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This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
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Author
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Topic: I want to be a projectionist
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Ted Uzzle
Film Handler
Posts: 19
From: Chicago, Il., U.S.A.
Registered: Oct 2015
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posted 04-21-2016 12:27 AM
Paul Dorobialski, we are almost identical twins. Take courage, my friend. My first projection job was in 1965, projecting "Cleopatra" at the Midway Drive-In Theatre, midway between Jacksonville, Florida, and Jacksonville Beach. Two totally crappy towns, useful only for making money. Our rectifier had fleur-de-lis tubes. To activate the rectifiers, we had to freeze the carbons together, rotate the tubes, and slosh the mercury back and forth. Then, run back to pull the carbons apart, and make the changeover. That was (crude) projection in the 1960's.
Paul, my friend, the world is different now, but will still make a place at the table for you.
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Mike Blakesley
Film God
Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 04-21-2016 11:42 AM
I was on the radio for about a half hour in the '80s. I had a friend who worked at the local station, who did the evening shift. I stopped by to see him one time, we had a few drinks, and then he said "Want to be on the air?" I had always thought that would be fun, but was really nervous. He said, "Just keep in mind, there are thousands of people with their radios on, but hardly anybody is really listening." So I did the weather report, played a couple of records and that was it. I think I could have gotten pretty good at it. If it hadn't been a country station (and I hate country), I might've tried to get a job there.
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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster
Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 04-21-2016 01:38 PM
Just I.T.... EXCUSE ME! Light, sound, optics, computers, automation, amplifiers, speakers, Baffle Walls, Acoustical treatment, air handlers, exhaust blowers... And then you better also be able to work with metal and wood on occasion and have an intimate knowledge of all types of wiring.
Just an IT expert never makes the grade working ON booths. You have to know all the other meat too. And that's the main place where large service companies Like Strong Technical fall apart. They hire IT guys with the "we can train em" attitude. Well, that never really quite happens because these "IT gurus" spend 88% of their time driving around a two or three State area putting out small fires and never get to learn the meat of all the above subjects.
Mark
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Scott Norwood
Film God
Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 04-21-2016 01:43 PM
There could not possibly be a worse time to get into this business.
I cannot speak for other markets but, at least here, there are more experienced, competent operators than there are jobs. Anyone looking for one of these jobs would be competing with people who are better qualified. Additionally, the projectionist's job has changed significantly over the last few years. It has never required more knowledge and skill than it does now, yet it gets no more pay or respect than it did a decade or so ago. The fact that it now requires knowledge of IT and networking and many different video formats, as well as all film formats does not seem to matter.
In some ways, all of this makes the job more interesting, but the day-to-day aspects of the job are rather mundane. If D-cinema equipment fails, it is generally not fixable without a service call. Film equipment can often be fixed (at least temporarily) with paper clips, rubber bands, and epoxy, but D-cinema equipment is less forgiving. Actual film screenings are more of a special event, and the day-to-day job in many cinemas largely consists of watching movies start themselves. "Film" festivals now largely consist of checking and fixing badly made DCPs, playing tapes, and possibly a token screening of actual film. And film screenings themselves increasingly involve archival prints in various formats (16mm, 35mm, and 70mm).
Anyone with the necessary mechanical, electrical, and IT skills to be a projectionist in 2016 could almost certainly find a more stable and remunerative career in some other industry.
Otherwise, what Leo said is pretty much spot-on.
That said, I would encourage anyone with an interest in and aptitude for the job to learn the needed skills (if the opportunity presents itself), but to do so with the understanding that it will not likely translate into a financially and emotionally rewarding job.
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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"
Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 04-21-2016 03:10 PM
I couldn't advise a young person to pursue a career in the "film" side of things. If they were interested in the digital technology, then they'd have to understand that there aren't "projectionist" jobs anymore -- not the way they are probably imagining it.
So -- do they want to SHOW movies? Or do they want to play around with the technology for a living?
If they want to show movies -- run for the hills.
If they are interested in the technology -- especially digital -- then they should learn the entire audiovisual integration business -- including home theatres.
Learn how to plan out a system, how to wire up a rack (including wire termination), how to install, network, configure, and calibrate digital projectors and audio systems.
As others have pointed out, it's become more of an I.T. job now, so they should definitely pursue some training in that regard.
If their eyes start to dim at the sound of all of this -- if they were hoping they'd get to "work with film" -- then this is not the line of work for them.
In which case, run for the hills.
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Justin Hamaker
Film God
Posts: 2253
From: Lakeport, CA USA
Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 04-23-2016 04:41 AM
Rex, long before the digital conversion, projectionist was an endangered position at most movie theatres. For different reasons usually tied to cost cutting, many theatres had done away with full time professional projectionists. Most of those theatres were staffed with people who knew how to run the theatres, and perhaps do some basic maintenance tasks. But rarely was there anyone on site who could deal with more complicated issues.
These operators were usually part of the management team, and projection and film handling were just part of their duties, along with normal management duties. They could thread projectors, build up and tear down film, and may handle a bulb change. But they didn't have the know how to make adjustments beyond focus and frame. They couldn't disassemble a gate/trap; change an intermittent; troubleshoot and change diodes; etc. If something really went wrong with the projector, the auditorium was down until a technician could arrive.
With digital projectors, there are no moving parts to deal with. Aside from some issues with lens motors affecting shift/focus/zoom, there is very little that can go wrong from a presentation standpoint. For day to day operations there isn't much more to do than turn the machines on and off, besides occasionally checking to make sure everything is working properly.
If the event something does go wrong, it can usually be diagnosed remotely. The most common issue is a failure of the RAID, which is not unexpected for hard drives. When they fail, a new set gets sent to the theatre where almost anyone can install them. Then a remote tech will rebuild the array.
As far as content goes, it's delivered directly the the theatre's server via satellite in many locations. The movie schedule is usually sent directly from the ticketing system, and all the manager has to do is sit in front of a computer and click a mouse to put together playlists. And this can often be done from a remote location by logging into a booth computer.
In a digital cinema, there is no need for an on-site projectionist. Once the initial install and configuration is done, there is virtually no maintenance besides changing bulbs and filters. A circuit can have small team of techs who go around performing periodic service at each location, most of which is making sure the software is up to date on the projectors and servers.
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Dave Macaulay
Film God
Posts: 2321
From: Toronto, Canada
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 04-23-2016 07:51 AM
All feature movies need a KDM to be shown. The security model absolutely requires this.
The delivery and loading of KDMs can be automated, so far only large chains have started using the systems that do that. They have the most to gain - after eliminating projection staff, they need to eliminate any slightly skilled regular tasks. Anything complicated is done by off site specialists, preferably remotely.
Large chains and remote sites commonly use satellite content delivery. The economics aren't so appealing to smaller cinemas near the distribution points: around Toronto, for example, satellite delivery is unusual because drive shipping is so cheap from The Toronto distributor hubs.
The whole presentation management process is evolving. Right now you can have a multiplex with essentially no "projectionist" job. Content and KDMs are fed to the TMS automatically, old content is deleted automatically, scheduling is pulled from the POS system and content/KDMs pushed to screen servers automatically in time for scheduled shows and deleted when the KDM expires. Preshow content is delivered via internet, and the preshow system assembles ads, filler, and teasers appropriate to the main show rating and plays it automatically. All projection systems are automated, with fault alarms emailed to a NOC for attention. Someone has to change lamps... I predict that laser light sources will become common just to eliminate that last "skilled" task. Filters will require service but that's becoming less onerous.
There are sound check systems that run a series of reference sounds with a microphone in the auditorium, either adjusting the processing to correct changes or emailing the NOC about problems. I think IMAX was the first to do this but it's available for many modern cinema processors.
QC cameras can assess the image quality for focus, brightness, and color and call for help or try to correct it. Again, IMAX was first but systems are available that do most of this for typical cinemas.
So the idea of planning for a career as a projectionist is not so good.
There will still be technicians needed... and many of us are at or nearing nearing retirement age so openings will be available.
It's a job with drawbacks as you would expect - we still work to a show biz "the show must go on!" ethos meaning night work and unpredictable scheduling is unavoidable. Someone is always "On Call" - and when it's you, you don't make any plans that can't be canceled on little/no notice. Travel is essential so family time suffers... our divorce rates are way above average.
Our successes are not very public. Like a goalie, we get attention only for failures.
It's still satisfying in many ways though, not all bleak!
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