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Topic: "Waning Art of the Projectionist" Photos

Joseph Holmes
Film Handler

Posts: 7
From: Brooklyn, NY, United States
Registered: Nov 2012

posted 12-14-2012 06:47 PM

All right, I'm convinced. And I do have film cameras here -- my old Nikon FM2, for example and an N90, plus a couple medium-format bodies. It would actually be nice to blow up a film print and enjoy the beautiful grain again.

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Graham Ritchie
Film Handler

Posts: 54
From: Christchurch, New Zealand
Registered: Apr 2009

posted 12-14-2012 09:32 PM

Joseph

Randy makes a good point about using film as well.

What I sometimes did, if its important is to shoot twice, one with digital and one with my old 1970s Canon FTb 35mm camera using mostly a 28mm lens and some slide film. Once the slides come back from getting developed I usually get a digital transfer done at the same time "best of both worlds"

Digital is OK but I do like the look of film, here are a couple of shots to compare with.

taken with a digital camera

taken with our old Canon FBb and some 35mm slide film.

PS. As well as taking video [Roll Eyes]

I also took Super8 film as well [Cool]

"lots of extra light for that one" just before the cinema closed last year.

....Not this one in the photos by the way.

Graham.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 12-14-2012 11:08 PM

quote: Robert E. Allen
You are probably right Brad. But projectionists today who are not doing film do little more than push buttons. Film projectionists had to clean the equipment daily, service it weekly, thread the projectors about every 20 minutes, check focus as the carbon arcs heated the lenses, stand by for and make changeovers, splice trailers, cartoons and newsreels (remember those?) together with daters, replace worn parts (sprockets, shoes, pressure pads, etc.). And, of course, maintain the booth. On weekends we often worked 12 hour shifts. At least that's what this I.A. operator did. Technically today's full-time projectionists are probably more knowledgeable in digital booths but I don't think they have as much to do as film projectionists even those working platter systems.

Running platters does not disqualify someone as a projectionist. That's ridiculous. How about you run a single screen on 20 minute reels vs. a 16 plex on platters? Think about it.

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-15-2012 09:02 AM

Pretty much what Brad said, but I would add this: the job of the projectionist has never required more knowledge than it does today.

Fifty years ago, anyone who knew how to operate arc lamps and make changeovers (neither of which is especially challenging) could walk into nearly any projection booth and put on a good show. Now, in addition to that knowledge (which is still needed), a good operator needs to also know how to run platters, automation systems, various video formats (each of which has several different types of decks), D-cinema (which includes several different types of servers and projectors), and a multitude of sound formats. And he needs to know how to do basic maintenance and troubleshooting on all of this equipment.

What I am getting at is that all of the "old" knowledge is still needed, but the total amount of knowledge required to be good at this job has increased significantly in the last couple of decades. Although, weirdly, platters will likely become obsolete before anything else listed here does.

The same, of course, applies to the technicians who install and service all of this equipment--the required knowledge has increased dramatically with improved sound systems, video, D-cinema, etc. I don't know if it would fit into the original poster's project, but the motion-picture service industry would be interesting to explore as well. There are some very good people in that business (many of whom have been in the industry for decades), yet the general public barely knows that they exist.

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Robert E. Allen
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1078
From: Checotah, Oklahoma
Registered: Jul 2002

posted 12-15-2012 12:47 PM

Well Brad, I ran single screen change-over systems for decades. It's my favorite type of booth. I remember one house in Compton, California where I not only had to put the picture on the screen to open the show but had to put a carbon arc effect machine on the screen, fade the houselights and open the curtain at the same time. I felt a lot of pride when I put on that kind of "show" for the patrons. It's sad that that sort of "showmanship" is missing from today's multiplexes. I didn't mean to imply that platter operators are not qualified as projectionists. They rate right up there with change-over operators as they have a lot of film handling to do also. I worked a number of platter systems too.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-15-2012 05:24 PM

When I first started in the biz, automation was unheard of. I had to start the projector, open the stage curtains, dim the lights (but not all the way), open the douser and change the sound from non-sync to projector all at the same time and I was good at it. I got great satisfaction from doing it right.

But I also get satisfaction from our digital equipment when I get the volume right, the playlist in the correct and most effective order, the cues all in the right places, and so on. And some relevant music on the pre-show helps too. So I still consider myself a projectionist. The equipment just doesn't require as much hands-on as it used to.

The idea that showmanship is gone in the digital age is wrong. You still have to put on a good show -- it doesn't happen by itself.

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