P3D RE: New 3D Movies

[Larry Berlin <lberlin@xxxxxxxxx>]

>Date: Tue, 06 Jan 1998
>From: Phil Gray writes:
>...............
>I have to agree with Mark.  I think the major problem is both lack of
>knowledge or interest in presenting a 3-D film correctly, and the
>attachments needed to present the film.  At the showing of "Jaws 3-D" in
>San Francisco's Empire Theater the film lost synch which resulted in a
>reverse 3-D image on screen. The only way to see the movie correctly was
>to take off the 3-D glasses and hold them reversed in front of my eyes. 
>When I went to the counter to advise some one there was no interest in
>correcting the problem. I finally asked for the manager and the same
>teenager at the candy counter said he WAS the manager.  It took forever
>to even get him to go into the auditorium and look.  He refused to
>contact the projectionist (there was more than likely not one on the
>premise, just one of those rovers who goes from theater to theater) and
>told me if I didn't like it I could leave.  He even refused to refund my
>money.
>As long as theaters are being run with no thought to presentation (which
>seems to be the rule at multiplexes) 3-D movies will never have a chance
>until there is a way to put the film on a platter, turn off the house
>lites and press the start button.  Maybe that's why 3-D seems to survive
>only at amusement parks and IMAX.
>

*****  Interesting and enlightening story. Very frustrating too. If it was
being managed correctly the teenager should have lost his job, you should
have gotten a refund and a free ticket to the next show... I would have
sought out the owner, if it took a week of phone calls.

There are problems if otherwise automated equipment breaks down and no one
is present to deal with it, but if they want a full theater, they have to
actually show a movie...  Some provision for repairs would seem elementary
to the entire situation. Suppose the projector lamp quit, what then, expect
everyone to sit in the dark and chew on their tickets?

There is something that multiplex theaters pay attention to, it's money.
Without the promise of lots of it, the places wouldn't exist. They also like
movies that draw larger crowds, since that makes more money. Sooner or later
one of these places will wake up to a better formula than the one you found
them using... Maybe that was a really *off* week?

Larry Berlin

Email: lberlin@xxxxxxxxx
http://www.sonic.net/~lberlin/
http://3dzine.simplenet.com/


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