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

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » Has working in theaters cost you your marriage? (Page 1)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Author Topic: Has working in theaters cost you your marriage? Aaron Mehocic Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 804 From: New Castle, PA, USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-08-2004 02:34 PM                     I've been thinking about this one for some time . . . Once again as we near the holliday season posts regarding employee work schedules or peoples' views on which holliday is more sacred are poping up. My question is regarding the business practice of being open 365 days per year and its affect on family life. Has anyone - male or female - experienced a divorice over the workload theatre personell carry and the crappy hours we work (particularly hollidays and weekends). For the record I'm not married nor have I ever been through a divorice, BUT I do believe this is a serious enough question for colleagues to discuss, and, suprisingly, in a search of the archives, this has never been brought up. Moreover, has anyone sacrificed a long-term relationship or parental custody because of what you did for a living. Free movies are great when you are 18 and going out as often as you can, but by 25 most people are looking to settle down and raise a few kids. Lastly, does one ever recover. As a middle-aged projectionist locked away in a booth for twelve hours a day, your chance of meeting somebody is pretty slim, and lets face it - you don't want to be caught with your pants down behind #8's sound rack with the new 16 year old concessionist. Anyone ever been through this or want to talk about it? (The divorice, that is).  |  IP: Logged Christopher Duvall Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 500 From: Denver, CO Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-08-2004 04:32 PM                     My wife, kids and I are very happy, however it does get stressful around the holidays. I have learned to get around it somewhat. We have moved our Thanksgiving to Wednesdays since I always have to work Thursdays. I always take off Christmas Eve and work the night shift on Christmas Day. I always take my vacation the week of my wedding anniversay. The worst time however is the weeks leading up to and including ShoWest. I put in and inordinate amount of time which is trying on the kids and wife. They see very little of me during then. Travel from time to time isn't good either. THe beginning of October, I was in Hawaii training one of the Signature theatres that was aquired for 2 weeks. Very stressful. I make sure I make time to spend the kids whenever I can and make sure my wife gets time as well. It is very hard work juggling an awkward job schedule and family life but is is very worth it when it works out. You just have to be persistant.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Fuentes Mmmm, Dr. Pepper! Posts: 1168 From: Corpus Christi, TX United States Registered: Jan 2004 posted 12-08-2004 08:20 PM                     Well, my wife works at another theater, so you can imagine how often we see each other. But we're being persistant until she finishes school, and I start making better money in this business. I have another job during the day, so my time with her and the kids, is limited. Hopefully it'll pay off.  |  IP: Logged Paul Rosenberry Film Handler Posts: 4 From: Wallingford, CT, USA Registered: Dec 2004 posted 12-08-2004 08:53 PM                        It's easy to see where the job can make it hard to find someone to marry in the first place. I've seen families where it's an advantage though. Working opposite shifts can save a lot of money on childcare and give more time with the kids.  |  IP: Logged Barry Martin Expert Film Handler Posts: 203 From: Newington, CT USA Registered: Jul 2002 posted 12-09-2004 12:25 AM                        It's a bit rough, but not impossible. For Thanksgiving this year I threaded up the Wednesday night show for the owners who ran our twin for a while before hiring me and they just started it. This way I could go down to Massachusetts to visit family Thursday morning and have dinner in the afternoon like we usually do, around 4pm we left to get back to Vermont (3 hour drive) for the 7pm show. Made it just in time, I had actually wanted to leave by 3pm, but stuff happened. For Christmas the owners want me to have it off so I am threading the Friday night show in the afternoon, going to Massachusetts and my relief projectionist will hopefully be working Saturday night so I can stay down until Sunday night. I have to credit my owners for their desire to see me have these days off, I didn't even ask for them. They are Jewish, so that helps with the "christian" holidays. It's even more helpful that they don't do much celebrating in regards to their faith so they really don't mind covering for me. As far as I'm concerned, there are no "holidays" which I require off (even worked my birthday tonight!) because my wife and I aren't religious, at least we don't belong to any one faith per se. I'm fairly certain that when I need a day off, no matter what day, I can get it off thanks to the generosity of the owners I work for. I am only accepting their Christmas offer so my daughters, wife, and I can go to Mass. and visit family/friends. One downside to our schedule is that my oldest daughter (2 and 1/2) insists on waiting for me to come home to tuck her in, anywhere from 9:30pm to 11:00pm. And the youngest (1 year) won't go to bed while the eldest is awake. Keeps my wife busy, but I'm not too upset by it because it's fun to tuck her in and talk about our days. As for meeting people, I can't really say anything about that. I did meet my first girlfriend at the theater I was working at, but I met my wife while at my second job and shortly after she came to work with me at the theater so we could see more of eachother. So you could say that working at a theater didn't hurt my meeting prospective love interests, but it doesn't seem to have affected it one way or another.  |  IP: Logged R. Andrew Diercks Expert Film Handler Posts: 232 From: Marion, Iowa (In the middle of everywhere) Registered: May 2003 posted 12-09-2004 01:53 PM                     Barry, I can relate to the waiting til dad's home for bedtime. I have one in school now and he was tough to break of that and now has to be in bed by 9:00. My wife and I are happy but she does get a bit stressed during holidays. I always take Dec 23rd and Christmas eve off as well as Super Bowl sunday. My hours save us a ton of money on daycare since my wife is off between 3:30 and 4:00. Our kids only go half days on Tues. Thurs and Friday.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 12-12-2004 12:21 PM                       No, but some guy I didn't know, sleeping in my bedroom when I came home from the drive-in one night, did.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 12-12-2004 04:53 PM                    I'd wager far more marriages have resulted from people meeting on the job at theatres (as with any job) than failed because of them.  |  IP: Logged Jason Black Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1723 From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 12-12-2004 11:09 PM                        Tim, Wasn't my wife.. but a girl I was dating just prior to my wife was in my room mates room pulling her panties up when I walked in the front door and by the open bedroom door unplanned.... He moved out two days later... and she begged and begged.... I won't say in an open forum what I did to her... and it didn't involve violence.. just revenge....  |  IP: Logged Phil Blake Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 558 From: esperance western australia Registered: Nov 2003 posted 12-14-2004 08:44 AM                        Does this mean that Steve only employes "Baywatch" babes ?  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 12-16-2004 09:03 PM                       Jason, that's a bummer. I hear ya.  |  IP: Logged Jason Black Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1723 From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 12-16-2004 10:06 PM                        Tim, Worse things have happened... and it all worked out for the best anyway..  |  IP: Logged Rachel Craven Madam Moderator Posts: 2190 From: Pensacola, FL Registered: Dec 2000 posted 12-16-2004 11:11 PM                     I went through a divorce while working as a manager in a theater, my ex-husband also worked as a manager in a theater. Yes, it added to the stress in our marriage but was not the reason we split. We're still good friends and when I go home and visit family and friends, I still get free movies.  |  IP: Logged Dick Vaughan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1032 From: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK Registered: Jul 2000 posted 12-17-2004 02:40 AM                        But does he get a free makeover too?  |  IP: Logged Rachel Craven Madam Moderator Posts: 2190 From: Pensacola, FL Registered: Dec 2000 posted 12-17-2004 11:22 AM                     If he wants. He does get free haircuts, along with basically everyone else I know. At least I'm still good for something!  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

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.