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Topic: AMC to project indentification "bugs" onsceen during movies!

Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 01-10-2006 07:12 PM

quote: The New York Times
KANSAS CITY, Kansas, Jan. 9 – AMC Theatres announced today that they would be placing branding on many of their movie screens beginning this week. The branding will feature the AMC logo and remain onscreen in the lower right corner throughout the duration of the movie, a company spokesperson said.
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Max Becherer/Polaris, for The New York Times

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Specially placed video projectors already installed at most AMC movie theatre locations throughout the country will superimpose a semi-transparent AMC logo onto the film screen from the projector room. These video projectors already stream in advertisements from local and national companies before the movie begins, the spokesperson noted. The popularity of television and cable broadcasts and their branding of the screen using what is commonly referred to as “bugs” is one reason AMC is prompted to take similar action.

Only a few test theatres will feature the logo beginning this week, but the hope is to have it rolled out nationally on every AMC-owned screen by the end of March. “Brand recognition is everything,” says AMC representative George Daniels “we want customers to instantly recognize the AMC logo and animated mascots with the best moviegoing experience that exists in America.”

AMC is one of the world’s largest theatrical exhibition companies with nearly 3,500 screens.

WTF? I simply cannot believe this article. If this is true then AMC will surely piss off a whole new generation of people. But then again people don't seem to mind bugs burned into their television screens so who knows. All I can say is that this is one more reason for me to stay home. I just hope they don't ever start doing this with DVD/HD-DVD/BluRay.

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David Stambaugh
Film God

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

posted 01-10-2006 07:19 PM

This is unbelievable. It sounds like an April Fools joke. No fucking way! Don't forget to animate the bug. Also you can do teaser promo trailers across the bottom of the screen like TV. Oh! Hey! Do a news ticker along the bottom too. Maybe real-time weather updates.

If this ever happens, I will stop going to the movies, period. Fucking idiots think the average moviegoer gives a shit who runs the theater. That's so lame it's just incredible. This needs to be nipped in the bud. NIP IT IN THE BUD!

And if DVDs ever get this kind of crap, I will not buy them.

I can put up with too many preshow ads and trailers. But I won't tolerate anything mucking with the movie itself.

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Justin West
Master Film Handler

Posts: 271
From: Peoria, IL, USA
Registered: Jul 2001

posted 01-10-2006 07:36 PM

Almost sounds like an article out of the comedy newspaper, "The Onion." Whatta joke!

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Richard Hamilton
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1341
From: Evansville, Indiana
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 01-10-2006 07:48 PM

This is so cool, what a great marketing idea! They can run concession promos across the bottom, "For the next 5 minutes, buy 1 get 1 free!" Or they can do subliminal messages! "Doesn't an ice cold Coke sound good?" If they are really smart, they would do a PIP and run trailers and ads the entire time, along with subliminal messages. This is such a great moneymaker for the chain!

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 01-10-2006 08:20 PM

Who the hell around here goes to any AMC theatres anyway? I say go ahead and drive the customers away [Big Grin]

.

Mark

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Floyd Justin Newton
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 559
From: Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 01-10-2006 08:28 PM

Just ANOTHER REASON I don't go to AMC! Someday they're going
to be running to empty houses and wondering why. Some 'trend-
setters' they are.

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Jon Miller
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 973
From: San Diego, CA, USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 01-10-2006 09:01 PM

The NYT link is dead and the article is nowhere to be found on their site. I can only guess the outcry to that felony-stupid idea came on so fast and strong that AMC backed down right away and NYT nixed the article.

...Or maybe, thankfully, it was all just a hoax (or a hacker?).

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Wayne Keyser
Master Film Handler

Posts: 272
From: Arlington, Virginia, USA
Registered: May 2004

posted 01-10-2006 09:01 PM

I can see it now ... insert 1/24-sec flashes of BUY COKE ... wait a minute, subliminal ads were tried long ago.

Maybe "VOTE REPUBLICAN"? ... "MOVIES ARE YOUR FAVORITE ENTERTAINMENT"? ... hmmm...

How about "YOU IN THE BACK ROW, GET YOUR HAND OUT OF HER BLOUSE!"???

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Paul Mayer
Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under!

Posts: 3836
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Feb 2000

posted 01-10-2006 09:04 PM

Incredibly and breathtakingly stupid, even by AMC standards.

Fortunately there are no AMCs here.

[ 01-10-2006, 10:10 PM: Message edited by: Paul Mayer ]

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Louis Bornwasser
Film God

Posts: 4441
From: prospect ky usa
Registered: Mar 2005

posted 01-10-2006 09:14 PM

This could be a wonderful thing.....for AMC's competition. Just another example of this industry's video fixation. (maybe they could add the AUDIO zooms found on the Weather channel to really annoy the customers.) Louis

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David Stambaugh
Film God

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

posted 01-10-2006 09:36 PM

Even if the report is true, I can't believe movie studios would go along with this. It's just too outrageous. Would Spielberg put up with an AMC bug superimposed on top of "Munich"? Goddam, I hope not.

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Eric Hooper
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 532
From: Fort Worth, TX, USA
Registered: May 2003

posted 01-10-2006 10:00 PM

Wont those burn a hole in the screen? [Big Grin]

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 01-10-2006 10:26 PM

Sounds like a hoax to me, but if it's true I'll just add it to my long list of reasons I'm thankful to be an indie.

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Cory Isemann
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 500
From: White Plains, MD, USA
Registered: Jun 2004

posted 01-11-2006 07:59 AM

How about this: so now the projectors will be on nonstop... to project the bugs and then the preshow? Wouldn't that cut the life of the bulbs in half? Those suckers are expensive.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 01-11-2006 08:59 AM

If this story is true (surely movie theater executives can't be this crazy) it will be just another example of how American business strategy has completely lost its way.

It's about the damned product stupid!!!

But all those MBAs don't see it like that. Let's vandalize the product with our brand name throughout the duration of the movie. Yeah, that will get us more sales.

All of those idiots just need to retire and play golf for the rest of their lives and let some people with a clue actually run the business.

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