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Author Topic: Uptown Theater ditches quality projectionists in search of a crappy presentation Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 01-08-2005 10:14 PM                        You heard right! The famous Uptown Theater, which is somewhere in Maryland I think (I searched for it on the Loews site and it does not seem to exist... oh well no one really cares where it is) is throwing out their full-time operators during the week and replacing them with an incredibly old Christie AW3 platter to be run by managers. This is true, I am not making this up! This is an effort to save money, because Loews is doing extremely poorly financially and really, really needs the cash BAD! Have you seen any of their theaters? If you have, then you know what I mean. The guy who made the decision to replace the union operators with a platter is an extremely cheap person. I have met him and you can tell by the way he dresses and even looking at his kids that he is really, really, really cheap! So this move does not surprise me. At least the presentation will improve due to the place being platter driven and manager run. No more missing frames on the reel changes. And managers make absolutely fabulous projection operators! Obviously they wouldn't be managers if they didn't have a firm grasp on everything! I mean c'mon, they're managers of a MOVIE THEATER for crying out loud! That may seem like the very bottom of the job chain to you and not at all impressive, but... well... yeah I guess a theater manager and assistant manager is tantamount to being manager of a Burger King. Especially the people this guy hires. Oy! I'm not even sure that they're qualified for minimum wage! But cheaper is better. God I hate people. But say goodbye to changeovers at the Uptown. Discuss. Title edited to reflect that the platter is NOT an issue of this thread, that it is the people operating the booth causing the drop in quality, at Steve's request. [ 01-16-2005, 04:40 PM: Message edited by: Brad Miller ]  |  IP: Logged Wayne Keyser Master Film Handler Posts: 272 From: Arlington, Virginia, USA Registered: May 2004 posted 01-08-2005 11:11 PM                     From a Washington-area lover of the Uptown: AAAAAAAARGH! The theater was (is?) a venue for national premieres and for 70mm shows (I saw 2001 there roadshow in my teens, and WOODSTOCK again ... and again ... and again) - the head projectionist (his name escapes me, I'm sorry) was a consultant to many other venues as well as an authority on all aspects of motion pictures. The Uptown's deep-curved, banded Cinerama screen was a wonder to behold, stretching floor to ceiling, as the curtains opened (yeah, they still did that - better to keep little kids from messing up the carefully-aligned screen strips). Oh, well [sigh]. Maybe they'll say things as nice about me when I go entirely to ruin.  |  IP: Logged Aaron Sisemore Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day! Posts: 3061 From: Rockwall TX USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 01-09-2005 12:19 AM                     At least they put in an AW3! They could've just as easily put in a Super Platter... -Aaron  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-09-2005 12:30 AM                        How are they going to fit a platter into that booth? Assuming that all of this is true, Loews should get a big for trying to save a few dollars at the expense of presentation quality in what is one of their best theatres (if not the best). I assume that this also means the end of 70mm engagements at the Uptown? I first visited the theatre in 1996 to see the reissue of Vertigo, and have since seen Raiders of the Lost Ark and 2001 in 70mm there. All were flawless presentations, with large audiences.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 01-09-2005 02:44 AM                     ..the new generation of theatre operation, once again, destroys what once was: "Pride", and the "Art of Presentation." (the results of GREED!) -Monte  |  IP: Logged Aaron Garman Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1470 From: Toledo, OH USA Registered: Mar 2003 posted 01-09-2005 02:54 AM                     I've never been to the Uptown, Washington, nor do I know how to operate changeovers but ya know, this still ticks me off! Sure, I'm a youngn' to some folks out there, but I still get sad when I hear that a place that has exceptional presentation may be going away. Loews: What a move. AJG  |  IP: Logged Tao Yue Expert Film Handler Posts: 209 From: Princeton, NJ Registered: Apr 2001 posted 01-09-2005 04:34 AM                        Joe Redifer wrote: quote: Joe Redifer The famous Uptown Theater, which is somewhere in Maryland I think (I searched for it on the Loews site and it does not seem to exist... oh well no one really cares where it is) The Uptown Theater is in Washington, DC proper. Was Maryland over two hundred years ago, though. Knowing the city would've yielded the "Uptown 1" on the Loews site, currently playing Aviator which is actually rather fitting for that big curved screen.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 01-09-2005 05:22 AM                        Eh, I should have just said that it was somewhere in the 13 Colonies.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 01-09-2005 05:23 AM                        If most of what they do is show the same film over and over again, then of course platters per se won't necessarily hurt presentation quality - if they're well maintained, operated in a reasonably clean air environment and have a cleaning device in the film path, they might even be a better bet than constantly rewinding 2k reels at high speeds. But I really don't like the sound of 'really old' and 'operated by managers'.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-09-2005 05:45 AM                     Guttag works that Theatre! Mark  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 01-09-2005 06:10 AM                        That of course is the issue -- that theatre owners think that by installing a platter means that they can fire projectionists and substitute minimum wage paid orangutans to run them. That pretty much precludes the quality of presentation that the theatre seems to be noted for. And to let these managers loose on 70mm? They've got to be kidding. Although they did this at the Loew's Astor Plaza in NYC -- the projectionist came in on Fridays and worked the weekend. During the rest of the week it was some a high school kind sitting OUTSIDE the booth in his letter jacket, just in case "the big film jumped," as he put it to me. He was "attending" the 70mm presentation of 2001. They were the FIRST theatre to get one of the two new prints WB struck for a special 2001 rerelease which they finally got around to releasing in December 2002, but who's counting, and by the end of the Astor Plaza's 2 week run (with a projectionist in the booth 3 days of the week and the HS kid sitting outside the other FIVE) they managed to severly damage a new $20,000 print. It's not the equipement, it's who's HAVING AT IT!  |  IP: Logged David Yauch Expert Film Handler Posts: 206 From: Mesa, AZ, USA Registered: Oct 2004 posted 01-09-2005 06:47 AM                     I wonder if the concessionists will handle the build-up then. Maybe while they are at it they can get the box cashiers to change out a few xenon bulbs.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 01-09-2005 06:57 AM                     I would presume managers are going to be projectionists during the weekdays and they will keep the real projectionists (those who are willing to stay after being so insulted, that is) for the buildup, weekend shifts and special rentals.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-09-2005 11:47 AM                     Brad, Its hard to say what they will really do. I can relate to what they do out here and that is that they have fairly capable assistant managers that also run the booths and there are really no problems what so ever at the locations we service for them. But these are also long time industry people with many years of experience that run them. I'm sure that other areas are not so lucky! BTW: With a platter in that booth there will not be room for a second machine at all. I'd say good bye to any important premiere type of stuff from happening there. It really is disgusting. Cineplex did the same thing to McClurg Court in Chicago.... ran it into the ground only to be completely gone today....... Mark @ CLACO  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 01-09-2005 12:40 PM                     A couple of corrections.... The Uptown is in Washington, DC...not in Maryland (anymore) and as such, not part of the colonies. None of the stripes on the flag represent DC and you won't find any Senators with voting power in congress representing DC.... There is no platter installed at the Uptown, as of yet. In all liklihood there will be a used scratch and dent AW3 installed in a week or two. Both projectors are to remain. Floor staff are prohibited from working the booth by contract, only managers. They (LCE) have implimented their M/O policy starting this past Monday, in violation of the contract and charges have been filed. On their first day, they cancelled 33% of their shows due to damaging equipment. This should be noted since the Uptown has never had to issue refunds/readmits in such a manor except due to power failure (not really equipment or operator related) They have also succeeded in dmaging shutters in both projectors and scratching the print. The policy is not so much cost cutting though it is in there somehwere, it is a systematic policy of eliminating union operators. Mind you, the Uptown does not pay that great as union gigs go. It is $12/hour, which is very low for this area in similar type venues or screening rooms. It seems to all come from one person within LCE that just has a thing against operators. Hey Leo, have you EVER seen a show at the Uptown? NOBODY has as clean a show as we do in the area or that I've seen. The gates/film path are cleaned each reel. The film is cleaned each show (and FilmGuarded). The take up magazine is closed door and the film is stored in closed bins. Extra junk leader and tails are added so the film that is shown is never handled by humans beyond inspection. There are no tell-tale dirt near changeovers or cinch marks. So don't you DARE put a good-light on what is happening at the Uptown unless you have the facts to back it up...I highly doubt you've seen our show to know what improvements, if any, could be had. [ 01-10-2005, 12:05 PM: Message edited by: Steve Guttag ]  |  IP: Logged

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