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Author Topic: Multifloor schedules? Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: California, U.S.A. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 09-14-2007 02:53 PM                     Howdy all. I'm looking at optimizing a location... We have a ground floor booth with 6 machines, and second & third floors with 2 booths and 3 screens each. Currently we utilize 3 projectionists each day. After running booth myself on a Friday night I've come to the conclusion that it is possible for 1 projectionist to handle all starts if each floor is 10 minutes apart with first and third having 20 minutes different. Does anyone else have experience with this sort of monstrosity? I'd like to see how everyone else copes... Cheers!  |  IP: Logged John Walsh Film God Posts: 2490 From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way Registered: Oct 1999 posted 09-14-2007 03:22 PM                     Yes, with timers and remote starting. Not that I really approve, but the cost savings make it necessary. I'd rather pay one really good operator, really well, than pay three people who run poor shows.  |  IP: Logged Chad M Calpito Master Film Handler Posts: 435 From: San Diego, CA Registered: Apr 2006 posted 09-14-2007 04:52 PM                        I did some shifts at the Gaslamp Stadium 15 in Downtown & the booth is a monstor, very poorly designed. I had to run all 15 projectors by myself. What made it bad was all of these different booths between two floors and having to find my way around. What I had to do was consider a number of things and prioritize, one of which was to work on a group of projectors that let out and work my way around, etc. It wasn't easy, but, I managed without a single problem, barely starting the movies on time. It's all about having a competent projectionist doing things right the first time while coming up with a game plan that will ultimately bring about positive results. I don't know if this will help you, but, I hope it does.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 09-14-2007 04:53 PM                     Absolutely agreed with John. A few of us on here ran a 16 plex that had 4 different booths. Sure we relied almost totally on the start timers, but then again we also had locked down the framing controls and such. It was exceedingly rare that anything needed adjustment, because the trick is that anytime you are walking to a projector to thread it, you would look at every machine you passed along the way, coupled with routine 15-20 minute "walks" of the booth to check every screen. The presentation was excellent and one person ran the entire building. Compare that with two typical teenagers and their pay rate, and having one GOOD projectionist was cheaper and yielded a better presentation. I also know there are a few here (Chris Hipp) who have ran 30 screens in multiple booths by themselves without a problem. Sure they have to "cheat" with timers, but again if they know what they are doing it won't be a problem.  |  IP: Logged Mike Olpin Chop Chop! Posts: 1852 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Jan 2002 posted 09-14-2007 07:12 PM                     quote: Chad M Calpito I did some shifts at the Gaslamp Stadium 15 That theatre is one heck of a clusterf**k floorplan. You can get lost in the fire escape for hours. It's also the only theatre I can think of where you enter the theatre from under the screen, where most fire exits usually are. I've heared that going to the breakroom involves several hallways, sets of stairs and an elevator.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Jorgenson Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1002 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: Feb 2005 posted 09-14-2007 07:32 PM                        I worked at a 16-plex which had 3 levels and 7 locked booths. I ran it alone every shift, and they gave no consideration about which auditorium started before/after which auditorium... at times it was up, down, up, down 4 or 5 times in a row. Also, there seemed to invariably be a print swap at some point in the shift... which could easily be to a different locked booth (and at times, level) all moved on my own. I also worked a 21-plex, but that wasn't nearly as bad, all the same level, just far from one end to the other. In neither case did we use timers. quote: Dominic Espinosa I'd like to see how everyone else copes... I worked at the 21-plex on three separate occasions, it wasn't too bad. I was at that 16-plex for about 3 months, but I probably would've stuck around longer had they given some consideration to which screens started when ... and/or paid better, I was earning barely over minimum wage there.  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: California, U.S.A. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 09-14-2007 08:18 PM                     Those are precisely the horror stories I'm trying to put an end to over here... I did some more tinkering and found if we dump the 6th show (around 2PM hour) on our slower films in the smaller houses we could run the first 3 sets with 1 projectionist...Now to solve the last 3 sets... EDIT: What does anyone think about spreading the showtimes such that there's no such thing as a "set" or "rush"?  |  IP: Logged James Westbrook Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1133 From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa Registered: Mar 2006 posted 09-14-2007 09:16 PM                     Dominic, The "no rush" way of scheduling movies will work if there is a way one can make up for the recovery time, which is when most of us restock the concessions, empty the lobby trash cans and give employees breaks. Recovery periods also allow for shift changes. I am sure this can be worked out in your scheme. The no rush method will also guarantee that your parking lot does not overfill, as cars are constantly leaving, and thus spots are open for customers arriving. One drawback is sometimes, even in moderate business, we may get a run on a candy item and sell it out downstairs IF we didn't have time to restock between rushes. (However, having some surplus stock downstairs can alleviate that...) Give it a shot.  |  IP: Logged John Walsh Film God Posts: 2490 From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way Registered: Oct 1999 posted 09-14-2007 09:41 PM                     Agree with James, but to put it a different way; the projectionist's job is to start shows at almost any time and or sequence. The show times 'priority' should be what works best for customers/traffic flow/getting people through the candy stand and in their show, etc., etc. not for what is convenient for operators. For example, you want your 'big' show to start first, followed by the others. That way, when the big show sells out, customers who didn't get in may opt to buy for another show. These are the kind of priorities for show time scheduling. There should be no dumping of shows; that's money lost both in ticket and concession. If you do it at random time, it pisses off the customers who came to see that show - however few, and they will talk about it to friends.  |  IP: Logged David Zylstra Master Film Handler Posts: 432 From: Novi, MI, USA Registered: Mar 2007 posted 09-14-2007 10:00 PM                     quote: Dominic Espinosa EDIT: What does anyone think about spreading the showtimes such that there's no such thing as a "set" or "rush"? My former employer started doing this in the late '80s and it worked out well both for business and running the booth. Our typical building's booth was 10 screens set up as 4 on one side and 6 on the other (and you had to walk downstairs through the lobby to get between them) - we still ended up with 1 or 2 30-45 minute "breaks" in the schedule (we were anal about presentations so we actually ran 2 projectionists on Fri/Sat nights - every reel got checked from downstairs on every show for any issues) . . . . once my building went to 16 screens and 3 booths it was still possible for 1 person to run it all but you were very busy (we didn't run with 1 very often - and we had no timers). We had definite floor labor savings since the cycle of cashiers being almost overwhelmed for an hour and then not having anything to do was replaced my a steady flow of customers that could be handled by less employees (not to mention higher percaps and better customer service) - the restocking was done by a support employee or when the less popular movies started that didn't need all hands on deck (employee breaks were also staggered during the slower movie start times). Eventually managers learn what types of movies do better at what showtimes, then they work the schedule out from the best times forward/backward.  |  IP: Logged Chad M Calpito Master Film Handler Posts: 435 From: San Diego, CA Registered: Apr 2006 posted 09-14-2007 10:34 PM                        Yeah, I agree that it is one hell of a floor plan, Mike. The bad part is, that if the elevator goes out of service, it is worse since the projectionist has to make use of all of those staircases and fire exits just to get to the separate booths and booth #1. That happened to me once and that was terrible. I was offered to transfer there, but, I'm glad I didn't accept the transfer. Two auditoriums had their own booths in which I had to go through the auditorium via the Fire Exits just to get to the projectors, which were auditoriums #3 & #4. Doing print moves there is a chore in itself. Thank goodness for print pockets. In essence, a projectionist can definately get a good cardio workout in an 8-hour shift as well.  |  IP: Logged Scott D. Neff Theatre Dork Posts: 919 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Oct 1999 posted 09-15-2007 12:24 PM                        Dom, You should be able to run that booth without any problem. If Cinema West can run Sebastopol's zany 9-screens with one projectionist, you can certainly make it work where you're at. There should be no real need to cut any shows, and as far as spreading out the shows, even if the owners don't go for that, you can still make it work. It just means prioritizing and planning your shifts. If you're dealing with those projectionists that wait until 2 minutes before the show's start time to clean and thread, then obviously you're going to have problems. If you get the kind that cleans and threads shortly after the film gets out you should be golden.  |  IP: Logged Mike Croaro Master Film Handler Posts: 394 From: Millbrae, CA Registered: Apr 2005 posted 09-15-2007 01:37 PM                     Re: Theatres with 14-20 screens Granted I have not worked in the theatre business for 9 years and the largest theatre I worked at had 6 screens. But I feel it is ridiculas to expect one person to run a 14-16-20 screen projection booth. I would never do it. Two good empoloyees should be on staff. I never liked timers and the such. I always like to start the projector there on the spot and make sure everything was correct. I typically stayed with the unit into the feature. Sometimes minor flaws don't jump out right away and you only spot them after watching the program a bit. Dominmic - why not trim down to two projectionists. One for the six screens on the ground floor and one for the five units on the second and third? Just a thought. Having said all this, I do agree that ONE GOOD QUALIFIED projectionst is better than two or three clowns from high School. Mike  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: California, U.S.A. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 09-15-2007 03:47 PM                     So good suggestions so far. The first problem we need to eliminate is the simultaneous starts. The way we've been scheduling is with a 10-6, 2-10, and 6-close projectionist schedule. If we can eliminate the mid-shift projectionist I'll be happy but simultaneous starts and starts on the first and third floor 5 minutes apart won't work.  |  IP: Logged David Graves Film Handler Posts: 38 From: Cocoa, FL Registered: Nov 2006 posted 09-15-2007 09:29 PM                     Dominic- One important factor you didn't mention- are there concession stands on each floor or just one big one at the bottom? If each floor has its own stand, then its sort of like each floor is its own theater- and having the stand (and workers) sit around on one floor while another floor is slammed because three movies are starting within 20 minutes of each other would be silly, and bad for business. On the other hand, if it's just one stand at the bottom, then you can most certainly do the starts floor-by-floor- the only thing to watch out for is to make sure your break times are spread apart a bit, so as to avoid having multiple breaks at once on an upper floor. The last thing you want (or that you want the fire marshal to see) is people crowded around the top of the staircase/escalator/elevators waiting to get out. When it's peak season- the no-rush thing is an absolute boon for both concession sales and patron happiness. You just need a smart employee schedule, a smarter performance schedule, and tons of workers rotating to where they're needed. This way you can keep lines to a bare minimum, which your patrons will love. You can always have another staff member doing nothing but restocking the stand in the back while others are selling- he/she will pay for himself in 6 minutes of candy sales due to fast-moving lines. Of course off peak, what's the point?  |  IP: Logged

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