International projectionist (Jan 1963-June 1965)

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IMPROVING THEATERS theater is a matter of the utmost impo.rtance. If members of the audience have a pleasant recollection of their hours in the theater, they will frequently return and become regular customers. If they are repelled by unpleasant surroundings, sooner or later they will be permanently lost. Some become bitter critics. Whispering campaigns are either the best or the worst advertising. For this and other reasons, the theater lighting should be most carefully adjusted in each part of the theater. The street lighting of the theater is, of course, for conspicuous display purposes. The lobby lighting should be much softer, and graded downward so that entering the auditorium does not find the eye blinded by previous excessive illumination. Colored lighting (amber or rose, for example) is often helpful. And the lighting in the main portions of the house must be carefully adjusted so that vacant seats can be readily found and yet the general lighting level is low. Above all, house lights should never illuminate the screen. It goes without saying that the utmost cleanliness and attractiveness in lounges, rest rooms, and lavoratories is essential. Few things are less attractive to the audience than shabby or unpleasant rest portions of the house. In this general connection, it is essential that odors of rancid butter or peanut oil shall be completely banished from the house and its refreshment portions. Sufficiently powerful ventilation and exhaust fans will greatly help. Many of the theater owners have found that the audience cultivates theaters which are free from stale odors. Courteous Treatment important The operation of a theater is not a mere perfunctory matter, largely to be neglected as a routine proposition. Life in the theater should be a model of courteous treatment by ushers and management. Any requests for information or complaints should be very promptly handled and clearly answered with a real show of interest and sympathy on the part of the management. And the ushers and managers should not be remote and inaccessible people but should be continually on the lookout for any questions, complaints, disturbances, or events requiring attention. One of the great assets of the theater is the existence of dis 18 from page 5 cipline and control of the audience which ensures uninterrupted enjoyment of the performance. In the home there are often enough inevitable interruptions of any entertainment. But in the theater such unnecessary interruptions are often intolerable and repel the audience. Of course, the main commodity which is sold in the theater is the program. Too much time can hardly be spent selecting and arranging the program, choosing times for the showings, and generally building up an attractive performance. A good showman will study the audience in his vicinity and learn their preferences. After a few months, he will know that in the vicinity of his theater, people prefer romantic shows, costume dramas, comedy, vivid action films, so-called "art" pictures, or other forms of entertainment. The successful exhibitor will learn of these preferences and will build up his programs, wherever possible, around a suitable selection and succession of attractive showings. It is a good idea to have different types of films at the same performance. It is also often worth while shifting the major emphasis in performances from each show to the ones on the following weeks. The skilled showman will make good use of the advantages of color films which have now been developed to the point of exquisite beauty and dramatic value. Experience has shown that color can set a mood in a fashion almost impossible for black and white. Accordingly, the balanced theater program will have a full quota of color films wherever possible. Exhibitor Should have Good P.R. And finally, the exhibitor must establish the closest possible relationships with his community and its members. He should be the "bestliked man in town." This may take some time and trouble on his part. But anything he does with and for the community is well rewarded. In addition to studying the customer's preferences and establishing excellent public relations with the community, the exhibitor should discover whether his prospective audience respond better to hard-selling or to soft-selling in advertising. Of course the type of advertising may depend to some extent on the type of picture that is shown each week. If the exhibitor establishes cordial contacts with the schools, clubs, associations, and churches of his town — as well as with the civic leaders of the community — his prospects of success will be considerably brightened. It takes an extremely competent, pleasant, diplomatic, and capable man to be a truly successful showman. iP London News and Views By Stanley T. Perry The Odeon Theatre in Leicester Square which is the Rank Organization's key house had a "face lift" in its projection booth just prior to a Royal Film Performance. The Odeon, which needed a change of equipment, installed three Cinemaccanica Victoria X, a multi purpose 70/35mm projector, with electrical interlock between any pair. Also installed were three Super Zenith 460 arc lamps with 18 picroid reflectors, operating at 110 amps., with a corbon trim of 10 mm positive, 9 mm negative, both copper coated. The positive is non-rotating and the carbon contacts and the lamp are generally air-cooled, although water circulation is now being used, except for the projector film gate. A new G. B. Kalee DuosonicMultichannel sound equipment for all film systems, including unmarried prints was included. Also installed was a 12way sound reinforcement system and remote control focusing, framing, sound volume from the auditorium. Prior to the installation of the projection equipment, Mick McLaughlin, chief projectionist at the Odeon, and Bob Pulman, projection engineer of the circuit, were guests of the Cinemaccania Company in Milan, Italy, where they spent some days at the factory familiarizing themselves with the equipment. The "late night show" policy which has been in operation for some time in the West End, is now spreading to the suburbs. The Classic Circuit, which runs a number of small repertory theatres, have started the late night shows at Chelsea and Notting Hill, and no doubt there will be more of these in the future. The nine small houses in the West End late night shows have now firmly established themselves. Some show the current feature and shorts. Others have a special program for the late show only. iP International Projectionist January 1963