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This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
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Topic: Digital sound trailers
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
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Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 07-20-2002 03:22 PM
"Truth in advertising" just seems like an extra bit of labor most theater operators don't want to bother themselves with. Most theaters don't place digital format trailers on the print since the snipes have to be changed as the print moves from auditorium to auditorium. A complex featuring the same digital format on all screens has an easier time with it. But even then most AMC sites don't run SDDS trailers at all either.I too, would like to know exactly what kind of sound format and projection format is being used on a film before I walk into the auditorium. But that just doesn't seem to be happening. If anything, movie ads are providing even less information than ever. Cost cutbacks are part of the problem. It costs extra money to make a theater directory ad or stack ad that includes all the technical info in readable sized type. Another problem is a number of newer stadium seated theaters actually feature watered down arsenals of equipment. Most do not qualify for THX standards. Cheaper speakers, amps, cinema processors and projection equipment is installed. One would think every screen in a new multiplex would have digital sound. But they often don't. I can point to a few here in Oklahoma like that. So, to cover up the facts, they just don't notate the technical info for their shows. They let the audiences assume that since it is a newer theater it must automatically have all that stuff. In the end, it comes down to the audiences to do a better job in shopping around for a better theater. If someone goes to a dump, complains about the show, but then keeps paying money to see movies in that same dump then he has absolutely no right to complain. Dollars do the talking.
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Scott Norwood
Film God
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Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 07-20-2002 05:21 PM
I agree completely with Gordon on this.Actually, it never occurred to me to run a sound trailer for any format other than the one in which the feature is being presented. Hmm.... One of the places where I fill in sometimes doesn't usually run sound format logos; this is because it is a 5-plex with all three digital systems: the big house has DTS, as does the two smallest houses. The two mid-size houses have SRD and SDDS, respectively. Thus, during the "life" of a print, the sound logo would need to be changed nearly every time it moved. Add to that the fact that prints often move for screenings, interlocks, etc., and it just becomes a big mess. The big house is THX certified and I do try to run the THX trailer when possible. Another place where I fill in has SRD on three of six screens, but doesn't have any Dolby trailers. I've written to Dolby to ask them to send some out, but haven't heard back from them. If I worked in a single or a multiplex where all houses were equipped with the same format, I'd definitely run the sound trailers. Another issue with having multiple digital formats in one theatre is (as mentioned in another thread) the possibility that one track (usually SDDS) won't play right when the others are fine, and this isn't usually discovered until prints are moved. My most recent example is MIB2: the print ran fine in DTS for the first two weeks, then was moved to an SDDS house where there were major dropout problems on some reels. The solution was to run it in SR, since the film is not doing great business and it doesn't really make sense to replace reels on a print that probably won't play in an SDDS house for more than a week, anyway.
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Peter Dougherty
Film Handler
Posts: 36
From: Maspeth, NY, USA
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 07-22-2002 01:48 AM
I have an even bigger complaint with exhibition here in New York City. Try finding out what's playing in any THX auditorium! None of the newspaper ads or MoviePhone recordings indicate what's in the THX houses.We only have a few THX auditoria in the City, and all are one or two theatres within multiplexes. An average film-goer will never be able to find out the right showtime for the THX performance, and most times the box-office staff don't know their rumps from holes in the ground if they're actually lucky enough to get through to a "human being." I've never understood this. Why would a theatre pay the humongous THX certification fees, have the alignments done, earn the right to advertise in a format that is a guaranteed cinemaphile magnet, yet fail to advertise it, fail to put THX trailers on screen or even push it at the box office. And forget about finding out which digital format the film's presented in! Nobody knows, nobody cares... ------------------ Cheers, PJ Dougherty W2IRT
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Adam Wilbert
Jedi Master Film Handler
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Posts: 590
From: Bellingham, WA, USA
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 07-22-2002 03:12 AM
another plug for Harkin's from me. We had 11 screens: 3 SDDS, 3DD, 3DTS, 2SR. 1 of the SDDS and 1 DD were THX auditoriums. EVERY WEEK, we swapped out sound designation trailers with out fail. Yeah, it was a pain for the projectionists, but who here cares? Its all about the presentation, so suck it up. We also changed the sound designation if the show was being moved for a day to accomodate a "sneak screening" in the larger house. The box office reader boards had "digital sound" and "THX" snipes that went on the appropriate film (mylars, the only way to go. I hate those red LED signs!) All of the staff (even the ushers and concession people) had dailies available should a customer want to know exactly what digital format was being used. The box office staff also had a company memo that was updated every week, and could tell any customer the sound format for the whatever show of whatever movie on the 8th screen of the location 2 hours away, and whether it was THX certified or not. The VP routinly said that the majority of our work was for the 5% of the customers that this stuff matters too. They're the ones who would take their dollars to another location if they weren't amazed. The rest of our customers just came because we were closest. -adam
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Michael Brown
Phenomenal Film Handler
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Posts: 1522
From: Bradford, England
Registered: May 2001
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posted 07-22-2002 04:36 AM
quote: Bobby Henderson wrote: I've never seen a theater anywhere play the SR "Temple" trailer (which simply features the plain Dolby logo). The only place I've ever seen "Temple" was on some European web site that had a bunch of format trailer to download. They had .VOB files with DD 5.1 for all the Dolby and THX logos, but the "Temple" trailer was just a basic MPEG with a tiny picture.
We play 'Temple' (Single University screen, dolby A) I have a flat and a scope copy. I wish they made another one. It can get a bit tiring. And I have seen it played in a multiplex - SRD film in an SRD house (there is a copy here in the 'video' section if you want to take a look)
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