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

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » WB Hands Out Night Vision To Harry Potter Exhibitors In UK (Page 1)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3

Author Topic: WB Hands Out Night Vision To Harry Potter Exhibitors In UK Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 05-31-2004 08:30 PM                    Interesting. Especially the part that talks about using codes printed on the film to trace the pirates back to Britain. Link here. Harry Potter and the wizard idea to foil cinema pirates Martin Wainwright Monday May 31, 2004 The Guardian Cinema ushers across Britain go into action today with a new piece of equipment which makes their ice-cream trays and hand torches look tame. Military-style night-sights have been sent to every outlet in the country showing the new Harry Potter film, The Prisoner of Azkaban. Staff have been instructed to spend all two hours and 22 minutes of the film scanning the dark - for pirates making illegal copies. "I've never known a company to go to such lengths to protect a film," said Jamie Graham, manager of the Vue cinema at Cheshire Oaks, Wirral, where the red monocle devices are ready for action. The precaution has been taken by the film's distributor, Warner Brothers, after an epidemic of poor-quality, grainy versions of the two previous Potter films. Surreptitious recording from cinema seats, sometimes interrupted by the head of the person in front shifting and blocking the action, has become a serious menace, according to the industry. Most cinemas now screen an appeal to audiences to shop any neighbour suspected of filming, along with warnings about mobile phones and adverts for popcorn. Mr Graham said: "Video piracy is rife everywhere, and with the UK screening the film four days before the rest of the world, Warner was concerned the movie would end up on the internet." Pirate DVD versions of the boy wizard's earlier adventures were traced to Britain through codes imprinted on the films as a security device. The night sights, together with the coding and experiments with watermarks, have added significantly to distribution costs. But Warner sees the investment as negligible compared with the threat to the whole industry. Staff at the Vue will be "very discreet" with their potentially frightening cyclopean attachments, Mr Graham said, but action against offenders would be swift. Much like the battered young wizards on screen, who are constantly being whirled about by baddies, pirates will be "hauled out of their seats and reported straight away to the police". Edit: Wait, Ushers carry TORCHES in Britain's theaters?? Weird.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 05-31-2004 08:53 PM                     This kind of action will be the end of cinemas. Mark my words. You cannot treat people like criminals and expect for them to return!  |  IP: Logged Dean Kollet Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 591 From: Florida State University Registered: Jul 2003 posted 06-01-2004 12:49 AM                     I can't wait till the person with the night vision goggles looks at the light from the booth...can you say ouch? I know they have filters...but still... and yes, I would be pissed if some schmuck was doing this...does the film company not realize that it's mostly people on the inside anyways. (am I the only one who thinks that theatre manager or actual projectionists play these films after hours and record them?)  |  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 06-01-2004 02:32 AM                        Gee, some exhibitors have a hard enough time returning their DTS discs, let alone night vision goggles.  |  IP: Logged Dick Vaughan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1032 From: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK Registered: Jul 2000 posted 06-01-2004 02:37 AM                        Brad Exactly my thoughts. If I was in an auditorium where staff were walking up and down the aisles spying on me and my family throughout a film that would be my last visit to that theatre. I took my kids to the 10.05 screening of HP3 yesterday morning at the Vue Cinema in Leeds . Didn't see any sign of anyone with night vision devices there quote: Mark J. Marshall Edit: Wait, Ushers carry TORCHES in Britain's theaters?? Weird. To help show patrons to their seats. Not so widespread now but in the days of continuous performances when customers could arrive and leave at any point in the rolling programmme it was very useful. This is from the days when ushers were both well trained and helpful  |  IP: Logged Dan Harris Film Handler Posts: 86 From: Bristol, UK Registered: Jun 2003 posted 06-01-2004 04:08 AM                     The advice note from Warner with the print also tells us to "confiscate and erase tapes found in any recording device removed from the auditorium". Our senior management have told us specifically not to use the night vision goggles, not to search any customer or their bags, and not to confiscate tapes or equipment but to just call the police instead. We do regular screen checks, and because (here at least) the entrance is at the back in the center, you have a clear view over the whole auditorium. Regarding torches, this has become less widespread with the installations of step and aisle lights, but they do come in handy now and then. Obviously not high powered, but those little Maglite-type ones with a precise beam.  |  IP: Logged Carl Martin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1424 From: Oakland, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 06-01-2004 04:43 AM                        i don't care how precise the beam is, it's still a distraction to those who came on time. and a nightvision camera trained on the audience would be less distracting than ushers on patrol. carl  |  IP: Logged Mark Hajducki Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 500 From: Edinburgh, UK Registered: May 2003 posted 06-01-2004 08:08 AM                     quote: Dick Vaughan was the last to post Wait, Ushers carry TORCHES in Britain's theaters?? Weird. In some parts of the UK it is (or at least was) a requirement for cinema ushers to carry torches. I will try and find the exact wording.  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 06-01-2004 09:51 AM                     |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 06-01-2004 10:58 AM                     quote: Dan Harris The advice note from Warner with the print also tells us to "confiscate and erase tapes found in any recording device removed from the auditorium". To confiscate would be theft. To erase the tape would be destroying any evidence you had that the person was copying the film.  |  IP: Logged Ken Layton Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1452 From: Olympia, Wash. USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 06-01-2004 11:02 AM                     Night vision goggles----another useless thing we can just shove over into the corner of the booth and forget about it.  |  IP: Logged Rob Butler Film Handler Posts: 91 From: Westford, MA, USA Registered: Mar 2004 posted 06-01-2004 11:46 AM                     quote: Mark J. Marshall Edit: Wait, Ushers carry TORCHES in Britain's theaters?? Weird Ya, that way when you find the person taping the film, you can burn their camera on site, it also keeps the mosquitoes away (BTW, I know that flashlights are called torches in Britain) On another note, one idea I thought of is what if you put a bunch of infrared leds behind the screen in various places, you can't see them when they're on but they show up as a bright white light on most camcorders, you could even make them spell something out. Since we're sort of on the topic of flashlights (or torches), here's something to check out, I bought one of these 4 LED flashlights from allelectronics.com for 12 bucks, they're about the same size as a mini-maglite and they fit in all the maglite holders, but I use mine all day every day and I only have to change the batteries every other month. quote: Ken Layton Night vision goggles----another useless thing we can just shove over into the corner of the booth and forget about it. If I got a free pair of night vision goggles and management told me not to use them in the theater, rest assured, they'd get used. I'm not one to just let a really interesting and potentially fun piece of technology sit around, I'll walk around the building at night with all the lights off pretending I'm playing a Tom Clancy game  |  IP: Logged Andrew Lee Film Handler Posts: 99 From: Oakville, Ontario, Canada Registered: Jun 2002 posted 06-01-2004 11:53 AM                     There are in fact two companies working on camcorder defeating technology for this application. This technology shows some promise, but alas with every development in this area, the bad guys will find another way.  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 06-01-2004 02:46 PM                    quote: Rob Butler I know that flashlights are called torches in Britain Yeah, me too. I'm just givin our friends across the pond a hard time. I just though it was funny how I asked and they all basically said "Yep, we carry torches."  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 06-01-2004 03:05 PM                  Most all special venue "theatres" at the parks such as 6-Flags, Disney, etc have "spy" nightvision or IR cameras to insure "proper" patron behavior. It's the "improper" behavior that's fun to watch. It's amazing what goes on in those darkrides and simulator capsules when "they" think no one is watching. Some rides need to be called "stimulator" rides. >>> Phil  |  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.