my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » Employees clueless about booth importance. (Page 1)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3

Author Topic: Employees clueless about booth importance. Jeremy Fuentes Mmmm, Dr. Pepper! Posts: 1168 From: Corpus Christi, TX United States Registered: Jan 2004 posted 02-27-2004 11:59 AM                     I couldnt find a thread on this, but I just wanted to complain about regular floor employees who just dont understand the importance of the booth at all. I get pretty frustrated when things go wrong in the booth, just like the rest of you, but when an employee says something like "whats the big deal", or "why are you freaking out" it makes it even worse. The other day, the owner of the theater brought a big group of friends, family and people from his church to screen The Passion. So naturally, whatever can go wrong does. First I start it, and it is out of frame slightly, so I turn the knob, but I turned it the wrong way, so I had to turn it all the way back around to get the picture centered. So I fix that. I check the sound and picture and platters for a while, then head to the auditorium to check there, when an employee tells me the owner said that it is out of focus. So I go all the way back up, and the little arm that keeps the turret from opening was not in place, causing the lens to shake a little bit. I ran the show the night before, to avoid all these problems when they were gonna be here, and not a single thing went wrong. So when I finally get downstairs, an employee has the nerve to ask me "Why are you all stressed out for?" I just walked away. Does this ever happen to any of you, when the unexpected happens in the booth?  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-27-2004 12:24 PM                        Please fix the "teaser" subject header.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Fuentes Mmmm, Dr. Pepper! Posts: 1168 From: Corpus Christi, TX United States Registered: Jan 2004 posted 02-27-2004 12:27 PM                     Sorry, fixed it.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 02-27-2004 12:41 PM                        Scott, you are a crappy moderator. If you had been doing your job, you would have moved this to the Film Handler's Forum or at least Ground Level. Hmmm... which forum? I guess Ground Level. Scott = BANNED! Thread = MOVED!  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-27-2004 12:48 PM                     A lot of people who work downstairs, especially young males, think the booth is just one big play room with a lot of neat toys. Many times, I believe, that attitude people cop with you comes from "sour grapes" jealousy. It's usually those very same people who think a movie projector is like a big, giant VCR... press "PLAY" and it runs itself. Neither do they WANT to lean about the booth nor do they have the "mental bandwidth" to learn. It's this kind of person you should keep out of the booth. It is also this kind of person who is most vocal in downplaying the work you do up there. The best solution to people like that is to simply turn your back on them and walk away without saying a word. They aren't worth the time or trouble to explain things.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 02-27-2004 01:27 PM                     Try this one on next time, tell the usher "ok, let me go screw up the film so you can deal with those 400 angry customers". See if the look on their face doesn't change a little bit. This works even better at movie grills. When something goes wrong with the film....NO TIPS FOR THE WAITSTAFF!!! At that point not only are they having to deal with angry customers, but it directly affects the money they make. Suddenly a bit of respect for what the projection staff does hits.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Fuentes Mmmm, Dr. Pepper! Posts: 1168 From: Corpus Christi, TX United States Registered: Jan 2004 posted 02-27-2004 01:48 PM                     I bet it hits really fast at the movie grill.  |  IP: Logged Brad Allen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 688 From: Evansville, IN, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 02-27-2004 02:16 PM                     quote: First I start it, and it is out of frame slightly, so I turn the knob, but I turned it the wrong way, so I had to turn it all the way back around to get the picture centered. So I fix that. I check the sound and picture and platters for a while, then head to the auditorium to check there, when an employee tells me the owner said that it is out of focus. So I go all the way back up, and the little arm that keeps the turret from opening was not in place, causing the lens to shake a little bit. Jeremy, not to pick on you, but everything you listed here is basically your fault. Take it as a learning experience. These are things you should of noticed and or been able to avoid to begin with. If you had checked the position of the framing knob and or intermittent, you would have known it was at one end of it's travel, before you threaded. And the next question is, why was it so far from centered to begin with, someone regularly threads out of frame? You should of double checked the turret catch before pressing the start button. Etc. It's good that these things churn your stomach, but it can be avoided. You'll save yourself from the need to purchase tums on an ongoing basis.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Fuentes Mmmm, Dr. Pepper! Posts: 1168 From: Corpus Christi, TX United States Registered: Jan 2004 posted 02-27-2004 02:24 PM                     Brad, you are right, it was all my fault. And yes, my backup projectionists threads out of frame alot, after I showed him how not to. All that should have been avoided, it was before that showing, and it has been after that showing. I dont know what happened, there is no excuse, so I wont try and make one up. It just makes me look like I dont know what the hell Im doing, and then to have someone ask me why Im stressed about it. I guess, because to them its a job, but to me, this is my career. All that a few days after the owner said he wants me to take some courses to learn tech stuff, so I can be the tech for his theaters. I know it doesnt seem like it from my mistakes in my post, but I am alot better at my job than that. Just chalk it up to experience like you said. Thanks.  |  IP: Logged Floyd Justin Newton Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 559 From: Phoenix, Arizona, USA Registered: Jun 2002 posted 02-27-2004 02:45 PM                     Now, that's a good attitude... fjn  |  IP: Logged Brad Allen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 688 From: Evansville, IN, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 02-27-2004 03:11 PM                     Very good attitude indeed. Jeremy, Its best to try to learn to not let mistakes stress you out. That increase's the likely hood of screw ups. Keep your wits about you at all times. It may help you avoid a major catastrophe on a really bad "booth" day. Remember, happens. And if you can make yourself treat mistakes as simply a learning experience, you can train yourself to handle practically anything. Hope your employer appreciates your attitude and conscience.  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 02-27-2004 10:08 PM                        Jeremy... If you have time (or can make it), I'd resist taking anyone's work for granted, especially since you know you have a problem with the quality of your "backup's" operating technique. I don't just walk up and start a machine that someone else has threaded without giving it a quick once-over first... and we have a very short list of people who are even allowed within sight of our projectors. It doesn't take me long to verify that a machine was threaded up correctly, but I do it just the same. In your case, it sounds like 30 or 40 seconds looking over the machine before you started it would have minimized the problems you wound up having to fix... and were possibly blamed for.  |  IP: Logged Chris Hipp Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1462 From: Mesquite, Tx (east of Dallas) Registered: Jul 2003 posted 02-27-2004 11:42 PM                     People do make mistakes, not really a big deal in itself. What would be a big deal is if YOU saw the problem and didn't care enough to fix it. On occasion I too make mistakes. I would say 1 of every 100 threads would start out of frame, usually because I forgot to set the intermittent to rest before threading. I want to slap myself everytime because like everyone else has said, if I would have checked it wouldn't have happened. Anytime you start a movie whether there is noone, one person or 1,000 people it should be as perfect as you can get it. I always get upset a little when my boss tells me corporate is coming for a visit and that everything needs to be perfect. My presentation is going to be the same in an empty audiorium as it would for the CEO.  |  IP: Logged Jesse August Film Handler Posts: 58 From: Vancouver British Columbia Registered: Jul 2003 posted 02-28-2004 07:06 PM                     Chris Why run a show when the theatre is empty?  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 02-28-2004 07:14 PM                        Why not? Electricity is cheap, and you're not using much with the lamp off and the sound system left in non-sync. Why risk having your schedule thrown off by somebody showing up late with a ticket (or someone/something selling somebody a ticket late).  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.