pilgrim@dec-thrint.UUCP (08/30/84)
> The closest I come to violent behavior is when I see a commercial starting >in a movie theater. This is just unacceptable behavior... >I agree completely though that ads shown before the movie are not >acceptable. Aw...c'mon you guys... In England commercials are an integral part of the show. They allow time for latecomers and for people to settle down (get their coats off, open their crunchy packets of sweets etc.) and generally get into the 'atmosphere' of a film show. The commercials are usually split into two batches; the nationals and the locals. The locals are usually dreadful and often consist of a series of standard stills (i've seen the same set of stills all around the country with the last still customised to show the local address) and a voice over (almost always with a BBC accent) that almost always mis-pronounces the local address of the firm advertising. These ads are so bad they usually raise a chuckle or two from the audience. The nationals are in a different league. They usually consist of the most 'artistic' of the television commercials and are often in their full form (in the same way that an album version is often different to the single version of the same song). Sometimes the cinema version appears to be a trial run before committing to the expense of booking time on national television. Most of these commercials benefit tremendously from the facilities that only a cinema can offer (well you can't really expect much from a 26" screen and mono sound!). The latest British Airways commercials are a case in point. Much as I hate to say it, perhaps the masters of this form of advertising are the tobacco companies. Their commercials look as if a lot of time and money has been spent on them. They are generally extremely good. (This may be due, in part, to the fact that cigarette advertising is banned from British television.) Alcohol importers/manufacturers also tend to do good commercials. I guess that what I'm trying to say is don't be too hard on those cinemas that show commercials. They both serve a useful purpose and they often have artistic merit. cheers alf ...decwrl::dec-rhea::dec-thrint::pilgrim Thu 30-Aug-1984 10:48 GMT
hutch@shark.UUCP (08/31/84)
< and now for a preview of coming bugkiller lines ... > | In England commercials are an integral part of the show. They allow | time for latecomers and for people to settle down (get their coats off, | open their crunchy packets of sweets etc.) and generally get into the | 'atmosphere' of a film show. | | alf ...decwrl::dec-rhea::dec-thrint::pilgrim They have these here in America, too. They're called "Coming Attractions." The ONLY commercials I tolerate before movies are commercials for new films, and the little blurbs describing what's showing at the other cinemas in a chain. Oh, and the announcement that the operator is a member of the projectionists union. Anything else is worth booing, and sometimes worth leaving over (WITH a refund!) Hutch (grumble grumble)
engels@ihuxo.UUCP (SME) (09/04/84)
There have been a few specials on here in the US about foreign commercials. They included Japanese, French and ,I think, British commercials. They were very entertaining-in one case they did a half hour show on them. Commercials in the US are usually tasteless and stupid. This includes the commercials in theaters. Besides, previews of upcoming movies and the film clip of a local DJ(larry lujack, in chicago) asking you to be polite and not smoke in the theater take care of the latecomers and settling the crowd. Commercials are not needed. Some places even throw a cartoon in at the beginning.
hawk@oliven.UUCP (09/06/84)
Allright, how do I get a refund when they start showing commercials? Specificly, I am thinking of the Oakridge 6 (AMC). I don't think that there is usually anyone on the premises making more than $3.50, let alone someone who can authorize a refund. -- rick (Rick Hawkins @ Olivetti ATC) [hplabs|zehntel|fortune|ios|tolerant|allegra|tymix]!oliveb!oliven!hawk
otken@ut-ngp.UUCP (09/07/84)
[] Silly Englishman! I clear my throat in your direction... The one and only movie I saw in London (SuperDuperMan II) had thirty minutes of mostly bad commercials before the film started. And I wondered why most people arrived late to the flick. WHO WOULD WANT TO ARRIVE EARLY AND PAY SIX BUCKS TO SEE A BUNCH OF COMMERCIALS? BTW, I feel that a continued policy of showing XX minutes of commercials before a movie will mean that many more people waiting to rent the video tape at a LOWER cost.
pilgrim@thrint.DEC (Alf Pilgrim, IOSG, REO G5-6, x3451) (09/11/84)
>Silly Englishman! I clear my throat in your direction... >The one and only movie I saw in London (SuperDuperMan II) had >thirty minutes of mostly bad commercials before the film started. >And I wondered why most people arrived late to the flick. WHO >WOULD WANT TO ARRIVE EARLY AND PAY SIX BUCKS TO SEE A BUNCH OF >COMMERCIALS? You base your conclusion on the evidence of ONE visit to ONE cinema in London (not that well known tourist rip-off Leicester Square by any chance? Six bucks? They saw you coming!) and then call ME silly? >BTW, I feel that a continued policy of showing XX minutes of >commercials before a movie will mean that many more people >waiting to rent the video tape at a LOWER cost. Personally, I still don't see what all the fuss is about. A few minutes of commercials (normal in the UK as I said before) is a small price to pay for the undoubted benefits of watching the film at a cinema. If they really offend your sensitivities that much you could always either turn up late (and perhaps not get a seat) or shut your eyes and stick your fingers in your ears! cheers alf ...!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-thrint!pilgrim Tue 11-Sep-1984 09:36 GMT