DM Meeting @ 2011-02-23 17:55:00
DM Meeting, 5.55pm, Wednesday 23rd February 2011
Location: ‘The Bar’, Rootes Social Building
Present: Robert Gardner, Fergus Cooper, George Marshall, Edward McCutcheon, James McLachlan & Liam McNamara.
In attendance: Harry Austin (Trainee DM).
Apologies for absence: Mike Joy, Veronika Lipinska, Owen Rye & Natalie Tyldesley.
Apologies for lateness: Harry Austin, Fergus Cooper, Edward McCutcheon & Liam McNamara.
Absent: Rachel Crofts
1. Welcome and Apologies
Rob welcomed all those present to the seventh DM Meeting of Spring Term 2011.
2. Rotas
The 9:30pm screening of London Boulevard on Sunday Week 8 still requires a qualified DM.
3. Matters arising from the DM Meeting Minutes of 16th February 2011
* Ed has updated the ‘In-show checklist’ and emailed this around all DMs.
* Rob noted that the checklist has already proven useful at a show in the last week.
* James is going to print a WSC camp-bed.
4. Qualifications
Harry’s qualification will take place at the Thursday Week 7 screening of ‘The Girl who Played with Fire’. All those present at the meeting should be able to attend the qualification, with several arriving from 6pm. Harry to arrive from 6.45pm.
Time issues at DM qualifications. Following on from the most recent qualification, it has been raised that DM qualifications can have a large impact upon the audience at the film.
* It was noted that the audience saw barely any of the adverts at that screening.
* It was also noted that the audience were still in comfortably before the start of the film.
* There are on average about two (full) DM qualifications per term.
* The pressure of time constraints was unanimously deemed to be a key component of DM Training.
* The time at which DMs cut in at a qualification was agreed to be fluid, dependent upon the length of the queue.
* With regards to the most recent qualification, Rob asked all those present how they thought the committee had, on reflection, handled the time constraints at the qualification.
* Votes for DMs should have helped: Sooner: 1; When they did: 5; Later: 0.
5. DM Training Scheme
Following the recent qualification, the suggestion was made that the Trainee DMs are shown a few more of the things that could go wrong, in advance of their qualification.
The Committee agreed in principle, though it is still suitable to introduce trainees to unseen scenarios at their qualification.
* It was agreed that it is suitable for each trainee to have a brief (~20mins) training session on things that can go wrong with the tills – this can easily be done in the exec office during a screening that a Trainee DM is not watching. This should take place after a trainee has done at least five shows, but preferably before they have done ten.
* Trainee DMs are encouraged to continue to sign up for shows as Stewards, as this will further aid their understanding of the tills.
* Trainee DMs are also encourage to be inquisitive at all times. Your qualified DM should be happy to answer any appropriate questions!
6. The AllNighter
All those present at the meeting will be staffing the AllNighter.
The following DMs will be on the balcony during the designated films on Friday:
1. TRON: Legacy (Rob, Ed)
2. Despicable Me (Owen, James)
3. RED (Liam, George)
4. The Mystery (James, George)
5. Wayne’s World (Rob)
6. Trainspotting (Fergus)
Other qualified DMs are welcome to staff the screening and to commit to the balcony for any of the above films - we can happily have up to four DMs on the balcony at any one time!
* All those present were also encouraged to sign up to man the stall via the rotas tab of the website.
* On Friday evening, there will be a trip to Varsity – meet at L3 at 5pm.
* After returning to L3 (~6.30pm), we shall look to sell tickets from 7pm onwards.
7. Crew/Crew Guest Ticket Use
Each Crew-Member gets two free tickets per standard screening - one for themself and one for a guest. These tickets are non-transferable. Please can all DMs remind Stewards of this - ie: Stewards are only entitled to get one guest in to a screening, not two!!!
8. AOB
i) Fergus announced that there will be a social on Monday of Week 8 in L3: Pizza order and a DVD - people to turn up with DVDs on the night and then people will vote on what to watch on the big screen.
ii) Fergus announced that there will be a social on Friday of Week 10 in L3: The "Sick As" AllNighter, featuring disturbing viewing from sunset to sunrise.
iii) All the films are here for the AllNighter. In Ed's words: "Owen has resigned".
The meeting was adjourned at 6.40pm.