Cell phones in theatres are the number one non-presentation-related distraction these days. Fortunately, in the showing I attended, there was only one cell phone that went off.

Here are some common presentation-related distractions and their frequency of occurrence in my area. Note that the numbers themselves do not tell the full story, since some occurrances are more distracting than others. See the ratings section of my WWW site for full details. The format used here is number of presentations with the problem, a slash, and the total number of presentations attended.

Aperture plate misalignment/projector misaiming (most common problem):

Regal River Oaks Cinema 8: 18/52 (35 percent)
Carmike 10: 28/70 (40 percent)
Carmike Century Cinema 8: 38/49 (78 percent)
Regal Hollywood 18: 18/52 ((35 percent)
Regal Madison Square 12: 22/54 (41 percent)

Flat movie shown with masking set for scope (or not pulled in enough):

Regal River Oaks Cinema 8: 0/52 (0 percent)
Carmike 10: 3/70 (4 percent)
Carmike Century Cinema 8: 13/49 (27 percent)
Regal Hollywood 18: 1/52 (2 percent)
Regal Madison Square 12: 2/54 (4 percent)

Image misframed noticeably or out-of-frame splices:

Regal River Oaks Cinema 8: 2/52 (4 percent)
Carmike 10: 7/70 (10 percent)
Carmike Century Cinema 8: 6/49 (12 percent)
Regal Hollywood 18: 3/52 (6 percent)
Regal Madison Square 12: 8/54 (15 percent)

Audio problems: including digital sound problems (cutting out,
defaulting to optical, advertised as digital but presented in analog),
as well as excessive distortion, or missing channels.

Regal River Oaks Cinema 8: 0/52 (0 percent)
Carmike 10: 7/70 (10 percent)
Carmike Century Cinema 8: 9/49 (18 percent)
Regal Hollywood 18: 3/52 (6 percent)
Regal Madison Square 12: 10/54 (19 percent)

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Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Info Site

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I realized that the number of presentations with given defects that I listed in my last posting don't really tell the whole story, and that it would be better to include the number of points deducted per type of distraction. For example, the 18 misalignments at River Oaks have a much lower total number of points deducted than any 18 at other theatres, since the problems at River Oaks, when they occur, tend to be more minor than at other locations, which gets them 1 point deductions instead of 2 or more. I should note that River Oaks has the highest percentage of showings with a "100" rating than any other. The number of points deducted for a problem is directly related to how distracting it is.

I'm currently going to assess how much effort it would take to assign codes to the different types of problems and the number of points deduct for each so that my software could generate statistics based on deductions for various types of problems. It shouldn't be too hard, so I may tackle that one night this week. Stay tuned.

Update (10:10 PM 2001/06/18): I've now got problem codes assigned for each type of problem that I've noted at theatres in my area.

Each code consists of a problem category and the number of points deducted for it in each instance (severity). The category letters mean the following (in no particular order): (subject to change or be reorganized somewhat)

A aperture/aim/alignment
L lamp turned off during movie (content missed)
M misframing and/or out-of-frame splice(s)
B intermission music audible during movie
T time (started too late or too early)
C credits not shown in entirety
D digital audio problem (cut out, lack of)
m masking not pulled in to match image size
U nonuniform brightness
H poor contrast (usually dirty optics)
d audio balance/distortion/noise/lack of channels
F lamp flicker or brightness fluctuation
f focus
R material played with projector setup for wrong format
b light from booth illuminating an area on the screen
S print scratches or damage
J image jitter
E exit sign throwing light on screen
w screen wash lights throwing light on screen
W water/roof leaks (water dripping)
G shutter ghosting
a loss of audio
I unnecessary inconvenience
r film loaded backwards and/or upside down
l auditorium lights turned on during movie
t problem not fixed after reporting it
s screen in need of repair
N ambient noise
i show stopped during movie and restarted from beginning of previews
O scene missing from movie

For example, "A1" is the most minor code, meaning that a slight misalignment was noticed (typically on only one image edge). "A8" likely means that alignment was severe and affected all the edges. "M12" indicates a very severe misframing, where "M2" is a much less severe (distracting) misframing.

The number of problem codes will not match the number of visits because some showings are problem free and others may have more than one problem code per visit. A theatre with a fewer number of problem codes in relation to the number of visits, with mostly minor codes (like "A1" and "A2") is doing well. Theatres with a large number of problem codes, with higher point values, are not doing very well. Look at Carmike Century Cinema 8 and compare it with Regal River Oaks Cinema 8, for example.

The accumulated lists of problem codes for each theatre look like this:

This is a bit ugly, but it's progress, since software can parse these things easily (more easily than my English descriptions). The English descriptions of problems on my site will continue to be used, but these types of codes will be supplied as well to help in generating stats:

Regal River Oaks Cinema 8 (52 visits, 24 problem codes very good! ):
A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A3 A3 B2 C2 L2 M4 M5 T1

Carmike 10 (70 visits, 55 problem codes):
A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A3 A3 A4 A4 C1 D3 D3 D3 D5 D5 F5 H2 H5 M1 M1 M1 M12 M2 M2 M2 O3 R1 U7 d3 d3 f1 m3 m4 m4 m4

Regal Gateway Cinemas 4 (12 visits, 14 problem codes):
A1 A1 A1 A2 A2 A2 A4 A4 A5 A5 C1 E2 M3 U1

Carmike Century Cinema 8 (49 visits, 107 problem codes ):
A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A10 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A3 A3 A3 A3 A3 A3 A3 A3 A4 A4 A4 A4 A4 A5 A5 A5 A5 A5 A6 A7 A8 D1 E4 E4 F5 G1 G5 G5 H1 H10 H2 H5 J3 M1 M1 M1 M1 M1 M12 M2 M2 M2 M2 M3 R1 R1 R1 R2 S1 S1 S2 T2 U2 U2 U2 U2 U2 U3 U4 U4 U4 W3 a3 b1 d1 d1 d1 d10 d2 d3 d3 f1 f20 f3 f4 f6 m4 m4 m4 m4 m4 m4 m4 m4 m4 m4 m4 m4 m4 w10

Regal Hollywood 18 (52 visits, 32 problem codes):
A1 A1 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A3 A4 A4 A6 D10 F5 I5 M1 M2 M6 R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 S1 T5 d1 d5 m4

Regal Madison Square 12 (54 visits, 66 problem codes ) :
A1 A1 A1 A1 A1 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A3 A3 A3 A3 A3 A4 A4 D1 D1 D1 D5 E1 G1 G20 G3 G4 G6 J10 J12 J15 J2 J4 M1 M1 M1 M12 M15 M2 M2 M35 N1 N1 R1 R1 R2 T5 b1 d1 d10 d10 d3 d5 f1 f5 i10 l2 m4 m4 s2 s4 t3

Cobb Cinema 8 (10 visits, 14 problem codes): A2 A3 A5 E1 E4 E4 E4 F5 M1 M2 M2 d3 m4 r3

In the nights ahead, these codes will allow me to generate neat reports on frequency of problems, and for each theatre, the most frequent problems. I'm stopping here tonight since it's late and
I've been working on this for about an hour, and am at a good stopping place. The software will be able to count and analyze these things without making as many mistakes as I would trying to look over them.

I feel that doing a quantitative analysis of presentation-related distractions is important. In this case, it gives a very good indication of what types of problems occur, and how often.

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Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Info Site

Theatre Projection Quality Data Summary as of June 26, 2001:

Regal River Oaks Cinema 8, Decatur, AL :

Projection Quality Score: Average 99.3 (no facility deductions)
Standard Deviation: 1.3

Showings Attended: 52

Deductions Total : 43
Average deductions per showing : 0.8

Most common deductions:

Alignment/aim : 27 points / 18 showings
Misframing : 9 points / 2 showings

Carmike 10, Huntsville, AL :

Projection Quality Score: Average 98.1 (no facility deductions)
Standard Deviation: 2.5

Showings Attended: 70

Deductions Total : 135
Average deductions per showing : 1.9

Most common deductions:

Alignment/aim : 49 points / 29 showings
Misframing : 21 points / 7 showings
Dig. sound not on or cuts out : 19 points / 5 showings
Masking set scope for flat film : 15 points / 4 showings

Carmike Century Cinema 8, Decatur, AL :

Projection Quality Score: Average 92.2 (no facility deductions)
Standard Deviation: 6.6

Showings Attended: 50

Deductions Total : 369
Average deductions per showing : 7.4

Most common deductions:

Alignment/aim : 130 points / 39 showings
Masking set scope for flat film : 52 points / 13 showings
Focus : 34 points / 5 showings
Misframing : 28 points / 11 showings
Image brightness nonuniformity : 27 points / 10 showings
Audio distortion/balance : 21 points / 7 showings
Poor image contrast : 18 points / 4 showings
Shutter ghosting : 11 points / 3 showings

Regal Hollywood 18, Huntsville, AL :

Projection Quality Score: Average 90.6 (includes 7.5 point facility deduction for lack of adjustable masking in 12 auditoriums)
Standard Deviation: 2.6

Showings Attended: 52

Deductions Total : 89
Average deductions per showing : 1.7

Most common deductions (not including lack of adjustable masking):

Alignment/aim : 39 points / 16 showings
Audio distortion/balance : 16 points / 3 showings
Misframing : 9 points / 3 showings

Regal Madison Square 12, Huntsville, AL :

Projection Quality Score: Average 87.6 (includes 7.5 point facility deduction for lack of adjustable masking in 8 auditoriums)
Standard Deviation: 8.2

Showings Attended: 54

Deductions Total : 279
Average deductions per showing : 5.2

Most common deductions (not including lack of adjustable masking):

Misframing : 69 points / 8 showings
Alignment/aim : 48 points / 22 showings
Vertical jitter (unsteadiness) : 43 points / 5 showings
Shutter ghosting : 34 points / 5 showings
Audio distortion/balance : 29 points / 5 showings
Dig. sound not on or cuts out : 8 points / 4 showings
Masking set scope for flat film : 8 points / 2 showings
Screen in need of repair : 6 points / 2 showings

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Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Info Site

I, for one, and I'm sure I speak for all the technicians here, would certainly welcome this input as it would help us to prioritize the most serious issues in the limited service time we have.

On the other hand, there are a lot of times when I'm so tied up doing meatball surgery that a lot of problems have to wait. Theatre staff is SUPPOSED to do things like change xenon lamps and do minor adjustments. Right now I'm going around installing the LED/photocell upgrades to all my Christie platters. That's a priority because of the damage that these old cells are causing. I have about 50 platters to do and they have to be COMPLETELY disassembled to do it. It takes me up to an hour to do each platter. I can't always count on good help from theatre staff either. I'm sorry, if the screen is slightly fuzzy that's just going to have to wait.

(As a side note, those upgrades seem to do the trick on taking care of platter malfunctions! The majority of platter malfunctions just seemed to evaporate when I started converting them! )

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Old lenses with ineffective anti-reflection coatings and dirty/scratched elements are a major "contrast killer":
Seven Deadly Sins of Projection
Contrast Killers

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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 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Another theatre that is a CONTRAST KILLER!

Certainly, auditorium lighting should never shine ON the screen during a movie presentation. But excessively high levels of decorative lighting or aisle lights during the show can also be an annoying distraction. Use only enough light to assure the safety of the audience, and be sure it NEVER shines onto the screen.

Misspliced trailer
terrible overshoots-badly cut aperture plates!
no barrier between theater and lobby, so theater was flooded with light anytime someone opened the door
Xenon Bulb that needed replacement!
dirty print
BAD SCRATCHES at splice-joints
AUDIBLE projector in theater
sound from adjoining theaters
house light system that does not fully dim

Stupid me went back to this theater to see FAST AND FURIOUS on opening night:

box office personnel who lied about seat aviability
out of time shutter
BAD OVERSHOOTS-new plates needed!
Universal fanfare at tail of attached trailer-before policy trailer

Notice that I spoke of bad aperture plates. I can atttest to the fact that whover cut them really went HOG-WILD with the file-even at my old theater. For whatever reason, Century Theaters has their panties in a bind when it comes to filing new plates, and only certain authorized Area Techs are permitted to do this. It was next to impossible to get them off their wazoos to do this, and some of the overshoots because of bad plates lends to a crappy performance-especially in an all THX theater where I worked!

quote:

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Hey John, how about theaters that leave their ceiling lights burning at a good intensity during the show (as opposed to leaving the side lighting on)? I don't know how you feel about it, but the lights reflect from my glasses and really annoy me to no end. Leaving them lightly glowing is fine, but I see theaters all the time with those ceiling lights cranked. Other people that I know who wear glasses complain of the same thing.

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Beginning in summer 1999, the theatres in my area all simultaneously changed from fully dimming their lights at the start of the projector to dimming them to "credits level" until the actual movie started, or until the policy trailer was shown. This did not bother me, since it made it easier for latecomers to find seats, but the problem with this approach is that if the cue to dim the lights to proper movie level does not get processed, then the lights stay up for the entire presentation, or until someone complains, or until a staff member notices it.

One time, in a movie, the screen wash lights were on and were dimmed to the same level as the ceiling lights, and these wash lights were bright enough to wash out part of the picture during dark scenes. Fortunately, this has only happened to me once.