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Topic: Nature of a job in a film lab

Robert L. Fischer
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 145
From: Montreal, Quebec
Registered: May 2004

posted 07-29-2004 04:53 AM

I think this fits more in the Ground Level forum than the Help Wanted/Seeking Employment forum.

OK, so I'm looking to obtain a 1st-shift position at the local Technicolor lab (until I decide to go back to school one of these quarters) so that I can still keep my part-time job at a movie theater. I have my heart set on working there because I want to be able to work with film more in one way or another and because it seems like the pay would be decent.

So I have a few questions:

What kind of job environment should I expect?

What type of pay should I expect?

Will my booth experience (almost 1 1/2 years) make it easier for me to get a job there?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Much thanks.

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Bill Gabel
Film God

Posts: 3873
From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 07-29-2004 07:54 AM

If the Technicolor location your talking about is the Wilmington, Ohio location. It's Technicolor's Cinema Distribution. They handle Print Management and Customer Service & Support. In other words, it's TES.

[Eek!]

I See a sea of Orange Cans [Eek!]

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 07-29-2004 10:21 AM

The jobs available there would include:

Warehouse personnel

People who mount, inspect, clean, and rejuvenate prints

Clerks and customer service personnel

Here is the contact information:

Technicolor Cinema Distribution
Address: 3418 State Route 73 South
Wilmington, OH 45117
Phone: 937-383-6000
Fax: 937-383-6094
Contact Name: Tim Burke
Services Provided: Print Management, Customer Service and Support.

Technicolor Career Opportunities

quote:
At Technicolor, we offer a wide range of challenging and rewarding professional, managerial, manufacturing, creative and technical positions, from entry level to management.

Together with our parent company Thomson, Technicolor constantly strives to develop the full potential of every employee by providing training and development programs, competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits packages, and an environment that encourages both teamwork and individual initiative.

We attract—and keep—the best-qualified people because of our deep and sincere commitment to our workforce.

Technicolor is always looking for highly motivated, career-oriented people to join our team. We invite you to search our global database of positions.

Theatre and film handling experience would likely be considered an asset.

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Aaron Sisemore
Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day!

Posts: 3061
From: Rockwall TX USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 07-29-2004 11:42 AM

quote: John Pytlak
Theatre and film handling experience would likely be considered an asset.

And would instantly disqualify him from ever being hired at a quality film-handling institution such as TES. [evil]

-Aaron

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 07-29-2004 01:39 PM

The main warehouse is about 3 miles from your location. I have no idea what kind of staffing they are currently in need of, but just give them a call. The people who answer the phone are right there in that building and can easily transfer you to someone who would be reponsible for staffing.

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Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 07-29-2004 04:47 PM

Maybe you'll get to work the poster-twister-upper machine! [Cool]

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Bill Gabel
Film God

Posts: 3873
From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 07-29-2004 04:52 PM

Or you could be the orange film can opener machine operator. [beer]

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Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 07-29-2004 11:49 PM

Or about the job of taking those 60 year old heavy weight film cans they buy at fire sales (the ones that weigh empty as much as thin metal ones way full) and spray painting them orange?

Maybe DHL charges a flat rate but surely most other shipping is done by weight and I wonder if some of the small companies that use contract film handling companies know their vendor is using cans that weigh twice what they ought to. There are still a lot of those cans out there and while it may not matter if they just go to or from the local depot with the small companies and few prints per release these cans are air shipping all across the country.

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Robert L. Fischer
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 145
From: Montreal, Quebec
Registered: May 2004

posted 07-30-2004 02:33 AM

quote: Steve Kraus
Maybe you'll get to work the poster-twister-upper machine!

quote: Bill Gabel
Or you could be the orange film can opener machine operator.

That above is exactly what I was afraid of. I was going more for this:

quote: John Pytlak
People who mount, inspect, clean, and rejuvenate prints

I'm going up to Technicolor tomorrow to apply, so we'll see how that goes. Hopefully they have a 6:30 am - 3:00 pm type of shift so it'll fit my schedule.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 07-30-2004 06:33 AM

Assuming they are in current need of help, it wouldn't surprise me to find out that such a shift does exist, as those guys are open 24 hours a day.

BTW, you will need to speak with Joe Wade if you want to do that sort of work there at the QC stations or the "full" inspection stations.

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Bill Gabel
Film God

Posts: 3873
From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 07-30-2004 09:57 AM

Robert

I was just kidding in the above post, but Best of Luck in getting the job. And show them How to Do Film Right. [thumbsup]

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Don Anderson
Master Film Handler

Posts: 312
From: West Bend, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 07-30-2004 07:49 PM

I worked in the film processing industry for years, wholesale and retail. I developed lung related problems from a poorly ventilated wholesale lab. Lab work is not a moneymaking career move. If someone came to me looking for a job with theatre experience, I would figured that they might know what 35mm is. Other than that, I probably wouldn't consider it work related experience in the field. I've done it all, from running hi-speed cine's, to designing special processing for foreign films from all over the world. Of course, I prefer the Motion Picture industry over any lab work that I've done in the past.

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Robert L. Fischer
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 145
From: Montreal, Quebec
Registered: May 2004

posted 07-30-2004 11:59 PM

I'm hoping for a job there because I need a full-time income until I assume a full-time position at my movie theater. See, I'm 18 right now and I've gotten some college credit, but I'm absolutely clueless as to what I want to do. College hasn't worked out thus far, so I've decided that in the two years or so between now and the time my GM steps down, I would take on a full-time job in addition to my part-time assistant manager job at the theater and save all the money I possibly can while living at home. After the two years or so, I will quit the full-time job after assuming the GM position and look to have a house built. I'll also be able to go back to school because of our operating hours and by then, at the age of 20, I should have a better appreciation for school and a clearer idea of what I need to do. Until then, it's all about saving money and seeing the world when I get the chance...

Of course, if I somehow didn't get the GM job, that would throw a wrench in my plan. But I figure by then, I would at least be able to get a booth manager position at a megaplex and go back to college.

Don, around what time period did you work in the lab that gave you lung-related problems? What kind of work did you do? I don't want to take on a job that might carry major health risks. Could print inspection/restoration carry health risks?

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-31-2004 10:12 PM

"People who mount, inspect, clean, and rejuvenate prints"

John,
There is no way under the sun that they ACTUALLY have people there perfomring those tasks! You're joking right.......

Mark

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 08-01-2004 05:43 AM

They certainly do Mark. There are about 2 dozen "full inspection" stations with half a dozen viewers available, digital track QCing, etc. They also have a fantastic rewash machine and an evil Imageguard machine for rejuvenation.

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