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This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
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Topic: NPR "The Waning Art of the Projectionist"
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Monte L Fullmer
Film God
Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004
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posted 11-12-2012 07:09 PM
Might have to post some picts of booths that I've worked in in my 40 plus years in the industry..
I've worked in booths were the floor was wooden, and had keep an eye on keeping the machines level since they would settle on a continual basis. When I started there, the picture on the screen actually had a list (left and right had their own list), and I leveled both machines where the picture was square on the screen. The owner didn't even notice the listing, but it really bothered me. We didn't even have a rewind machine. Had to rewind the reels on the reelcranks on the bench. those SuperSimplex were in real bad condition with bad hooking INT sprockets. We did get two new sprockets in and I rebuilt both assemblies since the Super INT used taper pins for sprocket replacement.
One was a decent sized house with the most dirtist booth around. Didn't take me long to clean that booth up, painted it and we knocked the one common wall out that went to the ajoining storage room to make a personal viewing room. We repainted and laid down new carpet in that room where it was a nice private screening room. I even added a good speaker above the window for our sound. The owner/manager of that location was pleased with the results that I did in this conversion (had his permission to do this..) and he would invite guests with him to watch movies while I ran the booth containing Strong Moguls, Simplex E-7's and Westrex 206 soundheads.
The most elaborate booth I've ever seen was at the now gone Centre Theatre downtown SLC. A large room with Dolby units and amplifiers on the back wall with two Bauer U2's with STRONG Futura II's 13.6mm carbon arc units behind them. To the left of No.1 Bauer was the film workbench and storage bins for the reels.
To the right of No. 2 Bauer, was an actual sunken living room, fully carpeted with two sofas, pole reading lamps, end tables, coffee table, console TV set and a full kitchen set on the same floor level as the machines in the corner of this living room area. The bathroom, off to the side was a 3/4 bath with full shower.
Obviously, this was an union booth were the operators were definitely assigned to remain upstairs at the entire time for their shift. This booth was immaculately clean and in perfect condition.
My booth where I was Chief Projectionist, was also fully carpeted (I kept this booth clean like my living room in my house), had two overstuffed padded arm chairs and fully contained, but had a hotplate and small fridge for lunch making. But, I also had the comfort of having "room service"-I would get on the 'intercom' to call up the concessions and had food/snacks delivered up to the booth since I wasn't allowed to leave the booth while on shift.
Fun days those were ..... - Monte
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Scott Norwood
Film God
Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 11-12-2012 09:52 PM
I'm kind of with Manny as far as not really wanting to work in grungy booths any more, but is there anyone here who hasn't worked in such a place at one point, and is now a better operator as a result of that experience?
Anyway, for me, there is a difference between "dirty" (ugh) and cluttered/disorganized booths. The latter is not really a problem (and can be good if the part that you need is somewhere in the junk pile), but dirty booths are just death to film in most cases.
My current pet peeve is projection booths which lack an adequate stock of spare parts (which, for me, is fairly extensive). I realize that this stuff costs money while sitting on the shelf and not generating revenue, but having the right parts on hand to save a show is extremely critical. No one wants to tell the audience to go home and come back the next day, nor should this ever be necessary due to equipment failures.
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Gerard S. Cohen
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 975
From: Forest Hills, NY, USA
Registered: Sep 2001
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posted 11-13-2012 10:06 AM
Joe, you complain that most of the gallery pictures show the projectionists just sitting. But for my first decade as operator (1970-1980) most of my time in 3-projector, single screen booths was coping with boredom, and even in my latter years (I retired in 1994) when working singles.
Besides reading books, newspapers and magazines, I wove a purse for my daughter, painted the booth, repaired appliances, etc.
Other operators did water color and oil painting, macrame, sewing and hobby crafts.
Now it seems that intervals between changeovers, after tending to focus, carbon arcs, cleaning and lubricating the machines,
makeup and breakdown of shows and eating meals, would leave zero time for sitting, but in fact those intervals seemed leisurely at the time. To keep from climbing walls, I made chains from heavy gauge generator wire with a hack saw and vise,
which still support my bird feeders today. When I "upgraded" to
working a 14-plex alone, (replacement shifts) the relativity of time shifted somewhat, and I donned rollerskates.
So I feel showing projectionists in repose captures one essential aspect of life as it used to be lived
by some projectionists.
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Mark Ogden
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 943
From: Little Falls, N.J.
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 11-13-2012 02:20 PM
Boy, you hit it on the head Gerald. My many years in the booth were spent in changeover single screeners and 3 and 4 plexs. Got a great deal done between reel changes, including taking a correspondence course from Cleveland Institute of Electronics, building the occasional HeathKit and catching up on my reading. Went off the screen exactly once in all that time (which was one too many times, but still not bad for 14 years).
I enjoyed these pictures, but they reminded me of an old pet peeve: I always disliked working in booths where the walls were covered in old one-sheets and lobby cards, especially in older theaters. I know that's a big decorating motif with some guys, try to turn the booth into a personal rec room, but it always thought that more than one or two was shoddy looking. This one guy used to shellac them to the rear blow-out wall in his booth, they must have been a half-inch deep at one point. This was long into the safety-film era, but I still thought it was a fire hazard.
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