|
|
This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
|
|
Author
|
Topic: Oops! I played the wrong movie!
|
Jason Winn
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 131
From: Mesquite, TX, USA
Registered: Jan 2006
|
posted 03-28-2006 09:47 AM
A common problem at the theatre I used to work at was that some of our "projectionists" (I use that term loosely) would play the wrong movie. Seriously. They were too lazy to check their schedule. They would just start threading and hope it's the right movie. I, on the other hand, have always played the correct movie. Other than me, there was maybe 1 or 2 other projectionists that never played the wrong movie. Everybody else did it at least once, some of them even did it multiple times.
This mistake is unacceptable no matter what. But what's really bad is when you're supposed to play a kid's movie and you end up playing an R-rated movie instead, especially if the opening scene has a lot of profanity or sex. One example of that was when this guy was supposed to play Finding Neverland, but instead he accidentally played Assault on Precinct 13. The audience sits through the trailers expecting Finding Neverland to play, but instead they see Ethan Hawke buying drugs (or selling drugs, I don't really remember), and he uses the F-word about a dozen times within two minutes. This particular example was on a Saturday night and it was packed mostly with families and little kids. There were a lot of pissed off parents to say the least!
That's just one example! It happened a lot more than that. Especially the last 2 or 3 months I worked there, it was happening almost every week. Everytime someone did this, I was always the one that had to fix it. I was the only one that was good enough to unthread the film, take out the trailer pack to the correct movie (because nobody wants to sit through two trailer packs) and then thread the correct movie. I guess that's too complicated for some people. What really pisses me off is that these guys were going unpunished. Not even a slap on the hand. Nothing. As a matter of fact, there was one guy that played the wrong movie at least 3 times within a couple months from each other. Guess what happened to him. He got promoted to booth manager. Don't you just love big-chain theatres? They always seem to reward incompetence.
Anyway, I got two questions for you guys.
1. Is this a common problem at other theatres or was it just the one I worked at? Have any of you ever experienced anything like this before?
2. How would you handle a situation like this? If one of your projectionists played the wrong movie, what would you do? Personally, if I was a booth manager, I would just kick them out of booth. I wouldn't tolerate incompetence. But that's just me. What would you do?
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jason Winn
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 131
From: Mesquite, TX, USA
Registered: Jan 2006
|
posted 03-28-2006 11:39 AM
quote: Mark Hajducki
Are the schedules printed out and taken with each projectionist, or on the wall next to each projector.
Actually, both. Each projectionist carries a piece of paper with them. It lists each auditorium, what movie is supposed to play and what time it's supposed to start. And if they still can't understand that, there's a computer screen right next to each projector that lists the title of the movie that's supposed to play on that projector and the exact time it's supposed to start. When it's time to start the movie, it will beep and, on the screen, it will flash in big bold letters, "Start (Name of Movie)." If they still can't figure it out, I can't help them.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brad Miller
Administrator
Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99
|
posted 03-28-2006 03:39 PM
A dropped print if picked up properly can be reassembled with only a couple of splices, and commonly less than a dozen. I've repaired dropped prints many times for people. Funny thing is that if someone is moving a print by themselves and he sees that it is about to slip and KNOWS that he will lose it with there is no chance of saving it, the best thing he can possibly do is try to throw it down to the floor as flat as he can.
I've only dropped a print once and it happened with a 2 1/2 hour movie. I was carrying it vertically (there was no reliable help around) and I tripped. As I was falling I threw it down to the floor as hard and as flat as I could. About 20 minutes later I got it put back together only making 3 splices. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
My best record for a mangled mess was on a print of Titanic. What happened was when the last reel was being broken down, the center ring peg snapped and the print went slinging some 20 feet away down the booth hall. 6 splices later and voila! Funny thing is that if done properly, it's entirely possible to reassemble a dropped print without any hint of it ever being dropped. Much of this does depend on how it hits the floor though, hence the "throw it down" recommendation. Also important is carpet in the booth. If you don't have carpet in the booth and the film hits the floor, you might as well throw it away.
(Please note do not ever "throw a print down" if you are losing it if you have someone helping you move it, as if you throw it down and the other guy doesn't, well...you've just made a disaster for yourself.)
As far as what to do to get the brain-dead to realize there may be a different movie they are supposed to be threading, my recommendation has always been to remove one of the two brains on the platter and train the staff to know that "anytime you have to move the brain to thread the next show, you need to double check the schedule because you are probably running the wrong film." It works quite well so long as you don't have a butthead who keeps pulling that spare brain out of the cabinet and re-mounting it.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
All times are Central (GMT -6:00)
|
This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
|
Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM
6.3.1.2
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.
|
Home
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
If someone can't read a schedule, and verify the title of a film they are about to show, this industry is sinking to a new low. ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[thumbsup]](graemlins/thumbsup.gif)
![[thumbsdown]](graemlins/thumbsdown.gif)
![[Mad]](mad.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic