Commercials before the movie...

[Alan Skinner]

You guys are sissies!!!!

In Puerto Rico we get about 30MINUTES od advertising before the movie starts!!!

meh...

Ha! Well that is nothing! When I was a kid, we had to watch old commercials while walking uphill to school both ways in the snow and when we got home, we had to watch them again and once we were done watching them again, our Dad would thrash is with the TV remote and send us to bed with no dinner. :emote_popcorn::yesnod:

 

[Christian Edwards]

there is also to consider a very real paradigm shift in the cinema market as a whole. With advent of D-cinema and true 3D rolling out there is currently large reform within the industry. It seems apparent that the " traditional " cinema experience, will in-turn, change dramatically .So for your less orthodox 'movie going' experience... Advertising, live events etc. couple this with the accessibility of relatively cheap real world D-cinema gear such as the Redone There will become a much more enticing market from a marketeers stand point with quality production at relatively low cost IE:Big impact minimal cost. i only see it as a life line for the industry ... Here in Australia we don't complain when it rains

 

[Chuck Z]

That's nothing! In Australia, the feature won't start until a full 20 minutes after the advertised time. I don't even bother showing up on time, unless I know it's going to be a full house.

About 15 minutes of mindless fuzzy ads, many from an SD source, then a few minutes of trailers and finally the feature.

It's the exact same way with theaters near me but I'm located in the US.

It really pisses me off how much I feel we're being taken advantage of. I paid $10 (which is starting to get really expensive) to watch the movie, not advertisements.

 

[Gavin Greenwalt]

Wow during the previews that's pretty harsh. I really like the pre-movie commercials because it's something to do while waiting, but if the movie has started then get on with it! Unless of course it's an indie film and they funded it with ads... in which case I would encourage it to fund more similar projects.

 

[Eirik Tyrihjel]

Ha! Well that is nothing! When I was a kid, we had to watch old commercials while walking uphill to school both ways in the snow and when we got home, we had to watch them again and once we were done watching them again, our Dad would thrash is with the TV remote and send us to bed with no dinner. :emote_popcorn::yesnod:

Well you were LUCKY!

In norway...

 

[Antony M]

I suspect the film industry is trying to gain as much money as possible due to piracy ,...

You probably don't have the same adverts/trailers in the US as we do in the UK.

But one which always made me laugh, was the campaign against video/DVD piracy, where they suggested that pirate DVDs would be poor quality because they were filmed in cinemas with people constantly get up and down for drinks/toilet/etc in front of the camera.

Isn't that a bit ironic, as that is the main complaint against cinemas??? The inconsiderate people who talk during it, who get up in fornt of you, etc.

In fact, most pirate DVDs are probably more watchable than many cinemas around here. I have lost count of the numbers of times I have had to find the manager at Showcase Cinemas because the projector is not focussed.

 

[Kevin Olsen]

Sorry to hear that guys. Luckily for me I live in Austin and we have a local owned option that is really what a theater should be, Alamo Drafthouse.

The do not play any of the commercials at the beginning of the movie. Instead, they play a self made reel that is actually really creative and funny. They advertise their own local events and features and that's it. It goes straight from their reel to the trailers, no exception. I have never seen a coke ad or anything else there.

Alamo Drafthouse Reel

The Alamo Drafthouse pre-reel's are really funny too. While people are still entering and ordering food, they play clips from various sources. For the opening of the last Star Wars, they played SNL skits, YouTube parodys, and had a open local film competition to do Star Wars scenes. I really enjoy these and always arrive early to get the best seat and order some beer. Yes that's right, they serve beer. Does your local Cinemark or AMC do that?

There are never any kids, basically anyone under 18. The crowd that attends this theater is serious about interruptions and doesn't tolerate any talking or kids/teenagers running around. It's always a good atmosphere and fun.

Plus they host more local events and genuine community activities. They often host actors, directors, writers, and producers to come in and talk about their creation. During SXSW (South By South West), they host some of the large screenings and are very involved in the local film scene. They host creative and fun events that are not movie related; e.g. Air Guitar Championship, Sing-A-Longs to music videos, sports games and big tv events like season finales or election debates.

For opening nights they always prepare a real show. For Snakes on a Plane they brought in snake handlers to do a show before the movie, for Transformers they closed off the parking lot and brought in a 30ft car crushing robot; the list is endless and hilarious. Their model is diverse, fun and local. There is no sign of large commercialism unless it's stuck in the film. They serve good food and good drinks, including many local brands.

They now have 4K projection for their screens at one location here in Austin. They plan on making all 4K shortly. Any RED screenings in Austin should be done here, it would be the best location to do so.

KO

//Note: I have no affiliation with Alamo Drafthouse at all. I just think it's a really bad ass concept and like RED, I feel compelled to share my experience with others and spread the word.

 

[Jerrod Cordell]

You see, this annoys me.

Eventually, later down the road, commercial advertisements are really what I want to get into. I want to make the funny types of ads you see during the Superbowl and whatnot.

But 6 minutes of commercials?! Most commercials are 30 seconds long, making that 12 commercials in a row. THAT'S Ridiculous. Show me 3 or so. I don't mind. But 12?!

That's just proof that the executives in charge of the movie were more focused on gaining back the money lost from concert ticket sales instead of showing the world an amazing behind the scenes look at Michael Jackson's work.

 

[alexwhitmer]

they started playing regular old TV spots for shoes, home repairs, cell phones, etc.

I stopped going to theaters for that reason. I feel I'm having this crap shoved down my throat. At home I can hit mute and go make a sandwich, but in the theater, I'm a captive audience that paid to be whipped.

I think this will come back to haunt the big releases - or at least I hope so. It's like hiking in Yosemite and stumbling across a Coca Cola ad. F me.

I'm woried they'll muck around with DVDs soon, making it so the film won't play until all ads are confirmed viewed.

Two things we can do - not go to the theaters, and not buy the products from companies that jam their ads into theaters. Bad juju, that. I know it isn't the theater's fault, but pressure on them may in turn put pressure on the distributors/producers. Begs the question, I wonder where along the line the ads are tagged on, and who is getting the cash for doing it.

Then again, maybe some of the theaters are in on it - getting a share of the revenues for showing the ads.

alex

www.alexwhitmer.wordpress.com
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[Sean Lee]

Just to be clear. I am not talking about the standard "ads" that play for 20 minutes before the movie. These ads are PART OF THE MOVIE. They start after the theater ads. If your show starts at 7pm, these ads start at 7pm. Then you have 15 minutes of trailers after that.

I bet Joe Jackson's got his hands in this somewhere..

If they annoy people enough with these TV commercials at the theater, they will just stay home and watch movies on HBO, Bluray, or pirated Bluray, because that would be the only way to escape the ads.

I don't have a bluray player so I've never bought or rented bluray but I've bought DVDs before where it comes with regular TV ads that start playing as soon as you put the DVD in the player.

 

[Adil Lahoulou]

Wow! this thread is like having the autoworkers complaining that there are too many cars on the road. Let's face it commercials are the bread and butter of the film production world. The majority of below the line talent are employed because of commercials. Consider that a high end 2-3 day commercial shoot will outspend a moderate 18 day independent film 9 out of 10 times. I would think as below the line filmmakers you'd be celebrating the fact that commercials are finding new venues. I find it somewhat disingenuous to want the job but not the product.

 

[Tom Lowe]

No one is complaining about commercials. We are complaining about being bombarded with TV ads when we have paid 10 dollars to see a movie.

 

[Steve G]

I know a guy who runs a local independent cinema chain in London and he was telling me that without commercials and popcorn/carrot cake/coffee sales, they would not survive.

 

[Adil Lahoulou]

No one is complaining about commercials. We are complaining about being bombarded with TV ads when we have paid 10 dollars to see a movie.

Oh I hear you and I empathize to a point but making commercials and watching them go hand in hand. Besides...you should consider that the $10 ticket is actually subsidized by those commercials. Perhaps the real cost of the movie going experience is somewhat higher (as Steve states)?

 

[Adil Lahoulou]

Btw: Tom.

I would sit through 20 minutes of commercials to see one of your films on IMAX. Your work is fantastic and deserves the biggest venue (no matter how many commercials!)

A.

 

[Alan Skinner]

Charge me more, if need be. Leave out the TV ads that I do not watch at home either.

 

[Adil Lahoulou]

Charge me more, if need be. Leave out the TV ads that I do not watch at home either.

In fact some cities offer such a venue. It's called assigned seating. You pay more but you're guaranteed a seat so that when you show up late to miss the commercials you can still enjoy the film from a comfortable spot.

 

[alexwhitmer]

This is funny ...

And I don't think I'm giving away any secrets here, but there are a lot of terrible scripts in this town.

--Frank Darabont

Thanks, Alan.

Now ...

Agree the theaters really rely on other revenues to stay in business. The film, if anything, is the loss leader to get folks in to buy the sundries, which is the real business theaters are in. Didn't used to be that way, but times change. I remember the days when there was an intermission, and maybe one or two choices at the 'front counter'.

I'm guessing here, but maybe the costs of running a theater outpaced what they could charge, and with that 'what-customers-will-pay' cap, they had to look for other ways to stay afloat.

All that aside, it is still unwelcome and even intrusive. Six minutes is absurd. I could handle one, two at the most. One option is to come late, but then seating choice sucks.

There will be a breaking point eventually, and somewhere along the line there will need to be a paradigm shift in how revenues are earned and distributed. I think theater owners are at the bottom of the pecking order, and can only show what they are given. But to be fair, producers and distributors need to consider the success of the theater and the comfort of the ticket buyer - and find that balance. Yeah, right. We are talking about humans here.

It has been maybe 5 years since I went to a theater. Do I miss the big screen? Yes. Would I go if it were my film up there? Yes. Otherwise, I'll watch from home.

And I'll bet there are plenty of autoworkers pissing and moaning about traffic, like anyone else. No doubt about it. They sure aren't saying 'Wow, I did this!'

aw


www.alexwhitmer.wordpress.com
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[jimhare]

Saw This Is It in Sydney yesterday. Didn't start for a full 30 MINUTES after the scheduled time.

We thought we were smart arriving 15 minutes after the scheduled start, but still sat through another 15!

Getting out of control.

I'll bet a new grade of cinema comes out with a surcharge for shows without ads!

 

[Tom Lowe]

I'll bet a new grade of cinema comes out with a surcharge for shows without ads!

Pretty pathetic if that's what it comes down to.

Sort of reminds me of when Dell tried to charge customers extra not to have all that spyware crap pre-loaded on their PCs...