I Need A Drink

I am aware that 7:30 AM is too early to start drinking, however I don’t quite feel like orange juice is going to do the trick right now. Quick list of tips for people placing their orders online – sorry I won’t get this done in time to help people with an 8:00 AM slot, may the odds be ever in your favour.

I recommend a PC with a modern version of Internet Explorer. The people at the box office use PCs and it just seemed safer – I have doubts about the amount of Mac+Safari or Chrome regression testing.

First – if you have time organize your picks by alphabetical order with the date, time, location and number of tickets (ideally in a spreadsheet with columns).

Create a second spreadsheet with the picks organized chronologically.

You can select your films by title, which will involve you selecting the letter of the alphabet the English name of the film starts with in the schedule/programme book. If the film starts with ‘The’ put that after the rest of the title in your spreadsheet so when you alpha sort it is in the correct order. Example ‘Thieves, The’.

When you select the title of your film, you will get a new page where all showings available for your package are listed. Select the correct showing.

Then you get to select the quantity and add to cart.

Lather, rinse and repeat.

You can also select your films by date. You click the date on the calendar, and then scroll through a page listing the films showing on that day. Select the film, and then your quantity.

A couple of minutes before your start time get your email, package ID and password entered in the form.

Copy the package ID to your clipboard as you will need to enter it again at the end of the process before you submit your order.

If you are expecting a call or have a text-y friend turn your phone off – you will not want to be interrupted.

Wait and hit login when your time window starts. You will not be able to login until your time window.

Calm the f**k down. Breathe.

Try not to look at the countdown. It will drive you insane.

Do not click checkout until you are finished. Just keep going back to select films.

You will need to select your picks one at a time. You can go either by date or by film title.

If you select a film and it doesn’t appear to be off sale but you don’t have the ability to select any quantity from the drop down, try again by selecting the film by the other method (title  or date). Or go back to that film at the end of your order and try it again.

If you wait too long on the page where you are supposed to select quantity the browser may refresh – just verify if your tickets were added to your cart.

Relax – it is unlikely you will run out of time.

Overall it was stressful, but that is more because it was a change to the process, not because the site had many problems. There were a few moments when I swear I could actually feel the load on the site getting heavier – and the response time got a little sluggish. About halfway through my order entry I got a crazy refresh that make it look like I needed to login again – I just clicked ‘Select Films’ at the top and it sent me back to the cart view. I may have soiled myself slightly, but except for that little blip it was ok. Even if I had to start over again I probably would have had enough time.

If you have ever had a job that involved data entry or were a cashier you will be thankful for your ability to zen out and click your way through the process.

Best of luck to everyone and happy festival.