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Cinema Projectionists' Journal

Cinema Projectionists

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Anybody there?

[08 Oct 2011|12:25pm]

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odense

Hi, to any member still reading.

I am part of the audience, not a projectionist, but I really respect what you do with the machines upstairs. I was hoping someone could teach me some Projection 101, as in: what's causing the mistakes on the screen? I know big chain theaters don't hire professionals anymore. So, I want to understand things like masking and lens changes. How do I tell a good projection from a bad one?

I asked if I could be shown some things in the booth once but was turned down. It was probably against protocol or something, I don't know. And I don't know anyone who is a projectionist so there's no one else to ask.

I'll appreciate any insight you can share. Thanks for taking the time and doing what you do!

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Booth Logs

[16 Mar 2011|12:49am]

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jimineverdies

Hey Everyone,

I just started working at an Indie theatre in Colorado. I came over from working at a not so corporate theatre and then a corporate theatre so I know the importance of maintaining a booth log. The great thing about an indie theatre though is you can be more free with the log, so when I started the log here, people started having fun with it.

We recently started a tumblr of our logs, and we want other theatres to submit their logs too, be it interesting or funny entries or whatever. If you keep a notebook, like we do, you can scan it in and send it our way or you can just type it all in or copy/paste from word if you keep the log on a computer.

I hope you will all at least check out the tumblr!

movieboothielogs.tumblr.com/

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Looking for Projectionists

[06 Feb 2010|11:38am]

gradyhendrix

Hi folks,

I'm Grady Hendrix and I'm writing a piece for Slate about projectionists: the glamor, the fame, the fortune. The thrills and the blood-curdling adventures. All the dirt. More specifically, the piece is going to focus on the fact that with all these new technologies everyone's excited about, what matters more than Imax or 3-D or digital is having good projection. You guys are the unsung heroes of movies, and I never see anyone talking about what you all do. So this is my chance to put your stories out there in the world.

I'm looking for US-based projectionists who would be open to doing phone interviews sometime over the next week or so.

I'm not a skilled Livejournal user, so if you would like to get in touch you can post a reply here or, even better, email me. My address is

grady at subwaycinemadotcom

Looking forward to hearing from some of you folks,

Grady

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"Yeah we've got air conditioning."

[13 Dec 2009|09:41pm]

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hyperion_giants

So last summer I was working a night shift and feeling kinda tired. Anyway, I get a call from downstairs telling me that they need me to install a hearing device in one of the theaters. So I walk over and I open the port glass and start hooking up the stuff. In the back row there's a group of "bros" that notice me so they say hello, and I say hi back at them and then one of them looks up at me and says:

"hey man, is it cool up there?"

So I look down at him and I say:

"Yeah we've got air conditioning."

I close the glass, and I go back to work and that night when I got off I was still vaguely haunted by that kid's question. "Is it cool up there?" What? I mean is that like a personal attack? Was it some quick barb that I missed? Like a lonely old man living on the top of some forbidden mountain. Like some hermit who shows movies on snow capped peaks?

I found myself laying in bed staring at the ceiling at 3am "Hey man, is it cool up there?"

until finally it sank in. He meant: "Hey man, is it cool TO BE up there?"

Suddenly I felt very stupid. Something beyond the normal stupid. Like some kind of robot that just responds off a prearranged script.

And more than that, I sounded so lame. Like really lame. I really hope that kid doesn't think I was being sarcastic. No, I was just having a temporary lapse in mental function. I mean, it was the dead of summer. Hot city all around. But seriously? Who asks a projectionist about the air conditioning? Did I really think he was asking about the heat? Well, it's not too far fetched, he might have dreams of becoming an air conditioner repair man. Who am I to judge? Maybe that's what he really wanted.

I think about this now and I feel really lame. Mostly because it was really lame. But on the bright side it might seem like I was trying to be witty...

Maybe if it was the 1950's and I had a cigar in my teeth and said it, or at least if I looked like I was from the 1950's and had a cigar in my teeth and said it... Maybe with more old projectionist pizazz, like: "Yeah it's AIR CONDITIONED BABY" as I blow smoke rings on him and his friends.

Anyway, that's my story for tonight.

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Hello!

[04 Jan 2009|01:46pm]

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spleh

Hi, everyone. I just joined up here as I've been looking for a nice little community of projectionists for a while - it's surprising how little there are considering so many of us seem to (most of the time :p) really enjoy our work.

So. I'm Laura and have been working in the booth at a 4 screen cinema in the Netherlands (despite being British) for just over a year now and have been thoroughly enjoying it. Looking forward to getting to know everyone here and ranting about things with people who actually know what I'm talking about. Whee.

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Midnight Projectionists

[01 Jan 2009|09:18pm]

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hyperion_giants

I've noticed something sort of magical about being in the Booth. There's a feeling I get when I start a film that is indescribable. It's this sort of special oneness that I get seeing the film go on the screen and the audience all looking up in unison. A room full of strangers all united by one single experience that is the magic of the movies.

I get this feeling when I present to a packed house.

I get this feeling when I present to a single person sitting at the last showing at midnight.

Because it feels like I am giving them a gift. I'm giving the audience the gift of a story. The gift of taking them some place. Taking them to a different world where they are away from their troubles and away from the world. I provide the audience a world of wonder that takes them to a different place then where they came from the when they walked in.

It's an honor to be a projectionist.

Because for a few hours, I can give people an escape. No matter what they are going through at the time, no matter what they are suffering with. I can give them the escape of a story.

It's an Honor to be a projectionist. Because I know I have given that to someone. I'll always know that I've given that gift to someone. And in that gift, I've been anonymous because to the audience I'm just the light in the window, faceless and in the shadows. I'm just the magical elf that runs the VCR.

And that's the way it should be, that's what makes it a gift.

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[25 Dec 2008|06:47pm]

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remia

I haven't posted in a while, but I thought I should share this picture....

I took this bulb out of a projector a few weeks ago...the only time I have ever put on ALL the saftey gear to change out a bulb....this one scared the crap outta me! And forgive the kinda crappy quality, I took this pic with my phone...

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About a month before that I changed out a bulb that was also excessively cloudy, almost to the point of being black and had drops of the silver on the glass, but it at least wasn't blue like the front of this one was! And it was dead instead of barely showing on screen like this one was....

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[01 Dec 2008|11:02am]

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hyperion_giants

Brain wrap burnouts. Aren't they the most PTSD inducing moments in the booth? I had my first one a week ago (I've been in the booth for about 6 months now) And I'm still kinda scared to start the movies because of it.

Any similar experiences?

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Presentation

[02 Feb 2007|11:03am]

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santo26

Hello everyone! Long-time lurker, first-time poster.
Anyways, I wanted to share that I have a booth of my own! While technically these days I wear more of a manager's hat, I am also the only one in the building who has any projection knowledge at all. When I arrived, the booth was a mess and the projectors hadn't been properly cleaned in months. Now that I know the building, I have been able to concentrate in the past few weeks on getting rid of junk in the booth, cleaning the projectors and performing routine maintenance, and ordering and changing the lamps. I am taking care of four Century SAW-TAs and two Century JJs (with 70mm capability), and they sound so much healthier when properly oiled and greased!

As a result of my efforts, the presentation looks so much better. Personally, I think it is great if a movie theatre chain wants to do everything in their power to make the guest happy, but when I, as a customer, go to a theatre, the only thing I care about IS the presentation. Isn't that why I shelled out somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 to watch a movie on a big screen?

Is presentation the top priority in your theatre or is it a daily struggle for booth supplies, parts, and maintenance time?

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update

[27 Jan 2007|12:21pm]

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shymazta

Hey guys!

I just wanted to let you know that things are going better now. I've been a projectionist for 2 months and I've been offered to be up there on a more consistent basis (there are 6 projectionists in total). And they're putting another female up there.

Thanks for your words of encouragement when I was just a newbie! Well....I still am relatively new. lol.

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Brain-Wrap

[12 Dec 2006|05:03am]

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shymazta

I'm not sure that I am expecting a response to my post as it seems that this community has not been posted in for awhile - but it was the only one I found and I am desperate.

Well, I've been working at a movie theatre for about 8 months now and just got promoted to being a projectionist. I was pretty excited. It meant I wouldn't have to deal with the public as much and wouldn't spend my days flushing toilets because our guests can't do it for themselves.

But there's a lot of pressure. I'm the first female they've had doing this for as long as anyone can remember AND there are people who have been there years longer than I have. So there's this sort of 'why her?' mentality going around. It's uncomfortable to say the least.

Also, I really had no idea what I was getting into. We have 14 theatres and I thread between 5-10 minutes. It's very stressful.

Any tips for a newbie on what I can do to stop from pulling my hair out?

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'Nother Projectionist here :)

[04 Aug 2006|06:54pm]

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futuresaysrun

[

mood

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thirsty

]

Okay I've been reading some of the journals on here and feel a little out of my depth. I work for Lancaster Uni's cinema (UK) as a projectionist but we only have one screen. Does anyone else work in a one screen cinema/theatre? I only passed my projectionist test last March and managed to make three mistakes out of four showings after passing. But that's how we learn right? But I love doing it.

I'd love to take my experience to the next level and work for a cinema company with multiple screens. I work for a major UK company (Odeon) as a summer job but not as a projectionist. And I doubt they'd let me loose on their 20screen multiplex that I work for ;) I suspect I'd need more experience first.

So that's me in a projectionist nutshell :) just thought I'd say hi.

FSR.

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DLP Kit

[08 Apr 2006|11:40pm]

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hibs

Hi All,

I've recently started working for a new start-up company doing Digital Cinema stuff over my side of the pond (UK). Since we've got a fair amount of guys outside of my tiny little island who are members here, I was just wondering if any D-Cine kit is starting to be rolled out in other parts of the world now that the standards are slowly coming together and all?

Al

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Got manuals?

[19 Oct 2005|05:53pm]

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remia

So I got transfered temporarily to help out at one of the other local theaters which is running older equipment and has been eating up a lot of the techs time because no one here knows what to do to fix it and just has basic projector knowledge. ie, how to thread and start a movie, fix focus issues, how to build up and how to tear down. Anything else that's going on so far I have tinkered with and figured out how to fix. Now the problem I am faced with is the fact we are missing the manuals for both our lamphouse and our automation at one of the 2 theaters I go back and forth between (ie sister theaters only 3 blocks apart so technically I work at both right now).

I have already poked around Strong's web site and Film-tech for the missing manuals but neither seem to have them up. So anyone know where I can track down the missing manuals? The missing manuals are for:

Strong Super Highlight Console (not to be confused with the Super Highlight 2)
Serial: 92782
Type: 598700-056

Optical Radiation Corp.
Strong ORC PG 2020 (not to be confused with the later model 2120's)

*crossposted*

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Question about The Fog

[19 Oct 2005|11:54am]

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kimyoo_films

We received a note from our corporate telling us that we would be receiving new DTS discs and a new reel four for The Fog with no explanation given. Does anyone here know why we're supposed to be getting these? I checked our reel four in both SR.D and DTS and they're fine...other than the suck movie playing. Are they taking out the terrible ADR ("blood for blood") over the original "six must die" line?

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random odd question

[05 Jan 2006|05:41pm]

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obijuanshinobi

I know this place has been slow for awhile but... is it just me or does the attached Saw 2 trailer on Waiting not come with a green band at the beginning?

I just left it like that..l couldn't be bothered to take an old flat green band and splice it on. Hopefully no one will miss it.

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Conversations Alone...

[31 Aug 2005|01:02am]

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tsears

[

mood

geeky

]

So, what have people been up to lately... lets get this group rockin' =) Except for you _Century_..... I have a good bead on what you've been up to... unless you want to share with the group =)

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Too damn big

[16 Aug 2005|05:25pm]

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tsears

[

mood

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tired

]

Anyone else work at a theatre that's more than 16 screens? how do you deal with projection shifts? I've recently taken the reigns of an 18 screen booth... just wondering how other people pull it off...

Through a stupid set of circumstances I ended up running all of them by myself for 3 sets (with no problems, thank god) but all I was doing was walking, threading, starting, etc....

I'm really interested in how other people schedule projectionists for big booths

Rem, don't you work in a big booth?

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looking for work...

[04 Jul 2005|02:59am]

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emperor799

Does anyone know of a theatre in the Boston area that's hiring projectionists, managers, or supervisors? Or a place to look for them?

I've just recently moved and had to leave my old theatre due to sheer distance.

I am a Licensed MPO in the state of Massachusettes, and have worked as a floor supervisors in two theatres as well, so anyhitng in the floor supervisor/manager realm would work, though I'd obviously prefer to work in the booth.

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Change

[01 Jul 2005|07:14pm]

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tsears

So I transferred to the newest theatre in my city as Booth Manager. It's a state-of-the-art 18plex.

I was wondering, has anyone else worked with the Apogee projector? Thoughts? Tips and tricks?

If you haven't yet had the pleasure, I would say you're not missing anything except headaches...

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