on what happened. Bill. OH a big admission here, those 300 days I claimed above are over, just a few days ago someone (I won't say it was the trainee, but Hmmm) 'train tracked' two prints on the same projector with base scratches. Prints were replaced, but I wish we had the FULL filmguard cleaning system to see if that would have 'fixed' the base scratching to acceptable viewing.  |  IP: Logged John T. Hendrickson, Jr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 889 From: Freehold, NJ, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 11-11-2004 04:47 PM                     You have to take the good with the bad. I returned to work today after a day off, only to find a scratched print. Base side scratch, and barely visible on screen, but..... We made it to 189 days. Now we start all over again.  |  IP: Logged Chris Brown Expert Film Handler Posts: 105 From: Fairport, NY, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 11-12-2004 12:09 AM                        Wow very nice John...my theatre was having a big problem scrating prints in the few months before I came back last summer. A method like this would have probably helped bring things around faster. It's a great idea though, and it can be applied to anything...number of days without sound complaints, missplices or other print problems, etc. Actually over the summer I personally started something similar to this...keeping track of how many mistakes I had made building prints and dividing by the number of prints I've built. I really just started building in January, and have done about 40 prints since then, with just 4 mistakes, the most recent one being one of the Harry Potter prints in early June. But I was mistake free for the rest of the summer, doing at least a print a week. So now every time I build a print, I keep that in mind. Its a great way to ensure a better quality presentation, in whatever aspect you are going for. I'll pass this idea along to the other booth people when I get back to my theatre in a few weeks. Thanks John!  |  IP: Logged

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