Short answer
Build backward from the feature
Fix the promised feature time first. Add a short walk-in phase, at most one attention-building block and one final cue, then rehearse the complete chain on the real client.
- Baseline
- Thirty minutes from doors open to feature is a useful first draft, not a required length.
- Caveat
- File duration alone does not include client startup, display switching or an audio handshake.
Lock the feature time before choosing content
A pre-show becomes manageable when one cue cannot move: the feature starts at the time you announced. Write that time at the bottom of the sheet. Everything else either fits before it or comes out.
This order matters because content is easy to collect and hard to remove. A host finds a bumper, a trailer and a trivia pack, then tries to make the clock accommodate them. Work in the opposite direction. Decide how long the room can be open before the movie and reserve a small buffer for transitions. Only then choose files.
Give each block one job
Name the behavior you want from the room. Walk-in music makes arrival less abrupt and can continue under conversation. Trivia can create shared attention, but only if guests want to play. Trailers mark a move toward the feature. A countdown or short bumper says that conversation is ending now.
Two blocks with the same job are usually competing for time. If trailers already gather attention, a long branded intro may add no useful information. If a one-minute countdown is clear, several separate feature-presentation bumpers can make the final minute feel slower rather than more special.
| Block | Job | Keep it when | Cut it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walk-in music | Support arrival | Guests enter over a wide window | Everyone is already seated |
| Trivia or slides | Create shared focus | The group wants to take part | Conversation is the better activity |
| Trailers | Shift toward the feature | They fit the audience and clock | They delay the promised start |
| Countdown | Mark the final transition | The room needs one clear cue | The feature can start cleanly on its own |
Build backward from showtime
Measure each file and enter the duration in thepre-show run-sheet builder. The tool subtracts the active segments from feature time and gives every cue a start. Treat its default values as an editable example.
A first draft might reserve twenty minutes for walk-in music, five for trivia, four for trailers and one for a countdown. If doors open thirty minutes before the feature, that fills the window exactly and leaves no tolerance. Shorten a block or open the room earlier if your playback chain needs breathing space.
Use real durations. A playlist labelled “twenty minutes” may contain crossfades. A trailer file may be followed by a black frame while the player changes refresh rate. The number on the run sheet should represent what the room experiences, not only the media metadata.
Rehearse transitions on the actual path
Run the sequence from the device and app you will use. Watch the display during every format change and listen through the final audio route. Check whether volume jumps, subtitles appear, the remote can stop a mistaken file and the feature begins at its intended chapter rather than resuming from an old position.
A rehearsal is not a review of picture quality. It is a timing test. Note the first cue, the actual feature start and any pause that surprised you. Change one variable and run it again. When the result repeats, print the sheet or copy it as text.
Prepare a cut plan for late arrivals
Decide what disappears first before guests arrive. Trivia and a trailer are easier to remove than a shortened countdown whose end no longer matches the feature. Keep low-attention walk-in audio running while the room settles, then jump to the final cue at its scheduled time.
Do not move the feature simply because every prepared file has not played. The successful pre-show is the one that makes the announced start feel deliberate.