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Author Topic: Need advice on becoming projectionist. Patrick Jordan Film Handler Posts: 2 From: Sunrise, FL, USA Registered: Nov 2002 posted 11-29-2002 08:22 PM                     hi everyone! my name is patrick jordan and this is my first post(and surely not the last) on this great website! i need a little advice from some seasoned professionals in the projectionist community. let me give you a little information about myself so you guys can better understand my struggles. right now i'm working as an usher at a theatre called muvico in south florida. i got the job about two months ago. i have previously worked at regal cinemas for about a year and a half as an usher as well. i purued the position at muvico because about six months ago i had decided that i wanted to attend film school and persue a career in the film industry as a director. the goal of my employment at muvico was to work my way into a position in the projection booth. i've made little known of any of this to my managers because i want to be informed before i go to anyone. i know that you don't have to be a manager to work in the projection booth or really work there for any amount of time. so as long as i talk well and present myself in a professional way i could get in! but some advice from some real people in the field will greatly improve my chances, i think. basically i would like a little input from people like yourselves that have followed a similar path. some important questions that i would like answered are as followes. how long did it take to complete the training to where you were your superiors were confident to let you work? how did you get yourself up there in the first place? did you work for the theatre for a long time and were promoted? did you talk your way in? if you were(or are) in a position of power to hire a new projectionist, what would you want to hear from the person in question to make him convince you to hire him? what would he have to say or do to get your attention? also, what wage did you start out at? (the last question might be a bit personal for some so please don't answer if you feel uncomfortable, i'd just like to know what to expect) please give me any advice that you guys see fit. i'm planning on making my move soon and all of your help will really improve my chances i feel. but most importantly, please answer my main questions because that's what's really burning on my mind. if there are more important things than that please let me know. i just really want this more than i've wanted a lot of things and your advice will mean the world to me. this is a job i think i would like to stick with to put myself through college and after untill i progress higher in the film industry. thanks a bunch for all of your help in advance and i'll reply when i see some posts! thanks again, patrick  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 11-29-2002 08:39 PM                    Welcome aboard! It's great to see someone full of enthusiasm who wants to learn and wants to do a job in the best, most professional way. But are you sure you want to embark on a career that may be a dead end in terms of having a long term future at good wages? Between the job being largely delegated to young people at low wages and the ever looming threat of digital (not necessarily the current crappy systems but the long term conversion to a serious cinema-quality system) I would be reluctant to encourage someone to make booth work their career goal. On the other hand technicians of one sort or another will always be needed and a solid background and experience in working a booth is a good foundation on which to build an eventual career in tech work and you've come to the right place to learn from the very best (I modestly exclude myself from this accolade). Not to criticize but a few capitals and paragraph breaks would make a long post such as your much easier to read.  |  IP: Logged Aldo Baez Master Film Handler Posts: 266 From: USA Registered: Mar 2001 posted 11-29-2002 09:42 PM                    As a previous usher and doorman, I can relate to your situation. I guess I'll answer your questions one by one. It took about two weeks of training to be able to work by myself. I learned how to thread rather quickly, but they had me work with other projectionists to make sure I was ready. I simply asked if I could be a projectionist after one had left, and they said sure. I had worked for the theatre about 8 months mainly as the doorman. I worked upstairs for about a year, came downstairs and learned all the managing stuff, then went back upstairs where I am now. We never really hire someone simply for projection, we usually just has someone work their way up. If I were to hire someone, I would want someone who instead of knowing what to do when something goes wrong, theye go beyond that and looks at things and notices things *before* they go wrong. Most of the projectionists I train now simply want to know what to do when something is wrong, but beyond that they could care less. If you show a genuine interest in providing the best possible presentation and avoiding problems you're probably a keeper. I started out at 7.00, but once I became the head projectionist I was given a raise, and have been given a one dollar raise every year since then. I am now at 10$. Not spectacular, but it's better than dealing with the customers downstairs. Best advice that I can give you is that it can get VERY tedious, threading the same movies in and out everyday you work gets extremely boring. You have to remember while you have threaded and started this projector for the third time today, the people inside are watching it for the first time. So EVERY time you want everything to be perfect. Ask questions learn as much as you can, I always hung around when the technicians came and saw what they did, now I know so much we hardly ever have to call them except for major things (I just wish I didn't have to order parts through them.) As Steve has said being a simple projectionist as a career is probably not a wise option but learning the stuff and being able to fix it, someone always needs that. Good luck! Good Luck  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 11-29-2002 10:01 PM                     Have you checked www.film-techjr.com yet? Ok sorry about that, but I couldn't resist with the current thread in the Yak forum. Seriously though, just be yourself (hopefully that's professional) because any experienced manager/operator will see through your telling them what they want to hear anyway. If you really want to become a projectionist and are not just looking to get out of cleaning theaters, then you will make it in proper time. Do heed Steve's warning though. If you want to make a career out of this, you need to work projection for a few years and try to slowly work your way into teching.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 11-29-2002 11:31 PM                    Gee Brad, isn't there a rule about willfully posting a broken link? Seriously though, there are a lot of disciplines that motion picture technology covers so learn as much as you can about electronics, computers, optics, etc. That might not pertain to your daily work but down the road it will. By all means stay in school if you have the opportunity to do so.  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 11-29-2002 11:50 PM                        That link isn't broken.  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 11-30-2002 12:19 AM                        I'd agree with Steve on this one. I was trained by a gruff, crabby old geezer, back when I was 11 or so. Maybe I was lucky he didn't throw me out of his booth... maybe not. But, he was a career union projectionist... a title I don't think many people deserve these days. He didn't leave me alone with a complete show until I'd worked under him for 3 years! Chances are, not many will get that kind of opportunity, for many of the reasons Steve mentions. Those were great days. The people who learned the art the right way deserve a lot of respect... and maybe it's a good thing a lot of them aren't around to see how things are being done today. Absorb all you can & be a good operator... but if you want to be close to this business, learn the technical side of it & work that angle. In a vicious sort of way, you'll be getting in on the ground floor of a profession that still has some demand... digital's probably going to need a lot of hand-holding for a while, & the chains are still buying a whole lot of that nasty, obsolete old 35mm equipment.  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 11-30-2002 12:20 AM                    Ok, reading your post it doesn't sound like you want to make this a career. So don't worry about all that digital crap getting in the way. So long as when you become a director you use film to make your movies. I took a step up in a way and started doing management a couple of days a week and still run the booth too. I have two choices now if I am still in this industry when digital is in every screen. It will be a very long time for that so long as there are no standards, the image is crap and the price stays bloated out of proportion. THe day that every screen becomes digital video is probably the day that I will say screw it and never attend the theater again. I will just stay hopme and watch T.V. and rot away like all the other projectioonist. That's if I am no longer in the busines. To answer your questions though just be honest with your intentions. When you talk to your manager tell him that you are very interested in learning the booth. Show the interest by asking questions to other projectionist about the equipment and watch what they do. Be energetic in you usher work. Keep things clean and show that you care about keeping things clean. Take that with you to the booth. I did all of this above when I started years ago. Was an usher for a month then in the booth trained for about two weeks without there being an opening. Then an opening came up about a week later and the rest is history. I will say this. The job is an ongoing learning experience.  |  IP: Logged Jacob Huber Expert Film Handler Posts: 172 From: Evansville, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 11-30-2002 12:44 AM                     My first training shift was 2 years to the day of my hire, and I was allowed my own shift after working only 4 shifts. I'd like to say that I'm a fast learner, but I also had some "experience" from being on these forums. I suggest reading the tips section until you know it by heart. Most indies that I know of will work somebody up from the floor, and move them to the booth only when they feel they are ready. This is understandable as it's a little uncomfortable asking someone "off the street" to do the most important job in the building, whereas they can promote someone they already know and hopefully trust. Keep in mind that many places won't allow anyone in the booth unless they are 18 or older. Finally, keep these words in mind: a great employee never has to be told to do something because s/he has already done it or volunteered to do it. Good luck with your endeavor.  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 11-30-2002 12:46 AM                        I did my entire apprenticeship over nearly 3 years (required hours), mostly without being paid (which is reasonable - kinda).  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 11-30-2002 12:52 AM                        Read the posts on this forum, especially the ones which sound cryptical to you. Do you understand what Steve Guttag writes about? Probably not. Do you understand the questions that Antonio Marcheselli posts (usually they are answered by Steve, so that is one question in two parts)? Probably not. No problem. But do you feel you would want to understand what these gentlemen (and many others, I am just citing two which come to mind immediately) discuss? If your answer to the last question is yes, even if it would take a lot of reading up on technical stuff, then you are on the right path.  |  IP: Logged Andrew Duggan Expert Film Handler Posts: 127 From: Albany, NY, USA Registered: Jun 2002 posted 11-30-2002 12:12 PM                        I think you are probably better off just being straight with management about wanting to learn projection. I'm sure there are a slew of other people at your theater who want to go up there, too, but I'll take the pepsi challenge & say that most of them just want to go up there so they can goof off and be away from supervisors, ticket tearing and the like. These people make trying to run a booth a living hell, especially when you don't have the authority to fire or ban them. I have horror stories like you wouldn't believe So I'd say do your best to get there as quick as you can, and then once you do: Read every manual you can get your hands on, explore all the machines from top to bottom, inside & out. Listen to the techs when they come & ask as many questions as you can. Hey, take notes if you think it'll help. When I was working for Hoyts, I learned a TON from the tech they had. (In fact, I'm kind of angry that I can't call him for problems at my current theater.) The most important thing: When you make a mistake, and get that fantastic first brain wrap, or print toss, repress the urge to freak out and panic, and make sure you learn from your mistakes. A lot of guys I worked with (many of the same ones who came up from the floor to goof off, mind you) would just freeze up in a crisis and expect somebody else (yours truly) to bail them out. Making mistakes is the best way to learn how to keep them from happening. Oh, and the other, much more fun aspect of the job: If you like going to the movies (and I assume you do if you want to direct), I suggest going out to a really good movie soon, get the biggest, most buttersoaked bucket of popcorn and the most syrupy soda you can find, and really, REALLY enjoying it, because you're about to kiss it goodbye Pretty soon, every second you spend in a theater, no matter where you go, will be broken down into 24ths, studied & nitpicked. Every time the green band on the previews is framed a little too high, you'll want to scream. Every scratch, skip, pop, crackle, shadow, hair, splice and dirtspeck will drive you insane. It will get to the point where you'll go to different towns to see movies, just because you don't know anybody who works in the theaters there, and you won't be able to run upstairs and tweak things every 30-55 seconds. Or maybe I'm over overexaggerating... Maybe... -Andrew  |  IP: Logged William Leland III Master Film Handler Posts: 336 From: Charleston, SC, Registered: Aug 2002 posted 11-30-2002 03:57 PM                        I was in your position in 1998. I was an usher and wanted to get upstairs. I was making $5.15 as usher and made in projection $5.50. When I was a closing usher, I would go upstairs and talk to the projectionist. Only do this if you know the projectionist. (We projectionist consider the booth, OURS and OURS only. We hate people coming up and awaking the dragon .) I would follow him around and ask questions. If he notices you asking questions, then it is obvious that you are interested in projection. Show an interest in what he is doing. Aask what things would help you learn, ask him what he likes and dislikes about his job. You have to show real interest IMOP. My advice is just become friends with the projectionist and ask if there are any openings. But I've had a lot of ushers, concessionist ask me if they could come upstairs and I know that they would not make it. Some people are "cut out for projection" and others not. I think it takes a certain type of person to be a projectionist. So ask your self do you really want to do this.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-30-2002 04:32 PM                        I agree that it takes a certain personality type to do this job and most of them (me included) are at least somewhat crazy. Seriously, though, who runs your booth now? Is it staffed by union operators? Full-time non-union projectionists? Managers? Staff promoted from concession? This will affect how you could go about trying to get the job. Personally, I think that the best way to learn the job isn't in a large chain-run multiplex but in a independent single-screen or small multiplex. Ideally you'll work for some old grumpy operator who has been everywhere and done everything and might be willing to teach you how to do things properly. Sadly, most multiplexes seem to be obsessed with doing things as quickly as possible in a half-assed manner and there's nothing worse than learning "the wrong way" first, since you will then have to eventually un-learn bad habits. Other possibilities include volunteering for the student-run film society at your school (probably 16mm, but that's good experience, too) or (how I started....) working for an independent theatre with no money where everyone is totally clueless including you and you are forced to learn how to fix stuff in order to keep the show on the screen. Also, consider volunteering for a local film festival; you probably won't do actual projection work without experience, but you can probably learn something in exchange for carrying film cans or ripping tickets. Eventually, you will want to work in many different booths. I'm a big believer in learning how to operate many different types of equipment in many different environments (multiplex, single-screen, art-house, second-run house, repertory house, screening room, etc., with and without automation). Also, read and post to Film-Tech. Finally, please only do this if you really care about presentation quality and want to get good at projection. There is no shortage of candy-counter "projectionists," but there is definitely a shortage of _good_ projectionists. Unfortunately, there is also a shortage of people who will pay a good projectionist what is his experience and knowledge is worth. As for pay: don't expect much. Consider yourself lucky if you get more than $10/hour, which seems to be about average. The highest I've seen is $20/hour, but that's for occasional one-off screenings, not full-time booth work. If you are motivated by financial compensation, try finding another field.  |  IP: Logged William Leland III Master Film Handler Posts: 336 From: Charleston, SC, Registered: Aug 2002 posted 11-30-2002 05:06 PM                        Scott if you think $10 hour is the average, I need to move to Boston. The multi-plex I worked at with 3.5 years of experiance going in I made $7.00. Which I was grateful. The head projectionist was making 7.75. I think another theatre chain around here pays there projectionist 8.50 but not sure.  |  IP: Logged

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