Lighting cue protocols

[Gus Malmgren]

I am researching to see if there is a industry standard for lighting cues in cinema playback.

I work at an art house cinema. I was trained to insert lighting cues in the SPL with the following protocol: Playlist start: Lights @ full. Ads: Lights @ full. TLR package: Lights @ half. FTR: Lights out (except aisle). Credits: Lights @ glow. Crawl: Lights @half. End: Lights @ full.

Recently those who know better than I, determined that the lights should be programed to half at the start of credits. I understand the possible liability rational, but a few minutes in darkness to reflect on what you just saw and respect to art form itself are classy.

This caused me to start a little research and am finding very little information about this.

Is it just oral tradition or is there a documented protocol?

Thanks for your help!

[Frank Cox]

Talk to your local fire inspector since they will (probably) have some minimum lighting requirements while your customers are occupying the auditorium.

[Carsten Kurz]

'Common' in cinema (actually defined in the SMPTE DCP spec) is Beginning of credits (FFEC marker) and beginning of moving credits (FFMC). However, what you attach to these cues is up to you, or, as Frank says, potentially up to your local fire inspector, or even insurance regulations. I usually leave the lights off until the moving credits start, then I raise to a cosy half lights, and I am pretty sure that is what most of our audience also prefers.
Some very few movies do not follow the FFEC/FFMC scheme.

At least in germany, emergency lights are laid out so that you should be able to find your way out with emergency lights alone. Worst case scenario for an actual emergency with power outage anyway. So. I wouldn't understand why more light is needed for a regular exit.

[Harold Hallikainen]

I've seen a couple movies recently where none of the credits are moving. The auditorium stays dark a long time.

[Jim Cassedy]

I didn't even know there was a DCI spec on this! lol . Most of the time my lighting cue placement is dictated by
a combination of both a somewhat loose company policy, and local management preference. Like Carsten,
if left to my own choice, I like to leave a bit of a 'pause' before lights come up after the feature action ends,
as sort of a 'punctuation mark' at the end of the flick. But beyond that, my main venue serves food & drinks,
so management likes lights up almost immediately, so that they can get people outta the auditorium ASAP,
and floor staff can clean up the mess before the next show. There are exceptions, and when I'm on shift,
I often run lights manually, depending on crowd size, time between shows, the moon phase and my personal
mood that evening. For studio previews, etc, lights stay down till the very end, unless otherwise requested
by the studio or the film-maker. (On "hosted shows", I"m often asked by film-makers to turn on stage lights &
kill sound while credits roll so that they can maximize time for their Q&A.) At Telluride, and other big film fests
I work at, the rule is usually that lights stay completely off, until the very last credit rolls, or fades, off screen.

I have a feeling that this is one of those topics that can trigger more than its' fair share of opinions, none
of them really wrong, or right. (Similar to discussing which way a toilet paper roll should hang)

[Jesse Crooks]

If there's something you need to see on screen, the lights should be dimmed. Whether or not you consider ads worth being seen... up to you. For the previews they should definitely be low enough to see the image on screen without being washed out. Ideally the lights should be completely off during the feature, with the exception of the mandated walkway lights (which should still be dim enough to not disrupt the viewing experience). We usually leave a beat between the start of the scrolling credits and the lighting cue, but it will depend on the specific film. 15 sec is usually fine. If there's action in the credits we'll typically wait. Or if there is a really heavy ending to the film, such that you want to give the audience a moment to reflect before you raise the lights. On the other hand, if the fading credits take too long we bring the lights up before the scroll.

[Carsten Kurz]

Then there's the never ending habit of mid- and post-credit scenes.Sometimes I even mange to bring up the lights half during credits, and turn them down for the post-credit scene (if I consider the post-credit scene worth that effort).