You might well know me, I was the chief technical engineer with AMC at that time. I opened that cinema and attended service there for many years. Small world!!
Secret's revealed. Due to my love for film I have always wanted to be a projectionist. Applied many times at different theaters when I was a young man. Alas I was always turned away. Now I make little ditties here and there so it all works out. Just screened my 41 minute Charity video "Happy Meals on Wheels: to an audience of 7. Rough cut, received some great notes from my friend and film historian. So in the end it all works out. Still have a hankering to get up in that booth tho'. ;-)
Probably but those machines were very reliable and solid unlike some of the newer models I'd worked with. The only problems that occurred while starting up was the tension on the tower sometimes tearing a bad splice apart.
Actually..the main humming noise was coming from the tower. The lower spool is quite high tension at the start of the film and does make an awful racket.
In Frederic, M.D., west-view cinemas, the movie comercials are all with digital projectors but the movies are on 35mm film! Even the new releases! You can hear and smell and see it! Its really cool!
Oh my God...what a coincidence. Went down to Warrington for some training. I think it WAS you who did that training!!! How bizarre!! Small world indeed Mike!!
And now it's all digital. Very very sad indeed. (Although sending films round to different cinemas is now a piece of cake, rather than sending loads of cans of film).
Ahhh the tower!! I have been in the cinema industry for over 40 years and in that time I have always managed to avoid towers, I have never liked them, seen too much sprocket strain due to over tension of the take up spool Not of course from your cinema lol. Sorry to hear you might be leaving but just time to make a video showing what has been done and how it's done. I look forward to seeing it soon!!
I'm sad. I visited the projection booth of a theater 3 days ago, and all the 35mm projectors were about to be dismanteled. They were replaced by digital projectors. Kinda like the ones you see in office presentations, only the size of a fridge. Still a lot less fascinating than the good ol flick!
Does the reel size means, that you can project half the feature film without changing over to another projector? In Switzerland they always did the show with one projector and had a break in the middle, as known from theater plays
This is a pretty damn big reel actually. From the looks of it may hold up to 6-7 standard reels so a full feature of up to 2 hours or a little more can easily fit in there.
I love the job but I've always done some other work too and left the industry for a few years, so should be able to survive with my freelance work. I started around 88 in an AMC Cinema in Clydebank near Glasgow. They had this stupid uniform you had to wear which looked awful!!! Never could understand why a projectionist had to wear a uniform. haha!!
Geez this takes me back to working for the film society at the local Uni (Keele) where we had a full Dolby Surround 35mm Cinema in the main cinema standard and very plush 300 seater lecture theatre. Projector was a lovely Westrex/Cinemecanica hybrid plus the long play tower - I recognised that hum as soon as you took the tension up - I recall we would have to add a little towards the end of the show sometimes to stop the film drooping on the floor. You lace up as quick as I used to and I noticed you spun the flywheel behind the sound pickup too - it was either do that and get it spot on else the film would be eaten at the point! Quick fire of the lamp (save the heat), throw the switch, up to speed, press the curtains open button, open the gate and you're away, closing the housing doors. You could always tell everything was okay from the sound of the projector, especially after the ads and trails had all played and you were into the first reel and breathing a sigh of relief. Only issue I would find would be the end - sometimes the lower reel would snatch and snap the run-out (or credits if everything was off the screen and the sound down) so I'd often just run the last few seconds before hitting the switch with no tension on at all. Thanks for bring back some great memories of Tuesday evenings (7.30pm and 10pm), Fridays (7.30pm) and Sundays art-house/foreign/soft-smut shows (5pm) for me :-)
Haha!! Yes it is quite loud but probably a bit exaggerated in the video. Since yesterday we're fully digitised here and I'll be redundant at the end of the week as I'm not needed!!
My word, you are very heavy handed with the equipment. No double checking with the lacing.
I dont know why this is the best video i've watched in weeks but it is!
The real heroes of the movies are the projectionists and the movie restorers, not the stars, directors or the script writers.
It’s been 25 years since I last worked as a projectionist. I do miss the sound and smell of the booth.
You might well know me, I was the chief technical engineer with AMC at that time. I opened that cinema and attended service there for many years. Small world!!
I was an usher for 6 years in MASSACHUETTES and I loved it and I miss it !!!!!
A quirky little video but I really enjoyed seeing what went on in the projection room. Thanks.
Secret's revealed. Due to my love for film I have always wanted to be a projectionist. Applied many times at different theaters when I was a young man. Alas I was always turned away. Now I make little ditties here and there so it all works out. Just screened my 41 minute Charity video "Happy Meals on Wheels: to an audience of 7. Rough cut, received some great notes from my friend and film historian. So in the end it all works out. Still have a hankering to get up in that booth tho'. ;-)
Probably but those machines were very reliable and solid unlike some of the newer models I'd worked with. The only problems that occurred while starting up was the tension on the tower sometimes tearing a bad splice apart.
the new technology has taken over but I did enjoy those as a projectionist
I always laugh at the pearl and dean music when it comes on in the cinema, I don't know why lol
Actually..the main humming noise was coming from the tower. The lower spool is quite high tension at the start of the film and does make an awful racket.
I`d like to have the P & D music play every time I boot my laptop up.
In Frederic, M.D., west-view cinemas, the movie comercials are all with digital projectors but the movies are on 35mm film! Even the new releases! You can hear and smell and see it! Its really cool!
Should use a Cinemeccanica freewheel spool for take-up--Much less tension needed!
Oh my God...what a coincidence. Went down to Warrington for some training. I think it WAS you who did that training!!! How bizarre!! Small world indeed Mike!!
Iv always wanted to see inside the projector room of a cinema but never been given the chance.
And now it's all digital. Very very sad indeed.
(Although sending films round to different cinemas is now a piece of cake, rather than sending loads of cans of film).
Yes and it's never out of focus!
bootsamou Time has change.
So that’s what it like behind the projector window 😊
I think your rectifier would drive me mad with all that buzzing!! lol
End of an era Rich. Film projection will be almost totally gone by the end of this year.
I have a couple of other cinema videos on here inc Smallest Cinema in the World. Great guy I visited in Surbiton with a tiny cinema in his garage.
why was pearl and Dean not popular in america?
Ahhh the tower!! I have been in the cinema industry for over 40 years and in that time I have always managed to avoid towers, I have never liked them, seen too much sprocket strain due to over tension of the take up spool Not of course from your cinema lol.
Sorry to hear you might be leaving but just time to make a video showing what has been done and how it's done. I look forward to seeing it soon!!
I'm sad. I visited the projection booth of a theater 3 days ago, and all the 35mm projectors were about to be dismanteled. They were replaced by digital projectors. Kinda like the ones you see in office presentations, only the size of a fridge. Still a lot less fascinating than the good ol flick!
They look like Cepiar amps in the rack? Was going to say possibly MXF 400s but they don't look like it.
Does the reel size means, that you can project half the feature film without changing over to another projector?
In Switzerland they always did the show with one projector and had a break in the middle, as known from theater plays
This is a pretty damn big reel actually. From the looks of it may hold up to 6-7 standard reels so a full feature of up to 2 hours or a little more can easily fit in there.
That will be a sad day my friend. A very sad day indeed.
I love the job but I've always done some other work too and left the industry for a few years, so should be able to survive with my freelance work.
I started around 88 in an AMC Cinema in Clydebank near Glasgow. They had this stupid uniform you had to wear which looked awful!!! Never could understand why a projectionist had to wear a uniform. haha!!
Where is this?
wow that tower is noisy ha ha nice to see someone still running film
film projectors comfirmed in nz still to exist. and in aussie.AND. that wasin brittn
I miss the sound of a 35 mm projector, I DONT LIKE THE DIGITAL at all !!!!!!!!!
Ted Costopoulos please be quiet
Geez this takes me back to working for the film society at the local Uni (Keele) where we had a full Dolby Surround 35mm Cinema in the main cinema standard and very plush 300 seater lecture theatre.
Projector was a lovely Westrex/Cinemecanica hybrid plus the long play tower - I recognised that hum as soon as you took the tension up - I recall we would have to add a little towards the end of the show sometimes to stop the film drooping on the floor.
You lace up as quick as I used to and I noticed you spun the flywheel behind the sound pickup too - it was either do that and get it spot on else the film would be eaten at the point!
Quick fire of the lamp (save the heat), throw the switch, up to speed, press the curtains open button, open the gate and you're away, closing the housing doors. You could always tell everything was okay from the sound of the projector, especially after the ads and trails had all played and you were into the first reel and breathing a sigh of relief.
Only issue I would find would be the end - sometimes the lower reel would snatch and snap the run-out (or credits if everything was off the screen and the sound down) so I'd often just run the last few seconds before hitting the switch with no tension on at all.
Thanks for bring back some great memories of Tuesday evenings (7.30pm and 10pm), Fridays (7.30pm) and Sundays art-house/foreign/soft-smut shows (5pm) for me :-)
How long have you worked in cinemas?
don't work in them now,,....did for over 20 yrs
Well what movie were you playing?
woow very good....
Haha!! Yes it is quite loud but probably a bit exaggerated in the video. Since yesterday we're fully digitised here and I'll be redundant at the end of the week as I'm not needed!!
Sorry, but the way you filmed this - you missed pretty much ALL of the P&D sequence (except the final frames) ...
that's nothing like the original pearl and logo or music
It's all digital now so these days are over, my friend.
I’m sorry mate but that’s a terrible bloody video