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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Author
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Topic: the quality continues to decline
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timothy johnson
Film Handler
Posts: 50
From: minneapolis, mN 55419
Registered: Jul 99
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posted 09-20-2000 04:38 PM
I have said this before, and I say it again, I go to the movies less and less because of poor presentation. Well I dared to venture out to a movie at a "chain theater" for the first time in a long time at the Har Mar General Cinema here in Maplewood Minnesota to see "Almost Famous" and sure enough I get hard to hear dialogue volume, off center bulb, soft focus, and to the audience's delight a GC policy trailer upside down with audio in reverse. Intermittent hum in the audio, And the icing on the cake was reel three misframmed at the splice point, and who gets up to complain about the framing?, no one but me. And I forgot to complain about the fact this was a grand auditorium that was triplexed in the 80's, I saw Star Wars here in 1977 and remember this huge picture that made me want to see it five times on that big screen, now it's like sitting in a tunnel and watching a picure way undersized to the distance you sit at. I know people on this site reading this don't make these mistakes because you are all here because you care, but if the rest of the theater chains are to bring the audience back time and time again with a "wow" experience, these things will continue to keep the DVD generation at home where the sound and picture are at their control. We are a spoiled society with more gidgets and gadgets that have to keep out doing each other, so theaters need to put to showmanship back into the cinema.
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Stephen Jones
Master Film Handler
Posts: 314
From: Geelong Victoria Australia
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 09-20-2000 06:32 PM
Timothy,This problem is going to get worse if the major companies dont have a training scheme put in place.You can't blame the young people who are working in the booth, as they are only taught the very basics like threading and how to make up film fast which only leads to poor presentation.I have a couple of young people who work in the booth with me and are doing well, as I always pass my knowlege and tips on to them and they are always asking questions which is good.The company I work for are at the moment putting a training scheme together which will see trainees are trained well.My previous employer which is the one of the biggest here in Australia has a very good traing scheme in place and works very well.But it dosent matter how well the training is you always get the ones who are not interested in projection as its to much hard work and boreing and therefore dont give a dame about presentation,these people dont last long anyway but are there long enough to give a bad reputation to the company they work for and their collegues,but the majority are hard workers who care and take pride in their work.After 30 years in projection I have seen some good and bad projectionist including some old timers.So its all down to the companies to provide a good traning scheme and selection process to give these young people a fair go to which they deserve.
I have no problem with younger people learning (both male and female)as we all had to learn at some stage, as long as they are taught well.  Stephen ------------------
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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!
Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 09-24-2000 01:13 PM
In fact, I do actually have two identical laserdisc/DVD players (Pioneer DVL-700).:-)I also have some mulitple copies of some titles, but they are not identical, sometimes I bought a newer better transfer of the film...for instance, I have the Pan and Scan/time compressed STAR WARS and EMPIRE copies when they were all that was available...When the trilogy came out, I got them in letterbox. But I have not, in fact, ever made a Laserdisc or DVD changeover though I guess I have the equipment to do it and on some titles I could somewhat pull it off. Unlike others, I have never proclaimed that the home experience is superior to a properly run changeover movie theatre. ;-) Though I do use JBL speakers (including the JBL B-460 18" subwoofer) and Dolby Digital on the Laser and DVDs. Steve ------------------
"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"
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Bill Purdy
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 139
From: Seattle, WA
Registered: Oct 1999
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posted 09-27-2000 04:15 PM
Well, it isn't all bad. Two days ago I took my wife to see "Chicken Run". This was in a Seattle theatre called the "Metro" which when it was built about 10 years ago had the largest screen count (10) of any theatre in town. Our presentation was delightful. The picture was bright and very clean and very steady. Being an animated film with all its blocks of solid color, dirt would have been obvious, but there was none----not even around the splices.How come? Well, all the projectors are Simplex XLs rebuilt (10 years ago) by a fine projector mechanic in Portland, named Dick Prather. Some are over SH-1000s and some are over RCA 9030s. The consoles are early CFS (you can't have everything) with Christie platters. The lenses are Schneider. Then there are the projectionists----real ones. All evening shows are run by one of the two genuine IATSE projectionists, each with well over 20 years experience. I am not saying that others don't or can't do as well, but it sure doesn't happen often enough. By the way, the print I saw was the same print that has been run 3 or 4 show a day since JUNE! It can be done, and with 35mm film. ------------------
Bill Purdy
Component Engineering
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