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Author Topic: Justifying Booth Internet Access Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 05-15-2003 11:25 PM                        How do you justify having Internet access in your projection booth? Aside from emails from head office, which could be sent to the manager and hopefully passed upstairs, what legitimate use is there? Sure, having access to these forums could be handy in the booth, but I can't see a company springing for Internet access for the rare event that something broke that I didn't already know how to fix. Accessing the Internet via cell phone gets expensive...  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 05-16-2003 12:10 AM                        That's a pretty good question, and probably a tough sell. I tried really hard to think how I'd convince my boss (if I had one) that I needed access. A self-evaluation however, shows that, considering time the theatre's manager (my daughter) and I put into downloading various advertising-related items, sending files to/from the office, ordering supplies & equipment, paying bills & the like, our use of the internet at the theatre is pretty much administrative and not at all related to the booth. The other time is pretty much personal use, & not something I'd be able to justify, were I trying to convince myself I really needed it. If anything, my first impression (as an owner) might be that an online projectist wouldn't be monitoring the shows under his control or otherwise looking out for the interests I was paying him (her) for. If your theatre uses dedicated online ticketing or credit card processing, which might require your computers to be networked (all of which apply here), then running a node upstairs, even for your own laptop wouldn't necessarily be a technical problem, and maybe a count for getting yourself hooked up. Not having a connection in the theatre for purposes like these would be a count against. We have internet all over the place here... but we're a family operation, so we all have our personal uses, which for us is ok. As applies to issues involving my children who work at our theatres, we can deal with personal problems in ways not necessarily appropriate (legal?) with non-related employees. As no non-family members have direct access to the internet here, there are no issues that I'm particularly worried about. For a chain however, there might be too much liability involved, given the temptation that an employee might visit the "dark side". If you didn't have a real good reason... and you pretty much shot down the best one I could come up with, then the conventional opinion might be that it would be far safer to expect you to live without internet access for the length of your shift. ... and I've got to hand it to your dedication. I wouldn't consider using a cell phone to go online!  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 05-16-2003 12:58 AM                     About the only thing I use internet access from the booth is to download technical information for the booth equipment, check my email or make a post on FT. That's about it. We are there to run movies and not jazz around on the internet.  |  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 05-16-2003 01:43 AM                        quote: we can deal with personal problems in ways not necessarily appropriate (legal?) with non-related employees I know what you mean Jack. I've worked in (and still do work in) a few family owned theatres. At first it starts off as, "Daryl, could you go upstairs for a minute while I kick my son's ass". After a while you just become an innocent bystander that gets dragged into it. quote: ... and I've got to hand it to your dedication. I wouldn't consider using a cell phone to go online! I only use my cell phone to get online when it makes good financial sense. Like when I need a wiring diagram for a piece of machinery (whether it be in a booth or elsewhere) or when I'm expecting email from a customer that I want to keep happy... not responding throughout an entire 14 hour shift is an unacceptable delay for some. Then of course there is the odd FT withdrawal that it gets used for. quote: We are there to run movies and not jazz around on the internet. I agree with that Paul. In fact, besides posting here, I hardly use the Internet at all as a form of entertainment. When I'm in a booth working a regular shift I very, very rarely use the Internet -- even though I have access to it in some theatres. If I do, it's usually just a quick check to make sure all the sites I administer are up and running (which they invariably are ). I'm really just interested in how so many people seem to have Internet access in their booths.  |  IP: Logged Jean-Michel Grin Expert Film Handler Posts: 222 From: Geneva & Lausanne, Switzerland Registered: Jul 2002 posted 05-16-2003 06:12 AM                        I agree with Paul, Internet acces is useful to downloadingg technical information (i.e. Film-Tech Website of course !) and find information about films, duration, sound and picture format, release date, before we receiving the print, on the Internet Movie Database.  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 05-16-2003 09:14 AM                    Internet access can be a good thing for almost any job. Of course without disciplined users, it can also impact job performance in a negative way. Currently, I don't think there are enough educated booth people out there. Having access to Film Tech while on the job might be an incentive for them to learn how to start doing film right. Peer pressure can be good!  |  IP: Logged William Leland III Master Film Handler Posts: 336 From: Charleston, SC, Registered: Aug 2002 posted 05-16-2003 09:42 AM                        We have an internet connection (T2 connection) in our booth, at the Charleston IMAX. We also have a private phone line, which comes in real handy. I love having the internet here at work. I no longer have to pay for AOL at home, because I just use it here. The internet keeps me informed of upcoming movies and upgrades. For instance "Matrix 2" for IMAX. I had no idea what we would need to upgrade but now I do. After having the internet, I don't see how I could be at work with out it. Yes, it is that bad. From the time I clock in 8:30am to 3:30 pm clock out, I'm online. I do agree with Paul, we are here to work. So I can't really say much to justify having a connection. Other than it keeps me from going insane waiting for the show to drop. It's interesting how something I never had is now one of the most important things I have a work. It's like a cell phone, before you have one you never need one and don't consider it important. If you now have one you can't live without it. Ain't technology great.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 05-16-2003 09:51 AM                        At least internet access would keep us IN the booth. At my theater, the projectionists get bored and we are forced to go downstairs and hit on the regular staff between sets. Or go shopping in the mall. Or drive to another theater and watch one of their movies.  |  IP: Logged Michael West Film Handler Posts: 67 From: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Registered: Apr 2000 posted 05-16-2003 10:25 AM                        it is purely by accident that we have a computor with internet access. when IMAX specified an office in the booth a connection was included - but that was five years ago when IMAX was concerned with the product (before they sold their souls to the devil). i am sure if the situation is to repeat itself we would not have an office as we now just "thread the sucker up, hit start show and leave". - note we have never had a serious problem because we secretly still sneak in to make sure all is right - that way the company still thinks it can be operated by anyone off the street shhh don't tell. a computor is great! our projection room log is made on one (we at first had a macintosh and i designed a perpetual log database with claris works it lasted for three years (but all the new people do not like macs so the database was destroyed in favour of windows'98 (blah). the accessible emails from head office and of course tech. info is a priceless resource ps. if any one can give me advice on how to transfer my old mac database to windows '98 on some sort of freeware program that would be great!  |  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 05-16-2003 11:23 AM                        Joe, you mean drive to another theatre and run their shows too, right. Not that I'm saying I've ever done anything like that in a pinch. Michael, why not just run Claris Works on the Win98 machine?  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 05-16-2003 11:47 AM                        Do any circuits make good use of intranet sites for communicating information to employees or tracking what goes on at their locations? For example, a "help desk" where the a booth person can report a specific problem and request assistance, or look up the solution to a common problem in a database? Seems like it could be a good way to share information within a company/circuit, including technical info. Kind of a private version of "Film-Tech". (Acknowledging though that's not really addressing Daryl's original question. )  |  IP: Logged Michael West Film Handler Posts: 67 From: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Registered: Apr 2000 posted 05-16-2003 11:51 AM                        daryl; the program would have to be free (the company would see keeping a booth log as a rather frivolous expense and would not purchass claris for windows '95 actually its 95! for us) and also i have been unsuccessful with attemps to download a pirated version - i don't think claris even exhists, it was bundled with the older macs under apple works at one time and i had read somewhere that the makers of filemaker had merged, or something. anyways the program would have to be free or pirated. we are quite fortunate to even have a computer - for now - so i guess i really should not complain, eh.  |  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 05-16-2003 12:02 PM                        Dave, I tried to get an intranet infrastructure put in use here, however the fine folks from head office pointed out that most of the idiots they hire are probably too stupid to figure out how to use a computer. I've also tried to get separate corporate email accounts setup for the head projectionists. Instead important projection info gets sent to the theatre managers, which you then have to nag to get a copy of the info... and you'd better be expecting the info because more often than not they're not going to take the 'initiative' to get the info to you. There is however a 'financial intranet' in use where execs can get up to the day financial info for each of the locations. Who woulda thunk they'd only be interested in money. Now stop trying to drive my thread off topic!  |  IP: Logged

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