Why multiplexes SHOULD still have projectionists. (1 Viewer)

[Chris Will]

This is exactly why I don't mind paying a little extra to see movies on the IMAX screen at my AMC, even though it isn't a true IMAX sized screen and even if the movie wasn't shot for IMAX. IMAX stands behind the quality of their presentations and if something is wrong, they fix it and will even let you know that it was fixed. I haven't had a bad presentation yet in the IMAX auditorium; the other screens are very hit and miss.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

IMAX stands behind the quality of their presentations and if something is wrong, they fix it and will even let you know that it was fixed.

Not MY local IMAX (Sacramento)- they have a smudge or something in the middle of their screen, when I wrote in about it they said they'd fix it and they sent me passes, but a year later it still wasn't fixed. I wrote in again and they said it wasn't a smudge but a 'wrinkle', and they'd have to replace the whole screen to fix it which "won't be happening anytime soon." My response was, "Well, I'm not going to pay $17+ to see a movie on a damaged screen." They also turn the house lights up to FULL level during the end credits; I asked them to at least just keep them at half-level but they didn't seem to even get what I was talking about.

The whole point of digital cinema though was so that they DON'T have to pay anyone to run the movies- everything runs by itself except when they have to change the movies and times, then someone has to program those in.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Jesse, if you've written to the IMAX CQO at [email protected] (as opposed to the theater chain or the local branch), I don't know what else to say other than that that is the complete opposite of my experience with IMAX.

I was at an IMAX movie where I heard a very slight noise during select lines of dialogue being spoken by people on the left side of the screen - there was one tiny thing wrong with one of their many behind the screen speakers. When I wrote to IMAX about that, they ran their remote calibration tests that they can do from the home office, and whatever damage there was was so minor it didn't even get picked up on there, so they sent a technician out. They discovered there was a very minor issue with the speaker that most people sitting in most seats would never have been able to hear, but they fixed it anyway. They could have gotten away with leaving it but they didn't.

At another location, I complained about the screen appearing dirty. The next time I returned, it was obvious that a new screen had been installed.

I don't mean to cast doubt on what you're saying, but your experience with IMAX has been literally the opposite of mine.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I'm sitting here in a Regal auditorium for a 7:15 Showtime Free Fire staring at a Windows Active Desktop Recovery error.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

And sadly, if you don't get up to tell them, you'll probably be watching that for the next two hours.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Yes indeed. That post came about 15 minutes after notifying the ticket ripper that there was a problem, and 5 minutes or so before they got the movie playing.

 

[Wayne_j]

And Adam goes to the same regals that caused me to start this thread in the first place.

 

[cinemiracle]

Where I worked in the fifties/sixties, the staff had a button in the auditorium which they could press to notify the projectionist if there was a problem with the projected film. It was rarely used as projectionists were always on the ball and we also had a trainee projectionist as well.We had 70mm Roadshow screenings and projection was 100%.

 

[Brent Reid]

Conspiracy time: as the 1980s wore on, record companies churned out increasingly shoddy quality vinyl. They were happy to kill it off in favour of the more expensive, higher profit margin, then-unreplicable CDs. Then there's the built-in obsolescence of most consumer goods nowadays, forcing us to buy the same cheap tat over and over again.

By the same token, take those generally high quality, projectionist-attended cinemagoing experiences we all used to enjoy. What if they've been deliberately downgraded, not only to save costs, but also to soften us up to pay premium prices for quality that used to come as standard?

Just a thought...

 

[Vic Pardo]

I don't go to theaters very often these days (largely because there's so little I want to see), so I haven't had the bad experiences described here, at least not in recent years. But I used to always be the one who jumped out of his seat to go complain. Nowadays, though, in current New York multiplexes, it's doubtful you'd find a theater employee to complain to on the floor where your theater is, so you'd have to take an elevator or escalator down to a lower level to find someone. And by the time you did and got back to your seat, you'd have missed a whole scene or two.

 

[RobertR]

Conspiracy time: as the 1980s wore on, record companies churned out increasingly shoddy quality vinyl. They were happy to kill it off in favour of the more expensive, higher profit margin, then-unreplicable CDs. Then there's the built-in obsolescence of most consumer goods nowadays, forcing us to buy the same cheap tat over and over again.

By the same token, take those generally high quality, projectionist-attended cinemagoing experiences we all used to enjoy. What if they've been deliberately downgraded, not only to save costs, but also to soften us up to pay premium prices for quality that used to come as standard?

Just a thought...

I don't buy into your "capitalism thrives on shoddiness" theory. Companies respond to consumer demand. If people really cared about better theatrical presentations, theaters would give it to them. CDs didn't take down vinyl because they had "higher profit margins", but because consumers preferred them to vinyl. Complain all you want about compressed MP3 recordings vs. 24/192 audiophile recordings, but people have made clear what they prefer. Those who prefer the latter and are willing to pay for it can get it.

As for "planned obsolescence", it's hardly a "conspiracy", but consumer preference. I quote:

"Consumers prefer lower price, the newest technology, and different amenities other than longevity. As materials have fallen in price, it makes more sense to replace the good than to create it to last forever. Do you want a $200 blender that lasts 30 years or a $10 blender that lasts five years?

For many things, it makes economic sense for them to last only until the next improvement comes along. Imagine if a computer manufacturer produced a machine that was advertised as a lifetime computer, the last computer you will need as long as you live, complete with software that will similarly last forever. Anyone with savvy would be skeptical, realizing that this is the last thing you want. Far from being a rip-off, then, obsolescence is a sign of rising prosperity."

I see plenty of demand in subforums here for the latest Iphone or Android. The people who want them are hardly victims of a "conspiracy". I suspect YOU wouldn't satisfied with a smartphone that lasts 10, 20, 30 years either.

 

[RichMurphy]

I don't go to theaters very often these days (largely because there's so little I want to see), so I haven't had the bad experiences described here, at least not in recent years. But I used to always be the one who jumped out of his seat to go complain. Nowadays, though, in current New York multiplexes, it's doubtful you'd find a theater employee to complain to on the floor where your theater is, so you'd have to take an elevator or escalator down to a lower level to find someone. And by the time you did and got back to your seat, you'd have missed a whole scene or two.

A neat trick I have learned, and unfortunately have had to use a couple of times, is to store the direct-dial number of my regular movie theatres on my iPhone. It takes a bit of Googling to find these numbers, but it can be done. Rather than get up and run from auditorium #22 to the lobby, I just call from my seat and tell them there is a problem with x-movie in x-auditorium. Amazingly, someone usually shows up within a couple of minutes to confirm the problem. (and yes, I speak softly so as not to disturb the people around me who seem not to care.)

And while the current technology isn't foolproof, I remember during my ushering days in the 1970s and 1980s all too many missed reel changes, theatre Muzak still playing instead of the soundtrack after a movie had started, wrong lenses used (CinemaScope vs flat), and my personal favorite, a reel of 70mm film projected BACKWARDS! At least now I can see a film later in its run and not worry about endless scratches and splices.

 

[RobertR]

A neat trick I have learned, and unfortunately have had to use a couple of times, is to store the direct-dial number of my regular movie theatres on my iPhone. It takes a bit of Googling to find these numbers, but it can be done. Rather than get up and run from auditorium #22 to the lobby, I just call from my seat and tell them there is a problem with x-movie in x-auditorium. Amazingly, someone usually shows up within a couple of minutes to confirm the problem. (and yes, I speak softly so as not to disturb the people around me who seem not to care.)

And while the current technology isn't foolproof, I remember during my ushering days in the 1970s and 1980s all too many missed reel changes, theatre Muzak still playing instead of the soundtrack after a movie had started, wrong lenses used (CinemaScope vs flat), and my personal favorite, a reel of 70mm film projected BACKWARDS! At least now I can see a film later in its run and not worry about endless scratches and splices.

There's definitely a tendency to view the the past through a rose colored haze.

 

[Mike Frezon]

That Leonard Maltin YouTube rant really resonates with me.

This is lifted from a 2010 thread on the forum (by me) about going to a Fathom event likely at the same Regal theater mentioned in the OP of this very thread. What a disaster! And as many people here have noted, the staff/management are clueless about understanding the very business they're in...and how to deal with problems--either technically or in dealing with customers.

My wife and I were quite excited that our local Regal cineplex (the largest of it's kind in my area--18 theaters!) was going to have showings of the Fathom event of the recent benefit performance of Stephen Sondheim's Company held at Avery Fisher Hall in NYC to benefit the NY Philharmonic. There would only be two showings: tonight at 7:30 and Noon on Sunday. As we would be unable to attend the Sunday performance, we had to rearrange several appointments to allow us to attend tonight's performance. This also required me to schedule carefully at work as this is arguably my busiest week in my workplace.


Wife and I arrived early at the mall at 6pm to purchase tickets. It turns out it was nearly a packed house--a very enthusiastic audience. We enjoyed a nice dinner ahead of time and were sure to get to the theater early to ensure good seats.


The performance began and all was going swimmingly. The sound was good (a surprising number of surround effects for a taped version of a stage show) while the video was a small bit distracting as lines of resolution were noticeable but not a deal-breaker. And then, it happened. During Patti Lupone's rendition of the classic "Ladies Who Lunch" number (about two hours into a two and a half hour show) there was an audio dropout..and then another. And then there was some pixelation. And blocking. And then the audio disappeared altogether. And then the screen went black. Then we jumped forward about a half-hour mid-way through the closing credits. And then the screen went black for good.


What I know about film projection can be put in a thimble and you'd still have room for your fingertip. So, I was quite surprised when then a graphic came on screen telling the audience that due to a signal loss we lost part of the recording on our DVR. Now, as I've been a Dish Network customer for the past two and a half years, I have seen this message quite a number of times...mostly when part of a recording has gone missing due to a bad rain/wind storm. I never thought I'd be seeing it in a theater! I then saw a huge DirectTV logo come on screen. We saw the menu for rewinding the recording and someone/somewhere started rewinding the recording and got to the spot where it left off. They pushed "play" and we were treated to the exact same issue: audio dropouts in the same places, pixelation, blocking, error message and a jump to the end of the credits/final bows.


After the lights came up and the audience was grumbling and restless (as you might imagine) a theater manager came in and announced that they were looking into the problem...that the feed was from Colorado...and that they would look into getting it fixed. They said since the problem was at the transmission end everyone in the country who was attending a production was experiencing the same thing. I'm not so sure as I can't find any other such stories on the internet...but maybe.


As we waited we saw a Windows XP bar show up at the bottom of the screen. We then witnessed a cursor clicking the START button and shutting down a computer somewhere. That computer screen then showed us that Windows XP was booting. Eventually the opening of the show appeared on screen and an unknown source advanced the production on a hard drive somewhere to the end of the Ladies Who Lunch number--ticking off the audience even further which was hoping to see the number uninterrupted.


Now the presentation really suffered greatly at this point. The resolution took a big hit. You folks with technical knowledge probably know what happened. Did we drop from 1080i to 720 (or maybe even 480? It was noticeable. My guess would be 720...but I've got no way of knowing for sure. Plus the audio took a big hit...the sound was much lower and had a pronounced hum the rest of the way. I was already planning on asking for a full refund but figured I'd ride the wave to the end as I wouldn't get another chance to see the show...until a hoped-for Bu-ray release later this year.


So things continued along this way until Neil Patrick Harris performed the also-classic "Being Alive" number which appears near the end of the show. Just as the closing notes of the song were about to be performed...we returned to the black screen and the Windows XP bar at the very bottom with the START button visible.


The crowd was really disappointed by this time (as you might imagine). No one came into the theater with an explanation. The house lights eventually came up...people milled about for awhile and then started to file out. I decided to go out to the lobby and check things out. They were handing out readmission tickets to everyone in the theater. Most people were glad to take them and leave, it seemed. Although we talked to some people who said if you complained enough you could get two tickets for every stub. The guy handing out the tickets didn't even know we didn't see the end of the show!


Eventually I talked to an assistant manager-type who started to tell me there was nothing they could do and their various policies, etc. After I explained my position he offered there was nothing they could do since it was a Fathom event and I would have to go on-line and contact Fathom and hope for the best. I'll try to make this exchange as short as I can, but once I pointed out that Regal Cinema was quite eager to take my money for the tickets on behalf of Fathom, they could most certainly refund my money to me on Fathom's behalf. And to his credit, the manager did just that and gave readmission tickets as well. He really wanted me to leave happy and I'll be sure to inform his manager that he accomplished that.


By the way, tickets to the event were $18 apiece! And most in the audience were pleased to get their single readmission tickets. Ah well.


So, that's my story. The Asst. Mgr. told me that this type of satellite presentation was soon going to become the norm for theaters which are seeing ever-dwindling ticket sales and decreasing profit margins from the studios and who can only come close to breaking even with concession sales.


If this type of "digital satellite presentation" is going to become the norm, I certainly don't see it improving the theater-going experience. In fact, I am ready to bail on my home Dish Network and go back to my local cable company as I had VERY FEW problems with their service versus a number of aggravating situations with Dish reception over my two years with Dish.

That $18 ticket price is seven years old. I can't imagine what they are charging now. I haven't been eager to take in another Fathom event at the local multiplexes.

As Maltin notes, "what can go wrong?" Plenty.

 

[Mike Frezon]

A neat trick I have learned, and unfortunately have had to use a couple of times, is to store the direct-dial number of my regular movie theatres on my iPhone. It takes a bit of Googling to find these numbers, but it can be done. Rather than get up and run from auditorium #22 to the lobby, I just call from my seat and tell them there is a problem with x-movie in x-auditorium. Amazingly, someone usually shows up within a couple of minutes to confirm the problem. (and yes, I speak softly so as not to disturb the people around me who seem not to care.)

I like this.

I have actually done this for a local Wal-Mart which has a couple dozen+ checkout aisles at the front of its local store...but normally has only a few open with extremely long lines. So, while standing in line, I can call the office and ask them if they could open up more registers!

 

[Wayne_j]

Yes, that was the same location as the Fathom Event mentioned in the OP.

 

[Brent Reid]

I see plenty of demand in subforums here for the latest Iphone or Android. The people who want them are hardly victims of a "conspiracy". I suspect YOU wouldn't satisfied with a smartphone that lasts 10, 20, 30 years either.

Firstly, my last post was (partly) tongue-in-cheek but has clearly gone over your head.

Secondly, there is a certain amount of built-in obsolescence with all electronic goods, but obviously some far more than others. You can hardly draw a parallel between the exponential development of computing and smartphone tech and, say, my grandma's beautiful Victorian sewing machine, still going strong after 120+ years of continual use. Built-in obsolescence and purposeful degradation of certain goods and services is a fact, not theory – and certainly wasn't introduced by benign, helpful companies responding to consumer demand.

Thirdly, don't presume to know me or my lifestyle choices. While I'm far from being a technophobe (obviously, or I wouldn't be here), I just can't take to mobile phones. Therefore, the one I own is a 12-year-old Nokia Classic, which I seldom use. Suits me just fine, thank you.

Now: back to the topic at hand.

 

[RobertR]

there is a certain amount of built-in obsolescence with all electronic goods, but obviously some far more than others.

It isn’t “built in”. It happens because of consumer preference for something better, cheaper, more feature laden. That’s the crucial factor you’re choosing to ignore.

You can hardly draw a parallel between the exponential development of computing and smartphone tech and, say, my grandma's beautiful Victorian sewing machine, still going strong after 120+ years of continual use. Built-in obsolescence and purposeful degradation of certain goods and services is a fact, not theory – and certainly wasn't introduced by benign, helpful companies responding to consumer demand.

Modern sewing machines have features which people prefer, your grandma’s sewing machine notwithstanding. Again, this is in response to consumer demand, not because of some “conspiracy” by companies eager to force ever shoddier goods on an unwilling public.

While I'm far from being a technophobe (obviously, or I wouldn't be here), I just can't take to mobile phones. Therefore, the one I own is a 12-year-old Nokia Classic, which I seldom use. Suits me just fine, thank you.

You miss the point. Whatever your personal preferences are, the electronics consumer prefers improvement. People HARDLY consider 4k Flat Screens, Blu Ray, UHD, and multichannel lossless a “degradation” of the glory days of VHS, mono sound and 480i CRTs.

 

[Wayne_j]

Tonight I saw Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 in the same theater that I saw BatB in where they didn't open the masking curtains before showing the scope movie. The same thing happened tonight. I sent my friend to report it and the fixed the problem soon after.

 

[Wayne_j]

Today I went to The Godfather and had the same exact issue as I did for North By Northwest. This time another audience member actually got up and handled the situation.