Hey folks. Just wanted to ask your opinion on something. What do you guys think of this desk below? I've already asked a few people and got some pretty positive feedback. I'm going for a modern look for my new blogging desk :-) A modern overall look for my room!
I dunno about you guys, but I likes it a lot! It's not the coup de grace for my new blogging setup. The best part is still a bit further off. Hopefully it will be easier to get when I make some more money online. I've dropped paid posting for now, so it'll probably be a little more difficult. Thanks to Ryan Powell for the image above!
Hope to hear from you guys. Semi-Pro screening is tomorrow, I hope it's enjoyable. I'll be sure to let you guys know.
First off, I'd like to throw a shout out to Chaseblogger and thanks for the plug I got on his blog!
Movie trailers.. either you love em or you hate em. I personally love em. I love seeing what new movies are going to come out and get an idea of what I'm in for, or what to avoid. A website that always has great movie trailers is Apple. Now I know a lot of people actually plan what time they go to the movies by when the trailers will end. I never understood this! Trailers are an important part of seeing a movie! There is the other end of the spectrum also. Anybody remember Wing Commander? Nope, but some people remember that there was a trailer for Star Wars: Episode 1 before it! Now I wasn't working at the movies then, but I heard that some theatres actually had to make sure people weren't buying tickets just for that purpose. Funny huh?
Now what made me think about this topic?
Well recently a co-worker and I were discussing trailers, and the difference between Red Band and Green Band trailers. What is the difference, you might ask? Well, here's what Wikipedia's article has to say about it:
A green band is an all-green graphic at the beginning of the trailer, usually reading "The following PREVIEW has been approved for ALL AUDIENCES by the Motion Picture Association of America," and sometimes including the movie's MPAA rating. This signifies that the trailer adheres to the standards for motion picture advertising outlined by the MPAA, which includes limitations on foul language and violent, sexual, or otherwise objectionable imagery. Trailers that do not adhere to these guidelines may be issued a red band, (which used to be blood red) which reads "The following PREVIEW has been approved for RESTRICTED AUDIENCES ONLY by the Motion Picture Association of America," and may only be shown before an R-rated, NC-17-rated, or unrated movie. (The Amityville Horror (1979 film) carried this banner[1]). A yellow band is a yellow graphic that reads "The following PREVIEW has been approved ONLY for AGE-APPROPRIATE internet users by the Motion Picture Association of America" (for example, the trailer for Halloween). The MPAA also mandates that trailers not exceed two minutes and thirty seconds in length, and each major studio is given one exception to this rule per year.
Does this make a huge difference in the film's appeal? Well I'm going to take a recent example where I think it did, with Resident Evil 3: Extinction. First, here is the green band trailer:
Makes the movie look pretty tame. I mean, you can tell that there are some action sequences and it gives you an idea what the movie will be like, but wait. Here is the red band trailer: Keep in mind that it may not be appropriate for all audiences.. you have been warned.
For those of you who watched it, there is quite a difference in the two huh? I had already planned on seeing the movie before, but after seeing the red band trailer, I knew I would see it, because it seemed so much more exciting. Weird how different those two trailers are huh? Most theatres won't be caught dead playing red band trailers, since there are green band trailers out there which already cause complaints with parents and others. However, I feel that when used in the right setting, red band trailers can be extremely effective!
What do you guys think? If you watched them both, which do you think would be better for the movie's promotion? Sorry I don't have an example of a yellow band trailer to show...
I just recently found this article on the Consumerist. It's really interesting to me because this is what I deal with every single day I'm at the movie theatre. As I've written before, we know that customer service is what theatres NEED to excel at in order to keep the guests coming back. I know that there are things that annoy me about the job.. such as requirements on greetings, percentages that need to be met with loyalty clubs, etc. I'm a firm believer in that as long as the guest leaves happy they will come back. Its the pushy attitude that some theatre companies take that I didn't like, and I'm particularly glad the company I work for right now is not like that.
I mean... let's be honest. If you wanted a rewards card, you would ask for one. If we can give you a better deal by making the item bigger, then its worth it for us to tell you. It's another thing if the only reason why a cashier is asking is because they are being threatened with disciplinary warnings if they don't ask, and if they are offering a combo only to meet a quota on combos. Most of these kids don't like doing this. I understand the loyalty card, but to force people to meet quotas on sign ups is ridiculous. You could ask everyone and no one would sign up. What these programs need is more reason to join. I'm sure there are plenty of other things that annoy people about the movies, like ads before the show, ridiculous prices, etc. Most of the time, managers and staff recognize this, so we have to provide excellent customer service in order to get people to come back. It's when bosses get pushy about quotas, bad attitudes and less effort get pushed down the line, ruining the guest experience.
As it is mentioned in that article, he did not complain during the movie because he didn't want to miss any of it. This is true very often. I understand that and try to have people check theatres whenever I can. Yes, it is easier for us to get an issue resolved if a guest comes out and tells us about it. One thing we can't anticipate (to an extent) is how people will behave in a movie. There are some people who are just jerks and don't care that there could be hundreds of other people trying to enjoy a film while they are talking up a storm on their cell phone. If something gets reported to me, you can bet that I'll be in there as quickly as possible dealing with it. If a guest asks for a manager, I drop whatever I'm doing (if I can) and I'll be right there. I have no problems compensating for something we can try to fix. However, we can't catch every problem no matter how hard we try. If I hear a complaint during a movie and it doesn't get fixed, I'm more likely to comp a movie than if you come out afterwards to complain. That's not saying I won't, but it really depends on the situation at that point. It's hard to tell if someone is trying to scam you by getting a free movie unless a complaint has already been made.
I do like the idea of being able to rank theatres and seeing which ones have the best customer service. I'd also like to ask this: What do you generally think of the staff at the theatres you visit (if you still do)? Are they pushy, or are they polite and courteous?
I could go on for so much longer about this, especially with some of the experiences I have had, but I'll spare you the details for now. Just know that there are those theatre employees out there who know what the consumer has to go through sometimes, and we DO try hard to make things work!
I just recently found this article on the Consumerist. It's really interesting to me because this is what I deal with every single day I'm at the movie theatre. As I've written before, we know that customer service is what theatres NEED to excel at in order to keep the guests coming back. I know that there are things that annoy me about the job.. such as requirements on greetings, percentages that need to be met with loyalty clubs, etc. I'm a firm believer in that as long as the guest leaves happy they will come back. Its the pushy attitude that some theatre companies take that I didn't like, and I'm particularly glad the company I work for right now is not like that.
t and tells us about it. One thing we can't anticipate (to an extent) is how people will behave in a movie. There are some people who are just jerks and don't care that there could be hundreds of other people trying to enjoy a film while they are talking up a storm on their cell phone. If something gets reported to me, you can bet that I'll be in there as quickly as possible dealing with it. If a guest asks for a manager, I drop whatever I'm doing (if I can) and I'll be right there. I have no problems compensating for something we can try to fix. However, we can't catch every problem no matter how hard we try. If I hear a complaint during a movie and it doesn't get fixed, I'm more likely to comp a movie than if you come out afterwards to complain. That's not saying I won't, but it really depends on the situation at that point. It's hard to tell if someone is trying to scam you by getting a free movie unless a complaint has already been made.
