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We were getting two prints of Saw V. The first turned up in good time. The second one was supposed to come on Friday morning, the day of the opening - which was okay because that copy was only being shown at 9.45 pm.
I make up the first print on Wednesday. A print is delivered as separate reels, each about 20 minutes in length. These reels have to be spliced together, checked through, ads and trailers added and then run onto a plater ready for showing. This takes 1-2 hours for a full print with full ads and trailers, depending on how much times is spent putting on films in the meantime.
On Thursday, the day before the film opens, I get a phone call. It is the distributor (not the kind of distributor whose name is at the front of a movie, this is the warehouse that sends the print to cinemas across the country).
Distributor lady: "You have two copies of Saw V."
Me: "Uhh, yes."
DL: "We'd like to borrow one back."
Me" "Well we haven't had the second one, yet. It is due tomorrow morning."
DL: "Okay, let me check."
Phone goes quiet for a few minutes.
DL: "Okay thanks."
About an hour later, I get a phone call from DHL. "I'm coming to pick up your copy of <code name for Saw V>."
Me: "No. I spoke to DL and told her we only have one copy."
So about an hour later, manager J comes up. DL has been on the phone to him. She has ben asking if she can have oyr existing copy of <code name>. Which confuses J, because he isn't aware of the code name.
DL speaks to J again, but J is somewhat busy, as it is rather busy dealing with hordes that have come for High School Musical 3, and the people who have prebooked films that we have cancelled to accomodate an additional show of HSM3. That's a whole other story. Any way J tells her has to go, she is "...but..." and he puts the phone down on her.
J talks to our GM, and leaves a messaage for the booking department for the chain. Just to ensure they know what is going on.
She phones J again. She is apologetic, but still wants our print. She has a plan whereby we will be able to use the print due for delivery at 10am for our early shows and there will be a second print delivered at 5pm, which should be okay for our later shows. J say no. At the moment this is not our problem and he won't allow it to beconme our problem if either of those prints don't arrive. She says she will get <Distributor whose name is on the beginning of the film> to talk to us.
I speak to J. I am just glad I don't have to go to the trouble of breaking the film down for transit. It being Thursady night, I will have one or two of those to do at the end of the night anyway. J says <Distributor> may insist.
With the backing of the GM and booking department, J is able to tell them that they are not getting our print. So I go home happy that I haven't had to break down the print I made up and that W hadn't got an extra print to make up in a hurry on Friday.
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But it doesn't end there.
The print arrives as promised on Friday morning. W makes it up.
W gets a phone call in the afternoon asking for that print. He tells them no.
He gets another phone call at 4 o'clock asking for the print. They say another print is on the way and will be there at 5pm. By this time, it will almost be 5om by the time W has broken the print down. So he tells them no.
The print doesn't arrive at 5pm (suprise, suprise).
In W's words, "I made it up, so it's mine. Mine. Nobody's getting it."
It turns out they wanted the print for a cinema of a rival chain in a nearby city. I guess they wouldn't be showing Saw V that night.
I make up the first print on Wednesday. A print is delivered as separate reels, each about 20 minutes in length. These reels have to be spliced together, checked through, ads and trailers added and then run onto a plater ready for showing. This takes 1-2 hours for a full print with full ads and trailers, depending on how much times is spent putting on films in the meantime.
On Thursday, the day before the film opens, I get a phone call. It is the distributor (not the kind of distributor whose name is at the front of a movie, this is the warehouse that sends the print to cinemas across the country).
Distributor lady: "You have two copies of Saw V."
Me: "Uhh, yes."
DL: "We'd like to borrow one back."
Me" "Well we haven't had the second one, yet. It is due tomorrow morning."
DL: "Okay, let me check."
Phone goes quiet for a few minutes.
DL: "Okay thanks."
About an hour later, I get a phone call from DHL. "I'm coming to pick up your copy of <code name for Saw V>."
Me: "No. I spoke to DL and told her we only have one copy."
So about an hour later, manager J comes up. DL has been on the phone to him. She has ben asking if she can have oyr existing copy of <code name>. Which confuses J, because he isn't aware of the code name.
DL speaks to J again, but J is somewhat busy, as it is rather busy dealing with hordes that have come for High School Musical 3, and the people who have prebooked films that we have cancelled to accomodate an additional show of HSM3. That's a whole other story. Any way J tells her has to go, she is "...but..." and he puts the phone down on her.
J talks to our GM, and leaves a messaage for the booking department for the chain. Just to ensure they know what is going on.
She phones J again. She is apologetic, but still wants our print. She has a plan whereby we will be able to use the print due for delivery at 10am for our early shows and there will be a second print delivered at 5pm, which should be okay for our later shows. J say no. At the moment this is not our problem and he won't allow it to beconme our problem if either of those prints don't arrive. She says she will get <Distributor whose name is on the beginning of the film> to talk to us.
I speak to J. I am just glad I don't have to go to the trouble of breaking the film down for transit. It being Thursady night, I will have one or two of those to do at the end of the night anyway. J says <Distributor> may insist.
With the backing of the GM and booking department, J is able to tell them that they are not getting our print. So I go home happy that I haven't had to break down the print I made up and that W hadn't got an extra print to make up in a hurry on Friday.
-------
But it doesn't end there.
The print arrives as promised on Friday morning. W makes it up.
W gets a phone call in the afternoon asking for that print. He tells them no.
He gets another phone call at 4 o'clock asking for the print. They say another print is on the way and will be there at 5pm. By this time, it will almost be 5om by the time W has broken the print down. So he tells them no.
The print doesn't arrive at 5pm (suprise, suprise).
In W's words, "I made it up, so it's mine. Mine. Nobody's getting it."
It turns out they wanted the print for a cinema of a rival chain in a nearby city. I guess they wouldn't be showing Saw V that night.
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