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Author Topic: Regal will soon allow ushers to run projection... Justin B. Martin Film Handler Posts: 47 From: Arlington, VA, USA Registered: Jul 2010 posted 12-07-2010 04:34 PM                    ...similar to how AMC's "Film Crew" runs the booths. Among the ushers' new duties are operating projectors, building and breaking down films. The ushers will have to be "certified" in order to run the booth but from what I've been hearing the certification requirements are being retooled. I think we all know where this is going.  |  IP: Logged Julius Alan Vichinsky Film Handler Posts: 18 From: Postfalls, ID. Registered: Mar 2005 posted 12-07-2010 05:23 PM                        Where?  |  IP: Logged Mark Strube Master Film Handler Posts: 322 From: Milwaukee, WI, United States Registered: Feb 2007 posted 12-07-2010 06:09 PM                        It was my understanding that most chains already allowed floor staff to run the booth as long as they had some sort of "training." Was Regal manager only?  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Weigel Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1062 From: Edmond, OK, USA Registered: Mar 2007 posted 12-07-2010 07:36 PM                     Regal went "manager only" in '98 or '99. Their switching back is most likely due to a lot of the locations going all or mostly digital.  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 12-07-2010 10:30 PM                     "Manager only" has been bullshit from day one, it was an excuse to keep the IATSE from ripping the chains apart when they decertified from using Union projectionists. (The agreement the IA structured mandated "manager only" for running the booths.) EVERY theatre I serviced during my RCA days for one of the biggest chains to go "manager only" had the popcorn kids running the booth. (They skirted the IA mandate by calling them "booth ushers". WTF?? Since when did the projectors need to be told where to go?) This was all the way back in the early 80's. So Regal's announcement is absolutely no surprise.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 12-07-2010 11:16 PM                        quote: Julius Alan Vichinsky Where? Over there. Anyway, it is not all that surprising. Regal peeps keep telling me that 100% of their theaters will be converted to digital in the year 2011. I guess they need to start saving a tiny bit of $$$ for all of that digital stuff somehow (being that digital itself doesn't really save the exhibitor money and the elimination of a projectionist or manager wage does not do much to help afford such equipment). What I am curious is what is to happen to the so-called "projection managers" they have now. They are managers who work mostly in the booth, but may be required to come down and work real manager shifts. I am glad I am at Regency Theaters, at least at the Denver location while it (and 35mm) lasts. There really is no other theater in Denver that I know of where I think I would be satisfied working these days. I do projection and nothing else, it shows and the company isn't filing for bankruptcy because of my atrociously high wage. The funny thing is that I'd have to lower my standards to pass Regal's certification. One local manager told me he is not even allowed to control the volume at his theater or the techs/corporate will get pissed. I highly doubt that's true, but it just goes to show how much fear the majority of Regal employees have of their corporate parents. A lot of Regal people no longer post here. They refuse to mention them on Facebook and whatnot (using only vague allusions to their employer). They won't even mention them when I specifically ask. Using fear to "motivate" employees is never a good thing. Must be a fun place to work!  |  IP: Logged Chase Pickett Expert Film Handler Posts: 142 From: Irving, Texas, USA Registered: Nov 2010 posted 12-08-2010 01:37 AM                     I know with AMC, having a "Film Crew" member up in booth saves them quite a bit of money. In my case, I am Film Crew but take care of everything up in booth. Eliminated the need to pay someone twice my wage to do the same job, although they got lucky as I enjoy projection so much. The downside of course is motivating employees to take on the responsibilities and have them do a good job, which is impossible. Someone making $.50 to $1.00 over minimum wage will inherently not do such a good job, because they simply don't care. It won't matter for very long though. AMC supposedly signed a deal with Sony to outfit 2k's and 4k's to every screen AMC owns by 2012, and start times will all be controlled automatically by the performance schedules made by management. Eliminating the need for anyone to even be in the booth on a daily basis.  |  IP: Logged Tom Petrov Five Guys Lover Posts: 1121 From: El Paso, TX Registered: Jan 2003 posted 12-08-2010 01:50 AM                    so who has been running the booths all this time?  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 12-08-2010 02:29 AM                        But Chase, with those Sonys and that craptastic Cine Alta junk you'll be spending a lot of time up there shuffling stuff around since each projector can only hold a terabyte.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 12-08-2010 03:07 AM                     ..bet it has to do with payroll - why pay an Assoc MGR type that is getting a higher wage when an "USHERBEE" who is being paid minimum to lace and start projectors .. and soon click the "Play" button on the server monitors?  |  IP: Logged Phil Ranucci Expert Film Handler Posts: 236 From: Carpinteria,CA, United States Registered: May 2006 posted 12-08-2010 04:30 AM                     quote: Chase Pickett Eliminated the need to pay someone twice my wage to do the same job, although they got lucky as I enjoy projection so much. Yes they eliminated paying someone twice your wage. But how much of that savings did you get? Some people are trying to make a living here, and I'm glad you enjoy your job, but don't you see that you're helping them drive wages down? quote: Chase Pickett The downside of course is motivating employees to take on the responsibilities and have them do a good job, which is impossible. Someone making $.50 to $1.00 over minimum wage will inherently not do such a good job, because they simply don't care. They gave you $.50-1.00 more to take on the duties and you're doing a good job and the others don't care. Don't you feel like you deserve more than the ones that don't care? Or did you get more than that, in which case good for you.  |  IP: Logged Jesse Skeen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1517 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Aug 2000 posted 12-08-2010 04:36 AM                     When I worked at a Regal, from late 2000 til I left in 2001 they had a couple floor staff people working upstairs. Some only got a couple days' training before they were turned loose on 16 screens. A couple films got scratched that way, but they still didn't beat one of the assistant managers who trashed about 7 out of 16 movies in one day (misthreaded the failsafe so a plastic part scraped the film.)  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 12-08-2010 05:30 AM                        What kind of failsafe? FP-350s? We had a guy who did that right before I came back to my present location. Not sure how you do that, you really have to fight to do it, but he did it.  |  IP: Logged Chase Pickett Expert Film Handler Posts: 142 From: Irving, Texas, USA Registered: Nov 2010 posted 12-08-2010 09:52 AM                     I make $8.25 an hour meaning no I don't make more than that $.50-$1.00. The saddest part is the least trained film crew member working in booth knows more about projection than any supervisor or manager in the building. We rely on the manuals here on Film-Tech for a lot actually. The booth team here with the exception of one person, who soon will no longer be upstairs, is pretty good. The incentive at my theater for booth is more hours, but the majority of us up here are kids in college who really need the money and can't afford to slack off. As far as those Sony's I would like to punch the douche who got that bonus for signing with Sony. Obviously he/she would like a nice vacation over having added loss of revenue because of these pieces of garbage.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-08-2010 10:12 AM                        quote: Monte L Fullmer .bet it has to do with payroll - why pay an Assoc MGR type that is getting a higher wage when an "USHERBEE" who is being paid minimum to lace and start projectors .. and soon click the "Play" button on the server monitors? Let's not forget, if you call them Managers you can work them more than 40 hours without paying overtime. During busy periods "Managers" can make less than minimum wage when you factor the hours/salary.  |  IP: Logged

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