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Author Topic: How Did *YOU* Become A Tech? Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 02-27-2004 06:52 PM                     There's no school for this stuff and most would agree that it sucks to have a "tinkerer" in the booth. But, really, how else are we supposed to learn this stuff? It's like the Catch-22 where you couldn't get work unless you were in the union, but you couldn't join the union without work experience. My situation: We replaced our older Century type projectors with newer ones and I was encouraged to take the older ones apart and learn how to put them back together. Luckily I had part of an old manual. About a month later, I was invited to spend a couple of weeks getting hands-on training on those same machines and also platters, etc. I spent many hours helping the techs that came in from the USA and eventually there were a lot of problems I could solve. Dolby's seminar last year filled in some blanks regarding SRD and reinforced everything I had already learned about analog. I always call in a more experienced tech whenever I encounter a problem that I *know* is beyond the scope of my knowledge and/or experience. It's really the best way to learn. Certainly better than trial-and-error, or "tinkering." So that's my story. What's yours?  |  IP: Logged Mike Babb Master Film Handler Posts: 250 From: Norwich UK Registered: Jul 2002 posted 02-27-2004 08:55 PM                        The brief history... Projection school in Revere Mass with Brian Wilson, now of Boston L&S. I learned a ton in 3 weeks after walking in the door not knowing how to thread. Paying attention while working booth for years, fixing whenever time and ability allowed. When techs were called, be there, ask questions, help out. Running different booths and equipment when possible. Years of all that got me to a level that when my theatre closed I was able to get a tech job...now I learn so much day to day working with my boss and figuring out things on my own. Dolby school was great too, for what was in class including a lot I already did on the job, but also for the wealth of info from the others in class on breaks and dinners. One interesting thing, my son is 13 and has been able to thread and start for a couple years, even running a few shifts with my supervision just for fun. I'm not at all pushing him to be a tech but I always think people who are in it from a young age can be pretty amazing walking around with years of experience at a relatively young age.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 02-27-2004 10:09 PM                     I'm inclined to agree that it helps to get started as early as possible. I started with 8mm home-movies at about age 8, including splicing and manual threading of camera and projector. Then I moved onto 16mm projection on weekends. In college I did a few editorial internships which is somewhat related to projection. When I look back, I see that professional projection was practically inevitable.  |  IP: Logged Rick Long Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 759 From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Registered: Nov 1999 posted 02-27-2004 10:45 PM                     I started out as a projectionist, loved the job, and stayed one for nine years. Then one day, bout thirty years ago, one of my former apprentices, who had joined a service company told me what fun it was, and how I should give it a try. And if I ever catch up with that sonofabitch.........  |  IP: Logged William T. Parr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 823 From: Cedar Park, TX Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-27-2004 11:00 PM                     I became one because of my Brother who at the time I got started in being a projectionist, was the regional engineer for Cinemark. After leaving Cinemark and oing to work for UA i was taught a lot by Ray Andress who also worked with my Brother when he was Ray's backup at UA. Been fixing things ever since.  |  IP: Logged Chris Hipp Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1462 From: Mesquite, Tx (east of Dallas) Registered: Jul 2003 posted 02-27-2004 11:09 PM                     Is it common for service companies to offer on the job training? OR do they mainly knowledgable people? I can figure just about anything out, but I sometimes need to be pointed in the right direction. I have only been working on the equipment at my theater for about a year and a half and can fix about 95% of any problem that would occur. The last problem I had that I could not figure out and had to have my engineer come out was last June. I have no doubt that I would learn the ropes very quickly wokring with a tech.  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 02-27-2004 11:15 PM                        I'm no longer a tech, but I occasionally play one on TV.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 02-28-2004 01:57 AM                     quote: I have only been working on the equipment at my theater for about a year and a half and can fix about 95% of any problem that would occur. I know what you mean. I don't *really* believe your claim but I can kind-of relate. I've been a tech now since 1998 and right now I would guess that I could fix 95% or more of the common problems but I've never sat down and considered how many problems there could possibly be. Best way to learn everything there is to know about a particular system is to build one from scratch and understand what each part really does. I'd have to admit that it's probably not very practical (or even possible) for most of us.  |  IP: Logged Mike Babb Master Film Handler Posts: 250 From: Norwich UK Registered: Jul 2002 posted 02-29-2004 11:52 AM                        I can't speak for all companies but from what I've seen training can work for and against because techs sometimes leave and sometimes to compete against the person who trained them. Also training seems like such an ongoing thing, it's not like anyone could say they are done learning. Several people in my Dolby class had tons of experience yet were still there to learn.  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-29-2004 05:11 PM                     Having a good electrical, electronic and mechanical background, along with reading technical stuff on the equipment, I just "stepped into it without even knowing." Like Manny said, there is no school that teaches this crap that I know of. You simply learn it yourself by doing it and working with others that know what the hell they are doing.  |  IP: Logged Jason Thode Film Handler Posts: 20 From: Frisco, TX, USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 03-03-2004 02:29 AM                     At my old theatre, Stonebriar 24, where I started my booth career it was "heres the part, make it work!". Lucky for me there was a manuel and I can reverse engineer off a working projector to get the broken one working again. My babtism of fire was changing out and timing a strong intermittent assembly with the help of only a manuel and dumb luck on my part. 4 hours later it was fixed and working properly again (By the way I can now do this in 10 minutes). When they saw what I could do they had the regional tech Mike Armicost teach me some more here and there. The only weakness I have is sound equipment (help me its scary working on that).  |  IP: Logged Luciano Brigite Master Film Handler Posts: 277 From: Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Registered: Jan 2002 posted 03-05-2004 09:02 PM                     I started asprojectionist on late 92, at that time I was still studying,electronics tech course, and had to leave the theatres around the middle of 93, after I got my diploma and realised that fixing electronic stuff ( mostly consumer gear, only worked with sound stuff) I decided to go back to theatre work,after some time my interest in knowing how all that works,how it's set up and maintaned, led me to ask around, most of time getting the "door on the nose" , at the last company I worked for, met some realyl decent people and with them got in touch with a few techs, both mechanic and electrical/electronics, they let me stay around in their shop and see how things are done, my boss at the comapny also gave some help since he saw I had interest in what I was doing. having electronics/electric knowledge from the previous school years helped a lot in that, with 2 years in the last company I bought a projector,put it to run for a while then dismanteld it entirely( at the time never had done that and mechanics aren't really my big deal and I'm not ashamed to day that I don't understand it in full,but i'm not giving up on that) put the thing back to run again, sold it and the person that bought it last time I heard about told the projector is running flawlessly (sp?) untill today. on my last two years in the theatre, after had found FilmTech, and the person that was my boss and the company tech quit his job, managed to identify some problems with a DA20 and have it back to work for 5 months non stop until the day I was sent to another theatre.after I got fired due to theatre closure, have been trying to survive as a freelance tech,did a few maintenance services, full booth setup and had a chance to be a tech and projectionists chief in another theatre chain. in this last one wich I unfirtunately didn't say, set up a double booth from scratch in 2 days ( one projector with tower + sound system per screen) serviced 3 other theatres, returned to the double booth to replace a stripped gear inn a Vic 4 ( No.. that wasn't my fault, the machine was sent to the theatre as is, without any revision) 10 days after the theatre oppening and got amused at myself I dismantled the entire projector, changed gear, reassembled, timmed shutter in about 2 hours ( Ok, the vic 4 doesn't have a lot of gears but I never had dismantled one before nor had that kind of thing with any projector being under pressure of an annyoing supervisor and the theatre owner wanting to sell tickets for the next show.) All what I know I learned by myself,with the help of those who let me stay around in their shops and/or told me how to proceed,learned from studying the manuals ( not all of them, only the ones I needed at the time!)available here and again asking around when I wasn't sure or didn't know how to do. I was told the following once, and think it's very true: "you didn't born knowing everything, you don't know everything and you will not know everything" Again, I'm not ashamed in saying " I don't know" when the time comes.To me each time a problem shows up it's a chance to learn something and/or practice what I know. I'll be soon doing my 4th full rebuilt inna projector and if everything goes well, wil lbe setting it up along with everything else in a brand new theatre, wich I already received lots of calls to give directions to the people that are building it up inside. if it turns out, it may even give a submission for the pics warehouse  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 03-05-2004 09:10 PM                  Daryl, can you put L's post thru your summary prg? It just too damn long to read... (Sorry L, just yanking your chain, bud!) >>> Phil  |  IP: Logged Luciano Brigite Master Film Handler Posts: 277 From: Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Registered: Jan 2002 posted 03-05-2004 10:45 PM                     Sorry.. Didn't realise I wrote too much.. [ 03-08-2004, 08:37 PM: Message edited by: Luciano Brigite ]  |  IP: Logged Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 03-06-2004 01:01 AM                     I never became a "Tech" as they are known today. For the 25 years I was in the booth I was an I.A. "operator". I didn't have to worry about fixing a sound problem because we had a service man (usually from RCA) who came around once a month and checked the equipment (even after we went to mag stereo). I served an apprenticeship under several projectionists for about six months before I was given my own booth. I became an operator because my dad was an operator who started in the business in 1916 operating a hand-cranked machine in a 6' x 8' "sweatbox" suspended from an opera house ceiling. He remained in the business until the early '70s. I also owned and operated several theatres and am working on returning to the business as an owner/operator.  |  IP: Logged

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