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Topic: Who the HECK are you??
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Stephen Furley
Film God
Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002
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posted 05-27-2002 08:45 AM
Hi, I am Stephen Furley, like several others, this is my first post, and this seems to be a good place to start. I do not work in the industry, for the past 12 years I have been an I.T. technician at a college in Croydon, on the southern outskirts of london, England. For 12 years previous to this I was an audio-visual technician at a school in london, and before that, spent four years in training for that post. Before that I was at school. I am now 45 years old.I have been interested in film technology for as long as I can remember. At one time I hade a collection of film, but most of that has been disposed of in recent times, due to lack of storage space. I have little interest in modern feature films, my main interests being in classic films and, particularly, in British documentary films of the '30s to '70s. While I do not work in the industry, I do project from time to time, about once or twice a year, usually when somewhere calls me as a last resort when they can find no one else, or when they need an extra operator for a special event. Last year I got a call asking me to do four shows, the first starting in less than an hour, from a venue I had never seen. By the time I arrived the audience were coming in, there ws no time for a run through, no technical staff to provide any help, at first, I couldn't find the lenses, had no idea how fast the machines ran up, therefore had to guess where to lace up to get the first changeover right, had my first experience of movable top masking. All things considered, it didn't go too badly; a few frames of black visable on the first changeover, but it could have been worse. I have never run more than one screen, nor do I have any experience of platters, automation systems etc., but do have experience with just about every guage of film ever made, carbon arcs, nitrate, sep-mag sound, and once got to run a single reel with sound on disk. One of my main interests is in film sound systems, and I recently made the juorney to the USA, to visit the Loew's Jersey Theater for the science fiction weekend, partly to see the building, and partly to hear perspecta on the original integrator installed there.
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James Morton
Film Handler
Posts: 17
From: Cambridge, UK
Registered: May 2002
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posted 05-27-2002 06:40 PM
Morton, JNR (those are my initials not a shortened version of junior), 20 years old (going on 40 it feels like most of the time), Head Projectionist, St. John's College Film Society. Cambridge, UK.Joined the film society having been enticed by the promise not only of free entry to films but also the opportunity to play with expensive pieces of machinery (yes I am studying engineering, how did you guess!?!) only to find myself as the only projectionist capable of running the booth when the other projecting members all upped and graduated on me at the end of the academic year. Was 'elected' as Head Projectionist (uncontested, no-one else could do the job) and have recently been re-elected (uncontested, no-one else wanted the job worse luck) for a second year in office. We're a small outfit (one Thursday showing & two Sunday showings for eight weeks three terms a year) but there are lots of keen members (including at least one other kicking round this site somewhere) and I hope the audience get as much of a kick out of watching the films as I do from putting them on. Strangely university rules say that I can't take a paid job, but they're quite happy to let me work up to 40 hours a week for the college film society... Good job I love the work! Auditorium is awful (was NOT designed for film projections), kit is in fairly good nick and we're replacing the really decrepid stuff gradually and we like to think that we're fairly good at doing a semi-professional job from an amateur basis. Never really intended to end up being up to my neck in film projection (real dream is to build roller coasters or similar in the imagineering industry) and there are times when I really wish I wasn't (3am in the morning when I am very nearly literally up to my neck in film - I'm sure many of you can relate) but it really is a rewarding way to spend my life whilst attempting to get a degree in my spare time. Oh and I'm completely unable to write short posts. You have been warned...
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Thomas Procyk
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1842
From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 05-29-2002 12:22 PM
Wow, after a month of problems with my e-mail account, here I am! I'm Thomas Procyk (pronnounced Pro-sick) and have been lurking on Film-Tech for a while, absorbing as much information as I can from you wonderful people. I just knew there were people out there that still cared about a quality presentation.
I have been in the booth from about May 1998, up until July of 2000 when I left to go to college. It was a few months after I turned 16 when the brand-new, flashy, Regal 18 was about to open in my hometown of Royal Palm Beach. There I met the corporate booth trainer for Regal who noticed my eagerness to learn projection. So for 2 weeks straight, 10am to 6pm, I was trained in the art of film exhibition, and was bitten by the proverbial bug. Over time, each of those 18 projectors became my children 
I'm currently studying Radio/TV (production track) at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. On campus, I was involved in the problematic, yet enjoyable Campus Activities Cinema Committee. Unfortunately, when I ran for Committee Director I was passed up for someone who would "better fit the image of the organization." (The person whom they selected has never organized, let alone been to any of the events we did last year -- go figure.) Oh and yes, the "Cinema" committee runs video projection. 
In the past year, I have particularly become fascinated with drive-in theaters after visiting the functioning one near my hometown in Lake Worth, FL (The Trail) and "exploring" around the closed and abandoned one near the college in Orlando (The University Twin). Recently, they tore down all that remains of the University Twin, and The Trail is slated to close some time this year to make way for a Senior Citizens Center. *sigh* I have already planned to open a drive-in at some point in my life, to which people say I'm crazy. If my picture comes up right, that's me in a straightjacket behind the now-gone screen of the University Twin.
Well, I can't think of anything else to write about myself. I suppose my personality will emerge with subsequent postings. Again, thanks to all for the great info! If I remember, there was a post about some manager saying that Film-Tech and all who post here are nothing more than know-nothing geeks... I wonder how many scratched or dirty prints that manager has running in their understaffed booth.  =TMP=
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Kara J. McVay
Film Handler
Posts: 95
From: Delaware, OH
Registered: May 2002
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posted 06-29-2002 07:48 AM
My name is Kara J. McVay, I promise there is a picture coming.I am the newly named Executive Director of the Strand Theatre in Delaware, OH. We are non-profit, 3-screen built in 1916. In 1982 building next to us was used to make screen 2 and in 1986 the balcony was closed in to make 3rd screen. People actually love the closed in balcony, very intimate 230 seats. We run: First Run, Art, International, Indi, and have 2 stages for "small" live acts, 2 organs for silent films (not original), we will have a 16mm installed for silents and classics not on 35mm anymore. I worked at the Strand from 1986-1991 my first job, always loved it and when the Strand came up for sale Nov 2001, I made it my personal goal to make sure I got back in there. It took many months but, we finally got all the funding together and I will be back in there in just a few weeks I will get pictures of the Strand to you soon, so you all can see my "first love". (Don't tell my Husband, he thinks he is my "first love")
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