The projectionist is the heart and the soul of the theater: without him, there's no real reason for anyone else to be there: people wouldn't buy popcorn to sit in an empty, dead theater, would they?
Projectionists were once considered skilled artisans who were as integral to the life of a movie as the director was. It's true that many still view it in the same light, however, in this day with new technology and modern shortcuts, the job has lost a good deal of it's luster. In the job you're entrusted with the entire reason that the theater is there: the movies themselves. It becomes your responsibility; your duty, to show them as best as you can.
At least that's how I always treated the job...
When I was trained, I trained on my off days, unpaid. It took about a month before I was okay, and about 3 months before I considered myself good. I realize that it's a relatively easy job now: you maneuver the film through a series of rollers and gates in order to pass it in front of a lamphouse putting out 2000watts and above. You learn to be quick with your hands.
A typical projection shift started at 11am, if the theater opened at 12. You could be there until 5:30 usually, or thereabouts. It seemed the hardest part of the job involved your seperation from the rest of the theater. I usually had an entire floor to myself: I kept the temprature low, and the lights dark (oh the pain emerging at 3PM to look outside at the bright sunlight!) Your only connection to people downstairs is the static-y walkie-talkie thats on your belt:
"Hey Matt, what's your 20?" (where the hell are you?)
"Projector 10." (the far east side of the theater)
"Can you turn the sound up in theater 3?" (the EXACT OPPOSITE PLACE from which you are standing)
"Gotcha; will do in a few."
I always had a sense of showmanship with the job: whether it be in not allowing any clear leader to hit the screen after the lamp struck (you'd see a dirty and messy countdown that detracted from the show) or timing a beginning of a movie to coincide with the music (letting it build to a crescendo and starting the projector) or just checking the damn operation every 10 minutes to make sure the optimum conditions were met.
It was a fun job, it really was: I saw SO MANY trailers, and so many sound logos, and the first 20 minutes of darn near every movie that came out on my projection shifts. It was amazing too, just because no matter how crazy the floor could get on Friday or Saturday nights, the booth remained quiet, still, and cool. There could be 4500 people downstairs, and it would be just you upstairs: the final link in the great chain that started when the patron bought their ticket.
"Matt, what's your 20?"
"I'm by projector 1."
"Can you turn down the temprature in theater 4?"
"Sure."
Sigh, that means another walk into the middle booth. And I have 10 more movies to start in the next 40 minutes, oh well. No rest for the weary.
-/end/-
Posted by Matthew at April 16, 2002 01:22 AM