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This topic comprises 7 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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Author
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Topic: Women relly projectionist?
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Charles Greenlee
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 801
From: Savannah, Ga, U.S.
Registered: Jun 2006
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posted 10-10-2006 12:31 AM
Yeah, I find that my ligher physique add many challenges to the physical aspect of the job. Pearl Harbor, to name one of my struggles, amongst several movies approaching 3 hrs and longer. I came in one day, and the thurs. night projectionist didn't move the prints to their new screens. So I had to, not normally a problem, I moved like 5 prints that day, all part of the job. Well I forgot to mentioned I could get no one to help. I have moved my share of prints by my lonsome, thanks to the clamps, but for safety and to make it easier, I usually enlist help. Like I said, could find no one (willing) to help me, not even a door person. 3 frakking 3 hour prints, each weight, I don't know, ALOT. Not to mention the odd handling angles and maneuvers required. I even had one of the managers walk up to me while carrying the print, oviously struggling, doing the little stagger walk bit. He laughs and goes "That looks heavy" and watches for enough time for him to have helped. I swear, if I had a safe (for the print) way of dropping it, and beating his head in with a ring or something. Sling the damn movie at him, let him see just how heavy it is. But I had alot to do that day, and not much time, and no one was going to help. Lets help with the visual. I'm 6'1", and 130lbs on a good day, not by choice, just can't put on weight. I'd do good to wrestle a 5 year old. And movie 3 hour movies by myself.
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Frank Angel
Film God
Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 10-10-2006 06:20 AM
My very first full-time job in Texas in an 800 seat theatre, The College Theatre on the outskirts of Texas A&M U. The chief projectionist there was a women, Peggy, and she was great. She was an old gal (at least to me), maybe in her 40s who evidently had already been working here for many years -- this goes way back to the late 60s. So yes, women have been in booths for decades. And like most have said, she was meticulous and very conscientious, and had strict rules about cleaning the machines, the floor....everything. She taught me quite a bit. You let any of it slide and she would let you know in no uncertain terms that you were skating on thin ice. You didn't want to get Peggy pissed! I really loved the ole girl. She would often bring me sandwiches and home baked pie when I had the early shift and she came in to relieve me. It was one of the best jobs I ever had.
A few years after I left and got work in big time New York city, I went back to visit -- had to work on divorce papers (job was great....other stuff, not so much) -- and I went back to see the place. Peggy was no longer working there, but all the other people were and my old boss wanted to take me out to dinner, but I begged him to give the projectionist the night off and let me be the "guest projectionist" for the two last shows, which he did, and brought up a whole tray of texmex food and we ate it in the booth, for which Peggy would have scolded us roundly.
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Richard Hamilton
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1341
From: Evansville, Indiana
Registered: Jan 2000
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posted 10-10-2006 07:58 AM
At the Movie Wonderland in Changchun China, they have 3 attractions which have 8/70 projectors. All 3 booths are run by girls. The techs are guys. The only English words the girls know are "Hi Rick", so training them was fun! They are the best run booths I've seen. In the 3D booth, there are typically 6 workers. 1 at each projector, 1 at each platter, 1 at the sound racks, and 1 overseeing everything. When the film starts, a girl sits in a chair by each platter the entire show, and the other girls just keep an eye on the booth and equipment.
These are the cleanest and best run booths I have seen. I only know of 1 other large format theater that has a girl operator. As far as commercial theaters, I've been in many booths that have girl projectionists.
Rick
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Charles Greenlee
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 801
From: Savannah, Ga, U.S.
Registered: Jun 2006
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posted 10-10-2006 10:27 AM
We have Beth. She's an old salt, kind of personality. I'l still learning to read her, because she comes acros a crass and crabby. But so far so good. She's been with Regal, or one of it's component companies, as a projectionist for something like 35 years. Tough the booth pretty much defaults to me, she has senoirity. And on the rare occasion she speaks up, people listen. I'd like to get a more talkative relatioship with her, because I think we're similar in the booth. She just has 30+ years on me, which would do good for me to pick up some ideas.
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Bob Koch
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 183
From: williams ca
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 10-10-2006 05:05 PM
Of course this from the prehistoric dark ages but 56 years ago Wyoming was my territory{RCA} and I had two women in the projection rooms.In a little coal mining town called Superior, there was a woman "operator". I had`nt seen her and as I serviced the equipment in the afternoon; all junk; reg Simplex with single bearing intermittents, Peerless Low arc lamps, and other assorted crap. I couldnt help but notice how clean all this junk was kept. I was in the booth writing my report when she showed up for work. A pretty woman dressed like she`d just come out of the kitchen at home; apron and all, and a very cute little boy about five. I watched her
get the show ready and put the feature on the screen, all quite competently, when all of a sudden she did the damndest thing, with picture on the screen, she decided to clean the front surface of the lens by giving it a quick wipe with
the corner of her apron.
The other woman was in Rock Springs and was the widow of the business agent,[Rock Springs was union then]who had been a good Projectionist, a great mechanic but had a devotion to the"sauce"that took him early. He had evidently taught Jenny how to work in the projecrtion room. As they had two small children the other "brothers" decided to keep her employed so she could suppoprt them. She did reasonably well in the booth, but damn near got killed in a film fire in the old Grand Theatre. Last film fire I cleaned up after. WE universal base etc.Hell of a job.
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We used to correct people when they would refer to the projectionist as "he" or "him". That was back when we only had women running the films.![[Wink]](wink.gif)
I think it just depends on the person.
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