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How to nark off your projectionist in one easy step.
It's been a while since I've had to deal with SC's, as my work has been keeping me away from the floor and its every day drama. However I was a fool to think I could go unscathed forever and the inevitable happened yesterday.
According to the usher, who had to first deal with this mega-beast, the last time she visited the cinema, there had been a sound fault, so she'd been issues a comp ticket for a free film next time as a "sorry we aren't immune to technical problems either" gesture.
She and her husband arrived at one of the usher points just as I was walking out of one of the screens, doing a sound check on another film. MB' s film was still in advertisements.
They had barely set foot inside the auditorium, when MB pipes up "I hope it's not going to be like last time, these adverts already sound too quiet!"
Please note each individual advert is recorded at a different sound level by the maker. In order for them to all sound the same, you'd need a projectionist to sit next to the sound rack for the duration and control the volume manually. Not possible when there are more than 2 screens.
So what we do to manage this is play the volume at a set point so that if there's a super loud ad, it's not going to blast your ears off. Also, I don't know about you, but does anyone actually want to see ads they see on tv every day? Because I and half our customers definitely don't, it's a top complaint "Why do you have to put so many ads on the front of this film??!"
I inform MB the above reason and she seems somewhat placate, but still deems it necessary to let me know why she's asking
"Alright, but last time we came there was a sound problem and I don't want it to happen again!"
I assure her that won't be the case and that the fault had been dealt with since her last visit.
Into the auditorium she goes, back to the safety of my customerless box I go!
Approx 5 minutes pass before I get a call from the usher on the radio.
"Hi, LoT? Could you come down to ushering, there's a customer here who would like to speak to you."
Oh goodie, I can hardly wait! I didn't, for one second expect to see MB standing there again.
"These adverts are all over the place! Some are too quiet!!"
I inwardly heave a burden-laden sigh, do these people listen to anything I say?
I 're-explain why this is the case and reiterate nobody else has complained. But that's not good enough for MB
"I just don't want the film to be the same!"
Again I explain "The feature will be at the correct volume, it's significantly louder than the ads, because as I explained, they are always played a little quieter."
"Well make sure it is this time!" And off she flounced again.
This time? Seriously woman, what do you want, blood? How many times do I have to explain things to you?
I set a reminder on my phone to check the volume of that film when it's due to start just in case. It begins, I turn it up a little bit more for good measure and all seems well until about 15 minutes in.
Radio call, it's the usher again. She's back and she's more annoying than ever.
In fact, I can hear her over the radio, ranting and raving like a complete screaming, flailing machine.
And then something she yelled caught my ear...
"It's still too quiet, I'm partially deaf you should turn it up or people with hearing impairments won't be able to hear!!"
Seriously? All this time and its only now you decide to tell us you have a hearing problem! I just...I can't even.
We have special headsets for partially deaf customers that boosts the volume for them and won't cause an almighty ear bleed from those around you. We have infrared devices you can tune your hearing aid into to get a sound boost. She wasn't wearing a hearing aid however, but one of the headsets could have been provided if she'd just have explained to the box office staff that she had a hearing impairment. Staff aren't psychic, and its no excuse to get so snippy with them for not magically sensing you're partially deaf.
She was offered a headset but turned it down because "We should just turn up the volume." Because you know, 30 odd other people won't mind if they walk out with epic tinnitus. Irritatingly she was issued with another comp by a flaky manager. Grrr.
It's been a while since I've had to deal with SC's, as my work has been keeping me away from the floor and its every day drama. However I was a fool to think I could go unscathed forever and the inevitable happened yesterday.
According to the usher, who had to first deal with this mega-beast, the last time she visited the cinema, there had been a sound fault, so she'd been issues a comp ticket for a free film next time as a "sorry we aren't immune to technical problems either" gesture.
She and her husband arrived at one of the usher points just as I was walking out of one of the screens, doing a sound check on another film. MB' s film was still in advertisements.
They had barely set foot inside the auditorium, when MB pipes up "I hope it's not going to be like last time, these adverts already sound too quiet!"
Please note each individual advert is recorded at a different sound level by the maker. In order for them to all sound the same, you'd need a projectionist to sit next to the sound rack for the duration and control the volume manually. Not possible when there are more than 2 screens.
So what we do to manage this is play the volume at a set point so that if there's a super loud ad, it's not going to blast your ears off. Also, I don't know about you, but does anyone actually want to see ads they see on tv every day? Because I and half our customers definitely don't, it's a top complaint "Why do you have to put so many ads on the front of this film??!"
I inform MB the above reason and she seems somewhat placate, but still deems it necessary to let me know why she's asking
"Alright, but last time we came there was a sound problem and I don't want it to happen again!"
I assure her that won't be the case and that the fault had been dealt with since her last visit.
Into the auditorium she goes, back to the safety of my customerless box I go!
Approx 5 minutes pass before I get a call from the usher on the radio.
"Hi, LoT? Could you come down to ushering, there's a customer here who would like to speak to you."
Oh goodie, I can hardly wait! I didn't, for one second expect to see MB standing there again.
"These adverts are all over the place! Some are too quiet!!"
I inwardly heave a burden-laden sigh, do these people listen to anything I say?
I 're-explain why this is the case and reiterate nobody else has complained. But that's not good enough for MB
"I just don't want the film to be the same!"
Again I explain "The feature will be at the correct volume, it's significantly louder than the ads, because as I explained, they are always played a little quieter."
"Well make sure it is this time!" And off she flounced again.
This time? Seriously woman, what do you want, blood? How many times do I have to explain things to you?
I set a reminder on my phone to check the volume of that film when it's due to start just in case. It begins, I turn it up a little bit more for good measure and all seems well until about 15 minutes in.
Radio call, it's the usher again. She's back and she's more annoying than ever.
In fact, I can hear her over the radio, ranting and raving like a complete screaming, flailing machine.
And then something she yelled caught my ear...
"It's still too quiet, I'm partially deaf you should turn it up or people with hearing impairments won't be able to hear!!"
Seriously? All this time and its only now you decide to tell us you have a hearing problem! I just...I can't even.
We have special headsets for partially deaf customers that boosts the volume for them and won't cause an almighty ear bleed from those around you. We have infrared devices you can tune your hearing aid into to get a sound boost. She wasn't wearing a hearing aid however, but one of the headsets could have been provided if she'd just have explained to the box office staff that she had a hearing impairment. Staff aren't psychic, and its no excuse to get so snippy with them for not magically sensing you're partially deaf.
She was offered a headset but turned it down because "We should just turn up the volume." Because you know, 30 odd other people won't mind if they walk out with epic tinnitus. Irritatingly she was issued with another comp by a flaky manager. Grrr.
Yep, it's all about her. The other seven billion people on the planet can all drop dead, Almighty She is the only one who matters! 
It boggles the mind how even a hard-of-hearing patron could possibly want them louder. 
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