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» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » Theatre safety with "GODS & GENERALS" (Page 1)

 
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Author Topic: Theatre safety with "GODS & GENERALS"
Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002


 - posted 02-23-2003 04:48 PM      Profile for Claude S. Ayakawa   Author's Homepage   Email Claude S. Ayakawa   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Although there is another thread about this film and it's scheduling, I felt it would be better if I started another one because it involves theatre safety.
I mentioned this in my review of "GODS & GENERALS yesterday after seeing the film and it botherd me very much that I wanted to bring it up here for discussion. During the intermission at the performance I saw at Pacific's Kapoei 16 in auditorium #12, the house light was never turned on during the intermission. It appeared as though the projectionist just started the show and just let it run until the end without bothering to see to it that the house lights were brought up during the intermission. The projector lamp was not turned off when the blank leader was running through the machine so this is the reason why I feel the showing was un attended . There were 48 people at the showing and the majority did get up to go to the bathroom or the snack bar and had to maneuver their way in the dark during the intermission. Yes, there were exit signs and aisle lights that were lit but the auditorium was still very dark and people could have tripped and got hurt. Thank God, the theatre does not have stadium seating because the risk would have been even greater. I have heard that there are magnetic device that can be placed on the edge of the film that can control the lighting in a auditorium and I dont know why it was not used if the theatre was set up for the system. Another thing that bothered me yesterday was the staff cleaning the auditorium during the credits when the theatre was going to be down for two hours before the next show at 7:30 PM. I doubt very much if the theatre was going to be used for another feature because The show I saw ended at 5:30 and the amount of time it takes to turn around a show and a audience, is roughy about thirty minutes. Even if another short feature started at 6:00, it must end no later than 7:00 so the projector can be retreaded and the audience is seated for the next performance of "GOD's & GENERALS" at 7:30. Who knows with theatre owners desire to make as much money as possibe, there might have been another very short feature that ran between the new civil war film.

-Claude

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002


 - posted 02-23-2003 05:03 PM      Profile for David Stambaugh   Author's Homepage   Email David Stambaugh   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
As I noted in my review, a patron at Gods & Generals fell on the stadium steps during the intermission, and this was with the lights on! I was watching the booth, and the show appeared to be completely unattended -- the projector kept running with the lamp on but nobody was there. They used automation cues for the lights. Good thing too, because if the lights had not been up, that customer who fell might have had an airtight case against the theatre. It's also worth noting that this film seems to be drawing an older audience than usual, hence even more need to be careful to have proper lighting during the intermission.

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Daryl C. W. O'Shea
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From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from)
Registered: Jun 2002


 - posted 02-23-2003 05:04 PM      Profile for Daryl C. W. O'Shea   Author's Homepage   Email Daryl C. W. O'Shea   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
I have heard that there are magnetic device that can be placed on the edge of the film that can control the lighting in a auditorium and I dont know why it was not used if the theatre was set up for the system.
It's not quite so simple. Many automations can't handle an intermission and don't have seperate lighting cues. They may just have 'Start Show', 'Start Credits', 'End Show'. Some might not even have a 'Start Show' cue. Each of these cue's combine the control of the lights, projector motor, lamp, sound, curtains, etc.

Of course there is no reason why they couldn't have manually turned the lights up and down during the intermission. That's what you get when you have operators that don't care. [thumbsdown]

I guess that's what happens when you stick an intermission in the middle of a reel... you limit the number of installations that can handle it without effort (which shouldn't be an issue but is).

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David Stambaugh
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From: Eugene, Oregon
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 - posted 02-23-2003 05:08 PM      Profile for David Stambaugh   Author's Homepage   Email David Stambaugh   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Not to beat this to death, but you'd think that with an unusual situation like this -- a film with an intermission -- they would have some kind of staff meeting where management or somebody makes it VERY clear that the lights must be manually turned on and off at the appropriate times if their automation can't do it. No lights + People getting up = Lawsuit. Add stadium seating and it's more like Lawsuit x 10. [Eek!]

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Daryl C. W. O'Shea
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From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from)
Registered: Jun 2002


 - posted 02-23-2003 06:28 PM      Profile for Daryl C. W. O'Shea   Author's Homepage   Email Daryl C. W. O'Shea   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
you'd think that with an unusual situation like this they would have some kind of staff meeting where management or somebody makes it VERY clear that the lights must be manually turned on and off at the appropriate times if their automation can't do it
We all know that popcornjectionists aren't the only incompentent employees in some theatres.

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Kenny Thies
Film Handler

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From: Effingham, IL, USA
Registered: Jan 2003


 - posted 02-23-2003 08:30 PM      Profile for Kenny Thies   Email Kenny Thies   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
With us playing Gods & Generals, safety was a big concern. I've been there for every intermission to make sure everything is okay in the auditorium, evening though I am a lucky one to have an automation that handles the extra light ques. It worked perfectly, but still, I was in the auditorium for each intermission all weekend.

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Matt Hale
Expert Film Handler

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From: Vancouver, Canada
Registered: Dec 2002


 - posted 02-23-2003 09:23 PM      Profile for Matt Hale   Author's Homepage   Email Matt Hale   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
At the theatre where I saw Gs&Gs, they left the auditorium lights half-on through the entire movie. Not bright enough to be distracting, but not really bright enough to be usefull either. Now I know their automation is capable of multiple lighting cues, so my only explanation is that they were expecting alot of people to be walking out during the movie...
[Confused]

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Aldo Baez
Master Film Handler

Posts: 266
From: USA
Registered: Mar 2001


 - posted 02-23-2003 10:15 PM      Profile for Aldo Baez     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I was going to post in the other thread about turning the lights on during the end credits but I decided to post here.

I'm wondering what the difference is between turning on the lights during an intermission, and turning on the lights during the credits?? In both cases people are virtually guaranteed to be leaving the theatre and it's only with safety in mind that you turn up the lights. For our intermission we have the lights go on to *half* brightness, the same with the closing credits on all movies. I find this the best way to respect the people who want to watch the credits without the lights glaring but to also consider the people leaving who may have a hard time seeing anything.

I guess I want to know if you turn on the lights full and someone complains, but then you turn around and someone tells you that they would like the lights on so they can watch their step leaving, what exactly would everyone do? I'm assuming that everyone would want to have them on .. but the other thread is getting really big about keeping them *off* so.. which is it??

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Mark Maxwell
Film Handler

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From: Tyler, TX, USA
Registered: Jul 2002


 - posted 02-23-2003 11:56 PM      Profile for Mark Maxwell   Email Mark Maxwell   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
There shouldn't even have to be a meeting. It's just good common sence on the projectionists part that if theres an intermission on a long movie, quite a few people are going to get up at one time. The same people made Ghettiesburgh, and I saw that when I was 15 at the crappiest theater in town and even there the lights came on automaticly. The only reason I remember that is because I was sitting there watching the movie and then it said intermission and I was saying to myself " what the... that's a crappy way to end a movie."

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Kenny Thies
Film Handler

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From: Effingham, IL, USA
Registered: Jan 2003


 - posted 02-23-2003 11:58 PM      Profile for Kenny Thies   Email Kenny Thies   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I *think* the other thread is about leaving the lights off that you use to clean with, not the lights hooked up to your automation dimmer. I may be wrong...

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Aldo Baez
Master Film Handler

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From: USA
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 - posted 02-24-2003 02:10 AM      Profile for Aldo Baez     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Oh geez ok the bright halogen lights I can understand about keeping those off. But still, some people say that there shouldn't be *any* lights at all until the credits finish....

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Darryl Spicer
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From: Lexington, KY, USA
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 - posted 02-24-2003 01:08 PM      Profile for Darryl Spicer     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I decided to run the film in two parts. Lights come up at the end of part one and stay on until the 4 minute mark then they dim to half and after 4 mins. they go to full. This forces the projectionist to be there for the second part and to change the disc's. Works well and no one has complained about it.

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Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

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From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002


 - posted 02-24-2003 02:15 PM      Profile for Claude S. Ayakawa   Author's Homepage   Email Claude S. Ayakawa   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Darryl,

What do you mean when you say you are running "GODS AND GENERALS" in two parts? Are you saying that you have split the print into two parts and each on a seperate platter? If not and you are running the print as a whole on a single platter, what is the differece than the way most projectionist are doing now by manually adjusting the lights during the intermission?

-Claude

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Darryl Spicer
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From: Lexington, KY, USA
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 - posted 02-24-2003 02:44 PM      Profile for Darryl Spicer     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Yes I am running the film on two platters. The reasons are because I have had situations with speco platters that when the film gets that far out they want to speed up and slow down running the risk of slinging the film off. It also makes moving the print around much easier. We had to move it over the weekend because it was selling out. At the end of the first part at the intermission the lights go all the way full. after starting the second part the lights stay full then the cue that we use for the lights up programing is read at the beggining of the 4 min music section in the intermission to bring the lights to half. Then I use a cue to bring the lights down to full dim at then end of the black segments. This practice has worked well and makes for a professionally handled presentation.

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Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002


 - posted 02-24-2003 03:19 PM      Profile for Claude S. Ayakawa   Author's Homepage   Email Claude S. Ayakawa   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Since most theatre appears to and have scheduled just two shows a day without a shorter feature in between, what you are doing makes a whole lot of sense. Warner Brothers idea of running the print non stop in my opinion is very asinine and encourages projectionist to be lazy and not bother with the showing once it starts like the operator did at the Kapolei 16 yesterday. I respect your professional integrity, Darryl!

-Claude

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