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Topic: Booth Standards

Doug Fields
Film Handler

Posts: 15
From: Parsippany, New Jersey, USA
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 09-15-2000 12:26 AM

Heya guys and gals!

A quick question here. Can you tell me if your company has a standardized time for make and breaks. To be more specific, how long are you given to make a movie, and how long are you given to break a movie? It seems that 5 hours to make and break 3 movies and change the new NCN head ends in 5 theaters is plenty here. Let me know what you think. Thanks as always.

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Doug Fields
Union Manager/Operator/Projectionist
Madison Cinema 4
Madison, New Jersey

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Zach McQuaid
Film Handler

Posts: 37
From: Erie, Pennsylvania, USA
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 09-15-2000 12:44 AM

Hi, Doug, nice to meet you. At the 17 screen I work at there are two of us working during make/breaks. One to make/break, the other to tend the 17 screens. Generally speaking, we are alloted I'd say an average of 2 - 2 1/2 hours time for breakdowns, (regardless of how many) and about 3 - 3 1/2 hours for a buildup (including screening time). Both always seem to be just the right amount of time. We breakdown on Thursday nights, and buildup Friday mornings, so It's not straight-time anyway.

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Sean McKinnon
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1712
From: Peabody Massachusetts
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 09-15-2000 12:54 AM

where I work i am really not "Allowed" any amount of time it usually takes me about 30 minutes to assemble one print (Trailers to Last Reel) and 15-20 to Break one down.

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 09-15-2000 01:46 AM

I don't think you can be too prescriptive about the time it takes to make up a print - in my experience it depends on what state the print is in, and also the equipment being used to do the job.

Example - the Cinemeccanica platters in my current workplace wind at about half the speed of the Kinotons at my previous one, and that makes a reel difference.

A new or nearly new print which arrives in good condition with all the reels head out is going to be dealt with a lot more quickly than a knackered one which has hundreds of joins needing to be remade, is head out and being made up for changeovers (hence the need to wind each reel twice) and which arrives without leaders and tails in the correct cans. Being at an arthouse cinema, I get those on a regular basis and 4-5 hours to make up a print is not uncommon if it's really long and really bad.

It often strikes me that the distributors are effectively getting a print repair service for free out of projectionists. Why should my employers be paying for those 4-5 hours when they are also paying the distributor to hire the film?

As with the computer software industry (e.g. all the bugs in Windows 98), it seems to be an accepted fact of life that distributors can supply defective goods to their customers without any form of redress (on the rare occasions when I reject a print and it is actually replaced, we even have to pay for the transport). Now if there were a couple of high profile court cases...

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Mike Spaeth
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1129
From: Marietta, GA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 09-15-2000 03:10 AM

At my theater I allow however long it takes to get it done and get it done right. Thursday nights involve myself, an Assistant, and an Usher-B. No one leaves until all the movies are built, screened, and torn down (sometimes as late as 6 am - rarely before 3.) Why would one put a time limit on this?

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Ari Nordström
Master Film Handler

Posts: 283
From: Göteborg, Sweden
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 09-15-2000 06:02 AM

At a multiplex I used to work, they gave us the time it took, and no questions asked. And in all honesty, it didn't take that long; normally, we'd build the new prints during the late shows and break the old ones in an hour, maybe an hour and a half. Later, they set a maximum time, which was about 2 or 3 hours after closing time, about 2 a.m.

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John Pytlak
Film God

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

posted 09-15-2000 06:52 AM

I agree that the important jobs of print inspection, make-up and break-down should NOT be given an arbitrary time limit. You should be given as long as it takes to do a good job, which will depend on factors like the incoming print/reel quality, orientation on the reels, etc. Pre-screening to evaluate picture and sound of the entire film is highly recommended. Again, this might be an opportunity to offer free admission for a pre-screening to a few tech-minded film buffs in return for their written evaluation on an evaluation form.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com

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Paul Konen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 981
From: Frisco, TX. (North of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-15-2000 09:18 AM

Sean, how can you build up in 30 minutes?

It usually takes between 90 - 120 minutes for proper inspection and careful build up.

TearDown usually is about 5-7 minutes a reel.

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 09-15-2000 11:47 AM

I also dislike giving a time limit; making up a print can be different, depending on things like print condition, cueing required, type of equipment, etc.

I really like to make shows up at a regular rewind table. I think it's much faster and I can get a good look at the flim as it goes by. I make up the first hour on a reel. Then while that reel is paying on the platter, I make up the second hour.

A place I know of does not have a regular rewind table; only the make up table that came with the platter (it can only rewind a 2000ft reel.) It takes them much longer to assemble a show.

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Doug Fields
Film Handler

Posts: 15
From: Parsippany, New Jersey, USA
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 09-15-2000 12:25 PM

Thanks for the replies everyone.

It seems tat payroll has become a HUGE issue all of a sudden at our company. While I understand the need to control all expenses, I think that only allowing 5 hours for a 3 in 3 out Thursday with NCN changes in all theaters is a little unreasonable. Oh, I forgot to mention. In those 5 hours there is also the downstairs duties also. As a Manager/Operator, I a responsible for Inventory, Marquee changes, Poster changes, Concession delivery... etc., etc. So, I guess more to te point is they are giving me 5 hours to completely change over a Theater on a Thursday night. I was talking to a member in my local Union, and he said that the standard is 2 hours for a make up, and 1 for a breakdown. That seems reasonable to me. It would actually even out when you take into account that you could build up a 5 reel print faster than 2 hours, but you may have a 9 reel print to break down with crappy reels from technicolor. I really don't mean to rant, but I feel as though I am being scolded for doing my best, and they feel that I am padding the payroll hours.

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Doug Fields
Union Manager/Operator/Projectionist
Madison Cinema 4
Madison, New Jersey

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Tom Kroening
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 214
From: Janesville, WI USA
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 09-15-2000 07:35 PM

At the 18 plex I work at I usually run all the shows in the morning while I build all the prints. After getting the reel long trailer pack done the print goes up quickly between starts. The projectionist at night does the tear downs and moves (ETS prints don't need to be broken down that night). I do trailer changes and break down the rest of the rings usually that next morning. The most i've gotten done on a thursday morning was 4.5 prints and 1 tear down. If you use your time effectively you should never have a problem.

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German Marin
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 227
From: Verbania (VB), Italy
Registered: Jul 2001

posted 02-17-2002 10:04 PM

At El Recreo Multiplex (7 screens) we used to make up an avg. 6 reels movie between 25 and 35 minutes (we have Christie's MARS and autowind, I prefer MARS 'cause the reel lies horizontaly, in my country the films are delivered on cores and into a individuals ship cans per reel). Break down a 5 reel's movie take me 20 minutes. Lord of the rings was the longest: 50 minutes

many reels, heavy weight, less MUT speed to pull film out of platter. When I get a dirty, scratched even full of oil film I really wouldn't like make up the movie, but I must to do it and take me an hour and half. (Sometimes the print comes from little theaters leds by "film done how I want" and old school projectionist).

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Carl King
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 199
From: Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 02-18-2002 08:22 AM

30 minutes to build a print from trailer to last reel?
How? I'llbet you don't catch many print problems before they hit the screen.

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Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 02-18-2002 10:33 AM

Doug said: >I really don't mean to rant, but I feel as though I am being scolded for doing my best, and they feel that I am padding the payroll hours.<

That is a terrible way to work. Suggest to your boss that he come up to the booth and observe a typical makeup and/or breakdown. Most don't have a clue of all that goes on up in the booth. After he watches you through a typical session, you can ask if he has any suggestions on how to shave off some time from the operation. Suggest that you appreciate his expertise in time management and would like his input. Try to avoid placing the word dumbass in front of the words "suggestions," "expertise" or "input."

Usually management gets into this mindset of "how can it take two hours just to makeup a print?" only because they have never done it themselves so there is no way for them to appreciate the work that you do. Best way to beat that is to show them.

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Jesse Skeen
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1517
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 02-18-2002 12:44 PM

Ha ha, that reminds me of the general manager at the Regal I worked at (who had been in the business less time than I had) who once told me I needed to "get my speed up" building prints. I would've had a good comeback for that, but I was so stunned I couldn't say anything!

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