Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Age of starting Projectionists

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Operations » Film Handlers' Forum » Age of starting Projectionists (Page 1)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2

Author

Topic: Age of starting Projectionists

James Perry Jr
Film Handler

Posts: 5
From: Leavenworth, KS, USA
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 08-19-2001 02:41 AM

Just curious- How old do you require folks to be before you let them in the booth? Does anyone know of any laws about this? We always went with 18. Just curious to what everyone else did.

| IP: Logged

James R. Hammonds, Jr
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 931
From: Houston, TX, USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-19-2001 02:52 AM

See GROUND LEVEL Page 2 "Law against the age of a projectionist?"

| IP: Logged

Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 08-20-2001 05:12 PM

I think being past the potty training age would be a good idea. Not only that, the projectionist should be old enough that there is no risk of him throwing the contents of his diapers around in the booth! Such a thing might violate several OSHA and EPA regulations, not to mention requiring the theater manager to fill out a HAZMAT sheet.

| IP: Logged

Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-20-2001 06:25 PM

And ya gotta be able to reach the upper spindle too.
MArk @ GTS

| IP: Logged

Ben Stephenson
Film Handler

Posts: 29
From: Manchester, England
Registered: Jan 2001

posted 01-24-2002 09:37 AM

I started when i was 16 and was single maning at 17, and im still at it :-)

| IP: Logged

Jesse Skeen
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1517
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 01-24-2002 01:32 PM

If the movie's rated R, then their parents have to be in the booth with them

But seriously, at least in California it's 18.

| IP: Logged

Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)

Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 01-24-2002 01:56 PM

The original discussion is in ground page 5.

| IP: Logged

John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 01-24-2002 02:03 PM

I started as a projectionist at the Grandview Drive-In in May 1967, when I was 18. Before that, I had often shown small format films, and had been photography editor of my high school yearbook. I also was an electronics hobbyist, and worked at a television repair shop. I worked as a theatre projectionist while getting my degree in Electronic Engineering from the State University of NY at Buffalo in 1970. I also worked as an engineer at the campus FM radio station.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

| IP: Logged

Ben Stephenson
Film Handler

Posts: 29
From: Manchester, England
Registered: Jan 2001

posted 01-24-2002 04:20 PM

When I first started I was a usher at the age of 16 and I had to have a letter saying he didnt mind me working in a enviroment where 18 cert films were shown, but the main problem I had was that I was not inshured to work in the projection box being 17 so on the box the manager each day was incharge of projection !

| IP: Logged

Don Sneed
Master Film Handler

Posts: 451
From: Texas City, TX, USA
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 01-24-2002 08:41 PM

I started as a projectionist in my 11th grade at high school, age 17, in 1971, in Galveston Texas, become sound engineer in 1981...still doing it !!

| IP: Logged

Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 01-25-2002 02:51 AM

In NYC, the projectionist must be licensed; I believe the licensing regs include an age limit of 18. Because that license is, in effect, a limited electrician's license -- the projectionist can therefore do installation in the booth which includes wiring right up to the mains -- the test, of necessity then, is fairly extensive and requires knowledge of the electical code and the building code. So how do the chains get away with letting a high school minimum wager to go up to the booth to play projectionist? They just ignore the law. The city has yet to crack down on all the violations that are routinely practiced in nearly every booth.

| IP: Logged

Wes Hughes
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 175
From: Raleigh, NC, USA
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 01-26-2002 12:46 AM

I ran my first film (unassited) when I was 6 years old...Simplex XL's and carbon arcs.

| IP: Logged

Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 01-28-2002 06:07 AM

Wes,

I have to admit, you have me beat; I was in the 10th grade -- my high school had just installed a 35mm system in the auditorium booth and one night when everyone in the school was in the basement gym watching a pivital home basketball game, I went up to the booth and jimmied the locked door, loaded the XLs with the Disney True Life Adventure movie that was in the booth and actually got everything to work....until the teachers discovered a movie running in the theatre and called school security. I was suspended for a week, but it was more than worth it.

| IP: Logged

Darren Crimmins
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 130
From: Dallas, TX, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 01-29-2002 04:30 AM

I believe in Texas one just has to be 16 to run the proejction booth, but any decent theater usually does not allow a kid that young to run the equipment. I usually will not train someone in booth until they are out of high school. To start, many (not all) in high school are not mature enough to be in charge of the equipment and you have to deal with thier 'wonderful' high school work schedule of not being able to work matinee weekday shifts. In my opinion, I have just observed that those around 18 or older are usually best for the booth.

| IP: Logged

Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 01-31-2002 01:21 PM

Here's a related question. What is the reasoning behind a theatre owner putting ill-trained, youngsters in a booth in which they have installed hundreds of thousands of dollars of complex machinery? These projector systems cost as much as most cars, yet no one in their right mind would give the keys to their BMW to a HS kid who didn't have a license. And what about the distributor; you would think he wouldn't want someone running his $5,000 print through equipment that if not handled properly could quickly turn into a print shredder. Why don't the distribs insist that only trained, skilled projectionists be in the booth at all times?

It's a puzzelment.

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2

Printer-friendly view of this topic

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.