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This topic comprises 4 pages: 1 2 3 4
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Author
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Topic: Film Done Wrong - VERY WRONG
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Paul Linfesty
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1383
From: Bakersfield, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-10-2003 12:04 PM
I attended the January 31 7:15pm "sneak" showing of Chicago at the UA (now Regal)East Hills Mall 10. Arriving at the box office at 7:10pm, it took until 7:20 until I entered the auditorium. Apparently, there were no previews or ads, because the movie seemed to already have been on for a few minutes. As the theatre was nearly full, and no one seemed to be complaining, I must have been the only who noticed that the movie was being shown with a scope lens on their full-width scope screen. When I went out to complain, I was offered a refund and took them up on the offer. For all I know, they ran the rest of the film that way.
The following evening I went back (stupid me!) First of all, they showed 15 minutes of ads and previews, all in scope. FIRST clue something was wrong. An added benefit was that all ads and previews played back in analog sound, which in this theatre (DTS equipped)has a horrible blurriness that sounds like a tension problem. Although I've complained about this several times, it has not been fixed over the two years since I first heard it (once the DTS micks in, it actually sounds quite good). The frame was also off enough to see the negative joins on scope-originated material. Then, CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND came on the screen, with proper DTS soundtrack kicking in. Well, the theatre was in an uproar. It took them five minutes to turn it off. And and usher peeked his head in the back door (instead of coming sown to the front) to say it would be about 10 minutes before they got CHICAGO up and running. Well, when CHICAGO finally started, it was once again in SCOPE. Well, this time I went to demand to see the manager about the screw-up. I was'nt the only one, either. Five others kept coming out to complain about picture and the bad (analog) sound. AFTER I complained and told them EXPLICITLY what was wrong, another customer came out and said something was wrong and was asked, "what is so wrong with it?" and he told them "Well, go in and look at it!" whiuch they didnt bother to do. So I went back in and they finally changed the lens and popped in the DTS disks, clearing up the sound. BUT, the scope apeture plates were still in place and STAYED that way, causing the image to project all the way to the floor and ceiling. Other people were complaining at this point. I complained again, telling them to change their apeture plates. The ticket taker explained the manager was the only one on duty and was upstairs fixing the problem. So I went back to the auditorium AGAIN, and they had cut the volume way down to almost NOTHING during the scene when Roxie shoots her lover (you could BARELY hear the gunshot). The audience was in a near riot over this. Still, NO personnel came in to the theatre to explain what was being attempted to fix the problem. Several of us asked if they would start the film from the beginning (now that everything was finally working perfectly) The person in the lobby kept saying "they are working on that right now." But they DIDNT start from the beginning (I wasnt the only one asking for this). I was finally told "these are really old projectors" and couldnt be re-wound. Huh? They are six-and-a-half year old projectors, and I KNOW nothing was wrong with them. This was ALL due to operator error, a manager who didn't have a clue as to what she was doing. (Except for the bad analog sound, there is nothing wrong with the projected image). After being assured several times they would back up the projector, I was now told they wouldn't. I challenged their statement that they couldn't back up the film, considering they had in fact done that to get CONFESSIONS off the projector. It was then she looked at her watch and saying it would take too long. BUT, if I was unsatisfied with the presentation, I could always get a refund. I asked if she thought MIRAMAX would be satisfied with the presentation, but got a repeat of the refund offer. No apology for my waste of time. NOTHING!
I had hoped customer service would have improved since Regal took over, but apparently not.
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Bill Langfield
Master Film Handler
Posts: 280
From: Prospect, NSW, Australia
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 02-10-2003 01:43 PM
Paul,
That is a very sad story. I could tell you a similar one, but I CAN'T. (arr, heck, Yes, No, I can't tell)
I can understand maybe the automation was set wrong and/or one too many foils on feature start, for the 'sneak' (It happens)
There are many needed different settings for...
-Feature only W/S
-Feature only C/S
-Trailers & Feature W/S
-Trailers & Feature C/S
-Trl1 in w/s, trl2 in c/s, feature in w/s, c/s etc..
-Ads, Trls & Feature W/S or C/S...... Well it just goes on.
But to have it happen even worse on your second trip, well there is clearly something wrong at that place. (The probelem should have been noted in the diary and followed up)
The W/S lens up with a C/S aperture plate is a worry. (they should work together, along with the masking)
The projection room must have a load of Choc-toppers in there. We got rid of those about 5 years ago (and about 2 months after they got in there)
Going after the Shift or Location Manager is an option. But I think the Head/Cheif projectionist is the person to talk to. Things WILL then be sorted out.
Some managers tend to think they know everything about it ALL, but really all they do is order floor staff around (unless they do bio/mgr) in the end your problem needs be addressed to an experienced projectionist.
From your description it sounds like equitment failure. So there should have been someone (who knows what they are doing) there to fix it straight away, for the next run.
Bill.
[ 02-10-2003, 03:06 PM: Message edited by: Bill Langfield ]
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Paul Linfesty
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1383
From: Bakersfield, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-10-2003 03:26 PM
quote:
Going after the Shift or Location Manager is an option. But I think the Head/Cheif projectionist is the person to talk to. Things WILL then be sorted out.
WHAT head or chief projectionist? That's part of the problem. This theatre doesn't really have one. THe whole history of this particular theatre is one of uncaring. I have MANY examples.
Once I complained about the picture being out-of-focus AND frame being quite a bit off, I was told "it don't matter, its just the previews." As though the problem would be fixed in time for the feature. I complained a second time ten minutes later. STILL, "it don't matter."
Disney's JUNGLE BOOK, shown with a scope lens. The person I was directed to complain to didn't understand what the problem was. BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY where the cue to switch lens, apeture plate, and curtain mask open NEVER worked and was shown flat. I knew numerous people who saw this feature at various times and had to go out and complain. At both showing I saw, I also complained, and received a puzzled look by the manager, who said "it's supposed to be automatic." Well, I would THINK someone would get a clue the automation wasn't working when they had to go change it manually every single time (and this apparently went on for several weeks). And 75 percent of ALL flat films projected were badly off-frame. Sometimes I succeeded in letting them know, sometimes not.
Another time I told them to change the lens on a film to scope, and they did it manually, without bothering to check to see if the masking opened up. It took ANOTHER trip out of the auditorium to alert them to that.
This is the basic problenm. They don't bother to check and see if there are any OTHER propblems going on once they fix one.
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