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Topic: Film Security for sneak previews!

Paul Gordon
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 580
From: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Aug 2005

posted 03-13-2009 08:32 AM

We had a sneak preview last night of "I love you man" and Paramount had hired 5 security dudes to watch the theatre and patrons, make sure no one took pictures with their cell phones etc... they even had night vision goggles. Plus one guy had to stand in the projection booth the whole time watching the projectionist. These kind of actions make your staff and theatre feel like criminals! has anyone else had to deal with this?

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David Zylstra
Master Film Handler

Posts: 432
From: Novi, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 03-13-2009 10:08 AM

Happens all the time here. I would say almost every sneak we do gets at least 1 guard hired to visually check everyone for video cameras, then depending on studio or title it could get as extreme as your event was.

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 03-13-2009 10:22 AM

My favorite story about this was an advance show of "American Teen" (not exactly a hot item for film pirates).

This was a festival screening on HDCAM. The festival had received the tape a week or so earlier, yet Paramount made very clear that they would be sending a courier to pick up the tape immediately after the screening. They also sent security guards with night-vision goggles into the theatre during the show.

The best part with the following call to the booth:

festival volunteer: "the security guard wants to know if the format is 35mm or Imax" (note that this is a normal-looking 5-screen multiplex, and clearly not an Imax house)

me: "neither, it is on videotape"

festival volunteer: "OK, then they won't need to send a security guard into the booth"

[Confused]

Never mind that if I were going to pirate this thing, I would have done so well in advance of the screening.

Actually, it's illegal in Massachusetts for anyone other than "operators, managers, and assistants employeed therein" to enter a projection booth, so that should have been enough to keep the guards away.

And, yes, the courier guy did show up right on time to collect the tape.

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Joe Tommassello
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 547
From: Coatesville, PA, USA
Registered: Jan 2008

posted 03-13-2009 10:57 AM

Jurassic Park 2 - they had the print flown in with a guard who remained in the booth while I built it and broke it down...and in the theater while it ran. I was not allowed in the theater...but I could watch through the port.

Titanic - I was smarter this time. Since I worked two jobs in November of '97 - full-time video marketing and part-time projectionist - I asked my supervisor Jim Foerst (who is a member here) to handle the work on this print while a co-worker from the other job (Dave DiPietro - our Paramount Brand Manager) arranged with the PAR publicity dept in NY to let me watch - a decision that had to go through many offices and only came down at the 11th hour. Guards again but I was on the list - me, Dave and the chain's District Manager. We were the only three allowed. Hard to understand not a single booking agent showed up but maybe there was another show in the state.

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Jim Cassedy
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1661
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Dec 2006

posted 03-13-2009 11:18 AM

I work a lot of previews and film festivals.
Such high security is not exceptionally unusual.

While I've never had anyone actually stand there and WATCH
me run a print I've had shows where only myself and one other
person were allowed in the booth & they checked both our ID's.

These guys looked like retired no-nonsense cops or FBI agents.

Before the show they made sure I had no cameras hidden
in the booth, but left me alone during the actual preview.

They did hang around outside the booth in a spot where
they could see no one went in and out though.

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Caleb Johnstone-Cowan
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 593
From: London, UK
Registered: Mar 2006

posted 03-13-2009 07:48 PM

I've had a few like this, not where I currently work though. Most were usually ran by two guards, and they focused on the audience and not the projectionist. I know for one Harry Potter one they had someone constantly watching the audience with night vision.

The weirdest one was for 'The Guardian' where Disney installed their own digital projector in our biggest house for the day. Downstairs had two guards who took all bags, coats and phones and set up a mini cloakroom.

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