What can Movie World do to reduce the strain?

[MaxxTheMonster]

52 minutes ago, AlexB said:

Thanks Wyn!

So according to nearmap, that extension is about 8.5m long - going by Wyn's suggestion.

The old 'western' (southern) stand was about 18m long - but it was only five rows of seating - HWSD arena has about 14 rows of seating - so an extra 8.5m definitely makes up for the loss of the Western (southern) stand.

So according to average measurements...  Shoulder width is approx 45cm (1'6")...  Allow for some personal space and call it 60cm...

 

Old stand:  1850cm x 5 rows =  9250cm / 60cm = 154 people (rounded)

New stand:  850cm x 14 rows = 11900cm / 60cm = 198 people (rounded)

They can fit an extra 44 people...

 

However...

Minus the seating for control booth and the VIP section (approx half of 5 rows) and they probably break about even!!!

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Pretty sure they still had some sort of FOH for PASS, even if it weren't as large as what is there now, and the VIP section is still seating for guests, so you can't really subtract that - it's extra revenue too... Also - the VIP area wasn't designed into the new arena, it was an afterthought - so they did add extra seating when the arena was built, which they've now divvied up for premium seats.

I think you're being generous with the 60cm measure though, as kids won't take up that much room (probably fit 2 in there) and ushers generally squash people right up beside each other.

Here's the Revue Stand:

(@Richard - worth noting this came from Parkz, but there is no watermark)

And i've just stumbled across Mad Mike's website, and i stand corrected - PASS did not have a FOH in the stands (of any description). You can see some more photos of PASS on his site - http://michaelbennett.com.au/PageView.asp?PageID=1

And I did not know he worked AVPX now? Such a shame VRTP let him go.

[Richard]

Mike won the biggest award in the theme park industry... and was an incredible entertainer. Why Movie World didn't bend over backwards to find the guy a new role in the park after the end of Police Academy Stunt Show is just insane. I believe there were redundancies involved when Police Academy ended so it may well have been a financial decision, but the fact that he went over to Dreamworld suggests he definitely had an interest in staying in the industry.

The FOH was in the 'Blue Oyster' building at the far right of the set: http://www.parkz.com.au/photo/2436-The_Set.html. I would hazard a guess that this spot gave them better visuals for the various cues in the show.

@AlexB, we only watermark the larger versions of the photos. That one can be seen here.

[webslave]

Correct, ala the fake-arm-soda-can gag window.

[MaxxTheMonster]

Regarding Mike...

He was a stunt man first at the park but then moved to the entertaining pre show role.  I know there were reasons behind this move (which for his privacy I wont disclose) but he was no longer in a position to perform as a stunt person.

He did indeed move to Dreamworld with the AVPX along with a few other ex MW performers in various roles.  He has also continued to do his stand up comedy.

He now is one half of "The Dream Guards" which does public and private performances " To Excite Children by delivering a High Energy Interactive Stage Show nourishing a Child's Passion & Self Belief".

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

1 hour ago, webslave said:

Correct, ala the fake-arm-soda-can gag window.

I saw the show many times, but this particular gag doesn't ring a bell... more detail?

[MaxxTheMonster]

Mike waved at the booth and they put a fake arm out waving back.  The window was then slammed and the arm dropped as if they had cut someones arm off.

[Richard]

As for how much seating was added when Hollywood Stunt Driver replaced it: http://www.parkz.com.au/photo/2896-Hollywood_Stunt_Driver_cars.html

 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

the photo seems to suggest two sections were added, but the back wall confirms it was only one.

The length of that one segment is as per my previous measurement of approximately 8 metres. the 14 row count is accurate.

Further - it doesn't look like the 'new segment' had another set of stairs added - so the additional 8 metres was all seating whereas the original 18 metres of the revue stand had an aisle down the middle a good 1.5 metres across, so closer to 16.5m of seating for 4 rows and 18m of seating for the 5th row... so the number of seats increased by a lot more than stated above...

[Slick]

Just to get back on topic, here are some things i've noticed that would be great short term solutions to get the most of their existing attractions. Let's first start off by saying, getting that extra 10% is primarily all about understanding people psychologically when they're queueing and giving guests appropriate visual queues where you can to guide them.

1. As @Richard has mentioned, being able to see the loading procedures is key to people not being so blind while loading. In the case of Superman, it'd be great for them to remove the semi-see through grates they have separating the queue from the station and replace them with acrylic. While you're at it, i'm sure replacing the doors with a sliding mechanism instead of what they have currently will mean the park is able to let people load without any worry of people pushing in the doors while trains are in motion. Boom, you've just gained precious minutes because people can see what's about to happen and having them ready at the gate as soon as humanly possible.
2. Put feet stickers down on the ground for rides that don't have them already. This is particularly the case for Superman & Arkham. In those moments before boarding people are anxious and are looking for ways to prepare and ready themselves. This is when you have a visual cue like feet stickers on the ground so people can group themselves and have a better idea of where to go. That means when the gates open, there's not an awkward few second shuffle while people realise what the deal is. This more the case for Superman and less with Arkham, but with Arkham's current loading procedure it still helps for international tourists to understand what's going on. Even an arrow system and some deeper queue gates would be a plus.
3. Open up the air gates while the previous group is still exiting. This applies for Arkham & Green Lantern. Trust me, no one's going to keep sitting down, especially when there's stickers on the ground and people know which seat they're about to take. Perhaps offer them a few moments to stand up and start moving, and from there let the next group enter - I can understand all these hypothetical "what if someone tries to stay on or the loose article bins are a mess" - these are minor hypotheticals that ride-ops should be trained to deal with and not relying on staff in this way costs substantial time between loads for the weakest link (or in this case, the slowest guest) to get their act together and leave.
4. Do a classy loading guide video for every ride and put it on a few screens. Even if it's an open queue like Green Lantern every little bit helps, and it's something Universal & Disney in particular do well. Keep it clear and clean and entertaining. Superman's is a good start but it needs a lot more to make it bearable (like fake Metropolis ads between bits and an updated video that doesn't get on the nerves too much).

There's a start. Thoughts?

[joz]

^ Agree with all of that.  The only thing I would say though is superman isn't well suited to having an open station as it does kind of ruin the 'story' seeing the superman on the back.  

 

But yeah, basically the things you talk about are certainly the 'Low hanging fruit' that the park should be picking.  

 

Also so from my experience as an op, the hypothetical of a guest staying for an extra lap or problems arising with loose articles simply doesn't happen.  Open the gates the second harnesses are open.  You could probably even wait a few seconds of it helps you sleep at night but I never had a problem with it.

[Zanstabar]

14 minutes ago, Slick said:

Do a classy loading guide video for every ride and put it on a few screens. Even if it's an open queue like Green Lantern every little bit helps, and it's something Universal & Disney in particular do well. Keep it clear and clean and entertaining. Superman's is a good start but it needs a lot more to make it bearable (like fake Metropolis ads between bits and an updated video that doesn't get on the nerves too much)

Anything to get "HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE MRT; METROPOLIS RAPID TRANSIT" out of my head would be beneficial. 

Also, do many guests actually listen to the video though? Superman Escape constantly asks guests to hold onto the metal handles provided and not the restraint, yet I constantly see a lot of guests grabbing onto the restraint. Would updating the video actually help in terms of operations?

[Slick]

1 minute ago, joz said:

^ Agree with all of that.  The only thing I would say though is superman isn't well suited to having an open station as it does kind of ruin the 'story' seeing the superman on the back.  

You're right, and I did think of this too - I guess it comes down to where the park wants to draw the line in terms of what's appropriate for their brand image. My thoughts are that given the age of the ride now, it's probably not too big of a deal to let the back rows peer in and see Superman before the curtains close and hide him again. I think, much like the exiting thing, it's something that's far too overthought in its execution (everyone knows he's there anyway because he's clearly visible outside and especially visible when people hit the brake run).

1 minute ago, Zanstabar said:

Anything to get "HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE MRT; METROPOLIS RAPID TRANSIT" out of my head would be beneficial. 

Also, do many guests actually listen to the video though? Superman Escape constantly asks guests to hold onto the metal handles provided and not the restraint, yet I constantly see a lot of guests grabbing onto the restraint. Would updating the video actually help in terms of operations?

Ditto this. From a film-maker's perspective the screens are super under-utilised, and i'd go so far as to say most larger theme parks under-utlise their screens too because of budgets and other departments getting their hands into the mix. If Movie World's executive team were reading this, here's what I'd do to make the most of those screens:

1) Craft a 60 second loading procedure video filled with little details and easter eggs with an exciting cut that makes people keen to watch it multiple times while waiting.

2) To pad the loading clips out, i'd continue to use the screens like they are (schedule boards) and add on to the idea - add faux-flipping letter effects, make the screens go statticky every so often (because of that earthquake) and even add little easter eggs while the letters flip and when the screens show static.

3) Craft shorter loading procedure clips with multi-language support. You could play on this and even change MRT's artwork to the style of each nationality being spoken. Huge amount of play there for sure that I can't think of right now.

4) Place faux-ads for things in the DC universe like the Daily Planet Newspaper etc.

[rappa]

It's no accident that every single Disney E-Ticket has the station setup so that you see several groups board prior to your turn...

As for Superman, you can see through the doors now so the gag is already ruined, may as well make them completed see through.

[aaronm]

^The Aussie parks do seem to love hiding the loading area. Superman, Buzzsaw, HWSW spring to mind. ToT is even behind two sets of doors!

Even on Disney rides where you don't see the loading area such as Soarin' and Star Tours, the videos prior to boarding do a great job of demonstrating the procedure (even if it is just a seatbelt).

[Original]

If you really wanted to hide Superman, how difficult is it to use the technology where you can have plain glass, but can also instantly frost itself? 

Although I see all sorts of problems with that and it getting dirty. 

[AllegroCrab]

6 hours ago, Original said:

If you really wanted to hide Superman, how difficult is it to use the technology where you can have plain glass, but can also instantly frost itself? 

Most people would never have seen those windows before, it'd certainly be a nice distraction to keep everyone interested while waiting in the queue, even if the novelty wears off after a few times.

12 hours ago, Slick said:

make the screens go statticky every so often (because of that earthquake)

Always thought the earthquake effects should move into the queue line. Rumbling noises, flickering lights and statticky screens would fit perfectly just as the train leaves the station.

Edited January 15, 2016 by AllegroCrab

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

On 1/15/2016 at 15:36, Zanstabar said:

Anything to get "HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE MRT; METROPOLIS RAPID TRANSIT" out of my head would be beneficial. 

Also, do many guests actually listen to the video though? Superman Escape constantly asks guests to hold onto the metal handles provided and not the restraint, yet I constantly see a lot of guests grabbing onto the restraint. Would updating the video actually help in terms of operations?

I listen to every word, every time. I know it by rote and stand in the queue mouthing the words every time.

As for holding handles and not restraint, i think that detail is lost because the video has droned on for some time by then. The video could do with a rework, but the station doors could be re-worked too.

As for hiding superman - why not car wash 'brushes' instead of rigid plastic curtains? the brushes will move out of the way of the train, but hide everything behind it, which means they're always in position, so there is no need to wait for them to open \ close - sort of like this:

[Reanimated35]

^ Which is great until they either get on in years or get caught on the train and ripped off. Then the ride closes for god knows how long while they remove and reset the ride. 

My idea that would never happen but would look cool anyway - hiding it with a water curtain with a superman logo projected onto it. The water curtain would turn off just before the train drove through. 

Something like this one in Sydney:

[webslave]

Or, just thinking about it, we could just not worry about it and assume that people are more interested in riding the damn thing than they are in whether a relatively insignificant level of detail exists in a place that has absolutely no bearing on the ride experience...

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I was thinking the brushes could be cut to (roughly) fit perfectly around the train, so the only thing that would actually contact them would be the up-raised harneses.

Given the superman fixture is the bit we're trying to hide, and it is attached to the train, that would mean your water curtain needs to fall on the train in order to be effective:

[Reanimated35]

Oh right you're meaning when the car is in the station waiting to be loaded so you can't see superman at the back. 

Sorry I thought you mean to replace the exit doors entirely (which you do) but I forgot superman stuck through to the exit platform when it was loading. My bad sorry.

[rappa]

Think you've all missed Joz's point. 

He means if the doors are transparent you will see superman After the train dispatches and rolls past the doors. 

[Slick]

Hmm... Electric Glass like Skyway's floor?

[Reanimated35]

47 minutes ago, djrappa said:

Think you've all missed Joz's point. 

He means if the doors are transparent you will see superman After the train dispatches and rolls past the doors. 

Right, we're talking about the loading doors then. Well. How about we blindfold everyone in the queue?