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This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
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Topic: increasing workforce efficiency - boothless
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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"
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Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 03-08-2013 10:31 PM
Being a full-time projectionist to babysit a digital multiplex would probably be pretty boring...at least until Thursday night.
Operationally speaking, I think digital is a whole lot easier than film. Ingesting movies and assembling playlists is not a big deal. Many film "projectionists" were really just glorified ushers and concession workers. So, philosophically, I don't see much difference between the old way and the new.
Oh, and I seriously doubt if they install the actual server inside the box office. More likely, they are networked to it. So, no worries about putting all the valuable goodies in one location.
As far as streamlining staff, I have often wondered why box office ATM's aren't all the rage by now. (Be careful what you wish for. More jobs could be lost.) The "follow the money" rule would lead me to guess that hiring box office staff is (presently) more cost-effective than buying ATM's. I'm also reminded of my recent visit to a Cinemark in Fort Lauderdale where something like 5 out of 6 ATM's were out of service. So maybe it's not ready for primetime just yet. But the day will probably come...
I guess, then, it's wrong to say that ushers are the most expendable -- guests can self-serve tickets and concession -- but they SURELY will NOT clean up after themselves.
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Leo Enticknap
Film God
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Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 03-09-2013 06:30 AM
quote: Mike Frese So is there a need for a projectionist full time in a digital booth?
When I worked in the theatre industry, film projection (and tasks related to it, e.g. equipment maintenance) was not the only part of the job. It basically encompassed looking after everything that plugged into the wall, including air handling plant, auditorium and public area lighting, IT troubleshooting on box office and back office systems, replacing failed compressors in the fridge in the bar ... you name it. With digital projection, those jobs will still have to be done. When the switchover started my gut feeling was that theatres would be employing fewer technical staff and that there probably wouldn't be one in the building all the time it was open and showing films, but that the technician's job would not disappear altogether. I'd be interested to know if that's turned out to be the case.
quote: Manny Knowles As far as streamlining staff, I have often wondered why box office ATM's aren't all the rage by now. (Be careful what you wish for. More jobs could be lost.) The "follow the money" rule would lead me to guess that hiring box office staff is (presently) more cost-effective than buying ATM's.
Perhaps for the same reason that supermarket chains are struggling (and IMO, losing the battle) to replace checkout staff with self-checkout machines? The technology is fundamentally flawed and customers will go to considerable length to avoid the things. It takes multiple attempts to scan the barcodes on plastic and paper wrappers (not flat), triggers repeated 'unexpected item in the bagging area' false alarms (i.e. the machine detects a false positive on weight in the bag platform, thinking that you're trying to pack an item without scanning, and thus paying for, it), and if you want to buy booze or other age-restricted items, you have to wait until a human comes along to authorise it. That wait is often longer than if you'd just gone through the queue for the manned checkout.
At my local supermarket, there is almost always a queue for the manned checkouts while the self-checkout machines are deserted. I know many people who avoid supermarkets that have a whole load of machines and just one or two manned checkout lanes, and I'm sure the executives in these retail chains must be looking at the numbers and concluding that consumer resistance is a major issue.
Interestingly, I haven't seen these things anywhere in the US except at Fresh and Easy, the now failed grocery stores that represented the British chain Tesco's attempt to break into the American market. The first time I went into one (in Palm Springs) I was shocked - they had the same machines as the British Tesco stores, right down to the slightly Germanic-accented female voice saying 'Unexpected item in the bagging area!'. All the other shoppers were looking at this thing with a 'What the?! ...' expression on their face, and I wouldn't be surprised if this was part of the reason why the venture failed.
Presumably self-service theatre ticket machines would be a bit more reliable, as they wouldn't involve handling items. But you'd still have the age problem - a human can see if a 12 year-old is trying to buy a ticket for an R-rated film, but a machine can't. Presumably under those circumstances, an employee would have to come to authorise the transactions, which, if you're showing R-rated films in 6 out of your 8 screens, means that you might just as well have a full-scale manned box office.
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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"
![](http://www.film-tech.com/ubbmembers/1171i.jpg)
Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 03-09-2013 12:51 PM
Leo -- the U-Serve grocery checkout works flawlessly here in Bloomington -- we have the opposite situation -- the only people using the "old school" checkout lanes are those with too much grocery for U-Serve.
As for union projectionists -- my mileage varied from person to person -- the old guy that ran the movies in Detroit wouldn't even carry a trailer upstairs to the booth. Why not? Because union projectionists didn't touch film until it was in the booth. Meanwhile, the younger one was more relaxed -- he went so far as to repair a "butter" warmer.
In fairness, attitude varies from person to person, union or not. Even so, first impressions are hard to shake, and I have never forgotten the old guy with the bad attitude. He was the first "union guy" I ever met. That was back in 1988.
The few union operators in Los Angeles were extremely nice people, and I enjoyed working and hanging out with them. But the whole reason I was there in the first place was that they wouldn't touch video. (We were working a film festival with all sorts of formats.) One year, around 2008 or maybe '09, I asked two of them what they planned to do about d-Cinema (aka "video"). One of them was about to retire. The other one couldn't say what he'd do, because it wasn't up to him -- it was a union matter. quote: Sean McKinnon I think that by refusing to change with the times and expand into other areas as they developed proffesional projectionists (union or not) made themselves obsolete.
I'm inclined to agree.
quote: Sean McKinnon Personally, I think that having a dedicated projectionist even with digital is a good idea. The movie is the most important part of the theatre but unfortunately it is often treated as the red headed step child.
Yes, but as you mentioned earlier in your post, the scope of work would need to include more stuff. Otherwise, you're bound to become resentful about paying someone to do "not a whole lot" most of the time.
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