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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Author
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Topic: Cinema shows Paranormal Activity instead of Madagascar 3
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Mitchell Dvoskin
Phenomenal Film Handler
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Posts: 1869
From: West Milford, NJ, USA
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 10-24-2012 01:26 PM
Cinema shows Paranormal Activity instead of Madagascar 2
quote: yahoo news
A cinema full of children waiting to see 'Madagascar 3' were shown supernatural horror film 'Paranormal Activity 4' by accident.
Shocked families at Nottingham's Cineworld had to rush their children out of the auditorium as they realised that the wrong film was being projected.
But not before a scene at the very start of the film - featuring a bloodied female corpse being thrown at the camera – upset children as young as five, among around 25 families watching.
Natasha Lewis of Bulwell in Nottingham, who took her eight-year-old son Dylan to the screening, said: “They started playing the movie and I thought - this doesn't look right. And then I recognised the opening sequence as a flash back to the first movie, which I saw a couple of years ago.
“It opens on the most terrifying scene in the first film - where a body shoots full pelt towards the camera. It's enough to make grown men jump, so you can imagine the terror in these young faces.
“Everybody just scrambled for the exits, all you could hear were children crying and screaming. Everyone was very upset.
“I've watched a few horror films in my time but the 'Paranormal Activity' films are the scariest since 'The Exorcist'.
“It was only about two minutes worth of the film but it was enough to scar them for life. There were parents and kids in there, including some children who were younger than Dylan.
“The cinema needs to check the film before sending everyone in so they don't make this mistake again. I'm disgusted about it, mistakes like this simply should not happen.”
A spokesperson for Cineworld said: “We have investigated the incident and can confirm that this was a technical error with the projector and apologise sincerely to the families.
“All customers who were affected by the incident were offered refunds and complimentary tickets. We also invited customers to watch the screening of Madagascar 3 half an hour later.
“We take matters such as this very seriously and are currently working with technicians to ensure this does not happen again.”
> We have investigated the incident and can confirm that this was a technical error with the projector
I was not there, nor do I have any knowledge of what server they were using, or if it was 35mm, but I think it unlikely that that the projector decided to run the wrong movie by itself. I suspect "technical error" was really "human incompetence".
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Randy Stankey
Film God
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Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 10-24-2012 02:46 PM
If the operators at that theater are in the habit of copying an existing playlist then editing it to play the desired feature they could have messed it up, that way.
We do this at the TREC center because there are several cues that need to be put in the right places to make the show play smoothly: Format switch, sound/volume cue, house light cue, dowser cue, etc. It's a lot easier to do it this way instead of trying to remember all those things.
For instance, I'll duplicate the playlist for "Meerkats" then delete the feature and substitute the file for "Lewis and Clark."
All I have to do, then, is to rename the playlist to "Lewis & Clark" and reposition the lighting cue at the credits.
Now, if the doofus who programmed the show didn't edit his playlist correctly, he would have played the wrong movie when he thought he was selecting the right show.
We only have one projector and one server but, if this was done in a multiplex where many projectors are being operated via a network, it would be very easy to make such a programming mistake.
It would only be natural for somebody who is trying to cover his ass to make this mistake then claim it was a "technical problem."
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Randy Stankey
Film God
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Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 10-25-2012 08:58 AM
I would also say that the change to digital has served to remove almost all experienced operators from the booth.
We have people who think they know how to use computers because they they can push a mouse across a desk. Now, we're letting these very same people operate the computers that make the movies in theaters.
These people are usually "managers" who are busy taking care of the zillion other jobs they have to do but they are, now, in charge of projection on top of all the other crap they have to do.
Putting overworked, barely-competent people in charge of millions of dollars worth of high-tech equipment is usually a recipe for disaster.
Hollywood glosses it all over with the promise of "digital perfection" but, in reality, it just isn't true. Then, the media types, who are always eager to jump on the digital hype bandwagon see a little crack in the patina and, as Steve says, love to smear negative gossip all over the news because it makes money.
"We all know that crap is king! Give us dirty laundry!"
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