> > Movie theaters may ask to jam cell phones Wed Mar 15, 9:35 AM ET
> From: Bert Hyman <b...@iphouse.com>
> Wouldn't it be a lot simpler to just start throwing people out?
That requires staff able to quickly locate the person making the
noise and verify the noise. I have an idea: Issue cheap penlight
flashlights, available in quantity cheaper than $1 each, to
everyone as they enter the theater, with instructions to shine
their light on anyone disturbing them and not stop shining light
until the person either stops making noise or gets up to leave.
Give a $1 refund at end of movie when penlight is returned.
If somebody bothers only a few people, just a few penlights will be
on, whereas any major noise will have hundreds of penlights shining
from all distances in the general direction plus the several local
penlights. In any case, the usher should be able to *see* the
problem, call for backup, and go start apprehending the
noise-maker, unless it was just a mometary lapse of judgement in
which case the embarrassed brief-noisemaker will shut up the rest
of the movie.
To make it convenient for cell-phone users to go to lobby to make
urgent calls, such as checking status of baby sitter, the lobby
should have a small screen showing the same movie, with earpiece
for sound, so the person won't have to miss part of the movie just
to be polite about the cell-phone call, and won't have to yell loud
to override sounde of movie leaking into phone.
One-time investment less than a thousand dollars for penlights and
extra small screen etc., maybe worth it?
And of course the idea somebody else suggested, with a little
extra: At start of pre-movie promos, announce 3 minutes (or
whatever time the promos will take) before movie starts, last
chance to use your cell-phone or text-message system or anything
else that shines a light or makes a noise, before movie starts.
Then countdown to movie at bottom of screen, just like cable-TV
channels do. Then final full-screen announcement MOVIE WILL START
IN [TEN] SECONDS, TURN OFF YOUR CELLPHONES, OR SET TO VIBRATE-ONLY,
NOW!! With the word [TEN] doing a final countdown.
Linear Mode
