Projectionist

Projectionist

Occupation
Occupation type	Profession
Activity sectors	Entertainment, show business, movie theater, film

A projectionist is a person who operates a movie projector, particularly as an employee of a movie theater. Projectionists are also known as "operators".^[1]

Historical background

N.B. The dates given in the subject headings are approximate.

Early cinema (1895–1915)

The need for professional projectionists arose from the commercial showing of movie films to the general public in buildings specifically designed for the purpose or using variety theatres as part of the "bill", which began towards the end of the first decade of the twentieth century. Before the emergence of purpose-built movie theaters, film projectors in venues such as

Between approximately 1905 and 1915, two factors combined to transform the role of the projectionist into a separate job with a specific profile of skills and training. Concerns over the flammability of nitrate film, following several major fires during the cinema's first decade ^[2] resulted in the increasing regulation of film exhibition, including the requirement that projectors be housed in fireproof booths, segregated from the auditorium. In the United Kingdom, for example, this requirement was introduced in the Cinematograph Act 1909, and effectively prevented the projectionist from also carrying out a public-facing role. The legal right to act as a projectionist in a public movie theater was, and to some extent still is, regulated, to varying degrees in different jurisdictions.^[3] Some required projectionists to be licensed by local or central government,^[4] and this process sometimes required projectionists to undergo assessments or sit exams. Trade union-based regulation of the profession was also widespread in some jurisdictions, in which the licensing of projectionists was incorporated into collective bargaining agreements between employers and unions. In the United States, projectionists were sometimes 'pooled out' to theatre companies via their union. Closed shop working by projectionists was common in British cinema chains until the early 1980s.^{[citation needed]} The original reason for this regulation was the necessity for safety precautions for the screening of nitrate prints, and hence the requirement that projectionists should be formally trained to handle them to ensure public safety. But the formal training and licensing of projectionists continued in most of the US and Europe well after nitrate had been superseded in the 1950s, and in a minority of jurisdictions it still continues.^{[citation needed]}

Classical period (1915–1953)

With the advent of feature-length films during the early to mid-teens and the increasing tendency for film screenings to be the main or only event that took place in a purpose-built theater, rather than incorporated into other forms of live entertainment, the role of the projectionist became more specialised and began to incorporate elements of showmanship once again. The safety precautions associated with nitrate required 35mm film prints to be shipped in reels no longer than 1,000 feet (approximately 15 minutes at 16

Post-classical period (1953–early 1980s)

The technology of cinema projection, and with it the role of the projectionist, changed fundamentally over an extended period between the early 1950s and late 1960s. Nitrate film was

The job description of the projectionist began to vary considerably according to the type and location of theatre he or she worked in. In many of the multiplex theatre chains that emerged in the 1980s, the role of the projectionist was largely confined to assembling screening programs (consisting of a feature film print and other supporting material such as advertisements and trailers) onto a long-play platter or tower device, programming automation systems and very basic equipment maintenance such as cleaning film path components and the routine replacement of life-limited parts. More extensive maintenance and repairs are carried out by technicians employed centrally by the parent company and who visit its theatres to conduct maintenance on a regular cycle. In smaller chains and independent theaters, and especially those situated in geographically remote locations, projectionists are more likely to undertake more extensive maintenance and repair duties, both on a theater's projection and sound equipment and on other infrastructure in the building, e.g. heating and air conditioning plant. 35mm release prints continue to be shipped on 2,000 foot reels to the present day, even though very few theaters still present films using a two-projector system with changeovers. A number of attempts have been made over the years to introduce larger shipping reels for print distribution, but none has gained widespread acceptance.^[9]

Future

Some larger theater chains are now in the process of eliminating the projectionist's job altogether.^[10] In order to avoid paying a higher wage rate and to circumvent skilled labor laws, some companies (such as Cinemark Theaters) use the job title "Booth Usher" for an employee who simply carries out basic screening operations and does not perform any program assembly, maintenance or repair procedures. Their starting wage is the same as that for popcorn concessionists and ushers ($7.84 per hour in Ohio as of August 2009).^[11] Smaller theaters in this chain and those with union bargaining contracts that specify a minimum wage utilize management for these duties. In Britain, this started to happen early 2000 onward as labour laws were wiped out by then.^{[citation needed]}

The introduction of

• Receiving film prints delivered from the distributor and completing the shipping formalities.
• Examining prints on a workbench to determine the image, sound format and other information needed to screen them correctly.
• Examining prints to check for physical damage that could prevent the print from being screened without a breakdown, e.g. edge damage, split or strained perforations and defective splices. If there is a significant amount of dirt or scratching on the print, the projectionist may determine that it is of an unacceptably low quality for presentation and return it to the distributor for a replacement.
• "Making up" the reels of a release print onto a long-play platter or tower device, complete with the supporting material in the screening program, e.g. advertisements, trailers and animated company logos or announcement snipes, for example asking members of the audience to switch off their mobile phones.
• If the print is to be shown on a two-projector system, ensuring that the leaders and tails of each reel are spliced to the picture footage correctly and that the visual changeover cues are present.
• Programming automation systems to perform presentation functions. This can sometimes take the form of placing self-adhesive cues on the film print in the desired location (e.g. when you want the house lights to be dimmed), which are then detected by an optical reader in the projector's film path.
• Cleaning the surfaces in the projector's film path that come into contact with or proximity to the film surface.
• "Lacing up" the film through the projector and film path to and from any long play device.
• Carrying out presentation operations manually if an automation system is not in use.
• "Taking down" the reels of a print and supporting programme after the final screening, and spooling them back into 2,000 foot lengths.
• Dispatching film prints for return to the distributor, or sometimes a "crossover" direct to another theater, and completing the shipping formalities.

Maintenance and repair

• Replacement of xenon arc bulbs at the end of their service life, and completing the shipping formalities for their return to the vendor for safe disposal.
• Periodic adjustment of lamphouse reflectors to ensure even and optimum illumination.
• Depending on the type of projector in use, maintenance of the mechanism, e.g. periodic draining and replacement of oil in the intermittent mechanism, and/or replacement of drive belts.
• Periodic replacement of other life-limited parts of projection booth equipment, e.g. pressure plates and runners.
• Periodic adjustment of the A-chain of the optical sound system, in order to ensure optimum focus and alignment.
• Periodic adjustment of the motor control systems in a long-play device, in order to ensure optimum feed and take-up.
• The regular projection of technical test films, e.g. the SMPTE's RP-40 and Dolby's "Jiffy"^[15] films, to evaluate the image and sound quality in the theater.

Notable projectionists

• Emile Massicotte, Laurier Palace Theatre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada - Credited with saving 30 children on 9 January 1927 fire in which 78 others were killed.
• Donna Margaret Lafy Hatch, Keystone Theatre Towanda, Pennsylvania - First woman projectionist licensed in Pennsylvania, 1961

See also

•  Film portal

References

Bibliography

• Barnard, Timothy, The 'Machine Operator': Deus ex machina of the Storefront Cinema, Framework, vol. 43, no. 1 (Spring 2002). https://archive.today/20130221201727/http://www.caboosebooks.net/node/38
• British Kinematograph, Sound and Television Society (BKSTS), Motion Picture Presentation Manual, London, BKSTS (1977).
• Cameron, James R., Motion Picture Projection, 3rd edition, New York, Technical Book Co. (1922).
• Cameron, James R., Motion Pictures With Sound, Manhattan Beach, New York, Cameron Publishing Co. (1929).
• Happé, L. Bernard, Basic Motion Picture Technology, 2nd edition, London, Focal Press (1975).
• Miehling, Rudolph, Sound Projection, New York, Mancall (1929).
• Sætervadet, Torkell, The Advanced Projection Manual: Presenting Classic Films in a Modern Projection Environment, Oslo, The Norwegian Film Institute (2006),
  ISBN 2-9600296-1-5
  .
• Sætervadet, Torkell, FIAF Digital Projection Guide, Brussels,
  ISBN 978-2960029628
  .

Look up projectionist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Projectionist.

• Film-Tech - a discussion board site for projectionists and theater technicians.
• Planetary Projection - a site containing autobiographical articles by projectionists.