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

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » The "2wenty" becomes the "Firstlook" (Page 1)

This topic comprises 4 pages: 1  2  3  4

Author Topic: The "2wenty" becomes the "Firstlook" Cory Isemann Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 500 From: White Plains, MD, USA Registered: Jun 2004 posted 01-06-2006 11:08 AM                        Has anyone noticed the change? WOOP DE FREAKIN DOO!!  |  IP: Logged Paul Linfesty Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1383 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Nov 1999 posted 01-06-2006 12:05 PM                     Well I have noticed that this 20 minute pre-show balance has been shifting more and more towards outright commercials rather than "infomercials" as originally promised.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-06-2006 12:25 PM                        It's probably so they don't have to stick to the 20 minute limit. "The 3hirty" doesn't have quite the same ring.  |  IP: Logged Cory Isemann Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 500 From: White Plains, MD, USA Registered: Jun 2004 posted 01-06-2006 12:38 PM                        quote: Mike Blakesley "The 3hirty" doesn't have quite the same ring Haha  |  IP: Logged Jesse Skeen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1517 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Aug 2000 posted 01-06-2006 12:39 PM                     I assume the increased ad revenue will result in lower ticket prices?  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-06-2006 12:44 PM                        I saw the "new and improved" AMC version last week and am at a loss as to why anyone would want to advertise on it. The picture quality is and often doesn't synchronize properly with the soundtrack. The show that I saw had a mix of 16x9 video material and 4x3 video material, all presented in 16x9 (i.e. in some shots, people would look stretched out and fat--like showing a flat print with a scope lens). Do they have no quality control at all? (Wait...don't answer that.) If they are going to show ads, they should at least have minimal technical standards for them.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 01-06-2006 01:01 PM                     What I am still in amazement at is the fact that these boneheads can't figure out how to make their show END at the same time. The 2wenty is sometimes 19 minutes, sometimes 23 minutes, yet it always starts 2wenty minutes before the advertised showtime. MORONS!!! It's a good thing I'm not working at a theater with this stupid thing. I would set the timers to start precisely on the advertised showtime and that's that! I can hardly wait for the 4ourty!  |  IP: Logged Evans A Criswell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1579 From: Huntsville, AL, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 01-06-2006 01:54 PM                        I don't care what they call that thing any more -- it's the main reason I dislike going to the local Regal Hollywood 18. I like the slides with music softly playing in the background much better, or nothing at all. There's no real reason to get to a theatre early any more. I find the sound loud and "harsh" and irritating compared to the movie sound. I'm sure it's a matter of time before it'll be in every theatre. My movie attendances are down to 8 this year from 20 last year (compared to 80 in 1998). Way to go! If this obnoxious advertising trend continues, maybe I'll just wait for DVDs every time. Of the 8 times I went to theatres this year, only one of those was going alone. I was an avid movie-goer and have been driven away for the most part. If they'd taken all that money they spent on digital projectors for ads and spent it on maintenance of the projector and sound equipment, things night have been different. It's obvious to me that the theatre companies care very little about getting a good image on th screen and having good sound any more.  |  IP: Logged Cory Isemann Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 500 From: White Plains, MD, USA Registered: Jun 2004 posted 01-06-2006 02:22 PM                        quote: Brad Miller The 2wenty is sometimes 19 minutes, sometimes 23 minutes, yet it always starts 2wenty minutes before the advertised showtime. I noticed this early on when the program first rolled out. I was told that, depending on what ran at the end, would be the 'virtual' start time. Example: since we don't show rolling stock anymore, the coke ads and PSAs or whatnot run at the end of the "firstlook", into when the 35mm would be started. Theoretically the total run times would equal that of if you were showing all rolling stock / policy on 35mm. Did any of that make sense? It's still a pain in the ass though.  |  IP: Logged Eric Hooper Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 532 From: Fort Worth, TX, USA Registered: May 2003 posted 01-06-2006 02:37 PM                     Evans, Good for you! What everyone else here should realize is that this is also becoming the views of the general public, too.  |  IP: Logged Adam Wilbert Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 590 From: Bellingham, WA, USA Registered: Mar 2002 posted 01-06-2006 02:43 PM                        I saw Syriana last weekend at a Regal and was treated (punished?) to the first three ads three times in a row. Kernals of the Carribean Shelby's Grocery Regal Platinum Mastercard ad The "who wants popcorn" movie points rewards club ad Kernals of the Carribean Shelby's Grocery Regal Platinum Mastercard ad The "who wants popcorn" movie points rewards club ad * a preview of the firstlook features coming up to break the pace * Kernals of the Carribean Shelby's Grocery Regal Platinum Mastercard ad The "who wants popcorn" movie points rewards club ad It was awful. I don't remember that happening on the 2wenty.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 01-06-2006 05:02 PM                     quote: Adam Wilbert I saw Syriana last weekend at a Regal and was treated (punished?) to the first three ads three times in a row. It worked, you remembered the ads!  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 01-06-2006 05:20 PM                    Ours end at exactly the scheduled start time... One way or the other. We have the "upgraded" stuff now. The projectors are the same. Looks like they just added two small servers to the rack. The picture looks *SLIGHTLY* better than the old system, but it still looks like crap in the front ten rows or so. I don't think anyone noticed that it got better, or cares that it still sucks. I hear people talk about the new system as "the high-definition upgrade".  |  IP: Logged Mike Olpin Chop Chop! Posts: 1852 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Jan 2002 posted 01-06-2006 08:55 PM                     The content varies from rating to rating, and therefore so does the start time. Most DCN clients are synced to the same time on a regular basis. Generaly it runs like this: Ads Ads Ads ---START TIME--- Coke- 2 ads First Look/2wenty Recap Policy trailer Digital Trailers PSAs Cell Phone Reminder ---35MM START--- For the Last few weeks, we have been running a digital trailer for "Wedding Crashers: uncorked in theatres ONE NIGHT ONLY!". The trailer was about 2 minutes long and only programed on PG13 and R rated films. Because the DCN clients are all on the same watch, this causes the PG13 and R rated preshows to end two minutes later than G and PG rated ones. The only major difference between First Look and the 2wenty is that first look goes out to Regal, AMC, and Cinemark. The 2wenty was exclusive only to Regal.  |  IP: Logged Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 01-07-2006 12:17 AM                     When I was with Regal last year I learned they grossed about $8 million annually on the pre-show ads and are not about to drop it regardless of the complaints.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 4 pages: 1  2  3  4

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.