Movie Format to Screen matching

The system's Movie Format to Screen matching feature checks the attributes applied to movie format records and, whenever possible, pairs movies of the appropriate format with corresponding screens.

For example, when you create sessions or film bookings for a film that is available in more than one movie format, Showtime Manager and Film Programming automatically determine which format to use. If multiple formats are compatible with the screen, the system prompts you to select one. If no format is compatible with the screen, an error message appears.

There are four steps to setting up the matching feature:

1. Create attributes that you'll assign to both movie formats and screens.
   

   Note: When you create attributes solely for matching purposes, clear the Inherit to Session check box to avoid having unnecessary or conflicting information appear for the  session. For example, consider a screen with multiple projectors, both 35mm and 3D. When a 3D film is scheduled on the screen, the 3D attribute appears for session because movie format attributes are always copied to the session. If the 35mm attribute is assigned to the screen and the Inherit to Session check box is selected, the session will also include the 35mm attribute.

2. Create move formats and assign the appropriate attributes.
3. Create screens and assign the appropriate attributes.
4. Assign the appropriate movie format to each film.

You decide how strictly the system matches formats and screens. In the Movie Format/Screen Matching field of an Attribute record, select one of the following options:

• None. When the attribute is assigned to a movie format, a film in that format can be scheduled  on any screen, regardless of whether the screen has the attribute.
• Warning. When the attribute is assigned to a movie format, a warning appears when you attempt to schedule a film in that format on a screen that doesn't have the attribute. You have the option to continue scheduling even though there isn't a match.
• Enforced. When the attribute is assigned to a movie format, films in that format can't be scheduled on screens that don't have the attribute.
  

  Important! Consider very carefully before you update an existing attribute to the Enforced level. When an attribute is assigned to a movie format and you change the attribute level to Enforced, the movie format to screen matching process can result in a large number of existing sessions becoming invalid, which can mean a significant amount of work for anyone who needs to correct scheduling issues.

Important! The option you choose determines whether the attribute is automatically applied to a booking. In Film Programming, at stages of the process where bookings are made without a screen, an attribute configured with the Enforced option will never be applied to the booking, regardless of whether you've selected the Inherit to Session check box.

Typically, you'll use the Warning and Enforced options for attributes related to projection capabilities, such as 35mm, 3D, or IMAX. Use None for non-technical attributes, such as Subtitled, Gold Class, or Mum & Baby.

Keep in  mind that matching can help you avoid scheduling mistakes, but it can't necessarily optimize your scheduling. An attribute with a matching level of None will never interrupt the scheduling workflow, even when an alternative movie format has an attribute that makes it an exact match to the screen. For example, if you set up a 3D attribute with the None option, you'll be able to schedule movie formats with the 3D attribute on any screen, not just on screens with the 3D attribute.

Also, be aware that the matching process operates in one direction, checking the movie format attributes against the screen attributes. There is no check that goes the other way around. For example, if you set up a 35mm attribute with the Enforced option, you'll still be able to schedule movie formats without the 35mm attribute on the screen with the 35mm attribute.

See also:

• Attributes
• Attribute types