Welcome to BigScreenBiz.com

...but love it. I was janitoring in our theater then asked to be trained in the booth and I really enjoy it. I want to learn all I can, but seeing what few places I found online about it, every place has different equipment. But there is still alot I can learn none the less.

Welcome to Bigscreenbiz, shy girl.

I am by no means an expert in projection as I was in your shoes only a scant two years ago. I was given a twenty minute instruction on threading the projector and splicing together film and then it was sink or swim, so I practiced over and over again. Now I can thread my machine in no time and what used to take me hours now takes far less time. I know nothing about other systems, and until they cross my path I will remain ignorant of them.

Good luck and welcome

[This message has been edited by leeler (edited March 06, 2006).]

Your training sounded close to mine. Lucky for me I had a good teacher and now I am working on learning what's wrong with the film/projector and how to fix it. I've been doing now for 2 1/2 months, but you can go awhile with smooth sailing, then finally get your first brainwrap. (You know what I mean.)

Thanks for the welcome.

Welcome.

Kodak has lots of good information about film handling:
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/support/technical/storage_handling.jhtml?id=0.1.4.15.12.14&lc=en
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/newsletters/pytlak/?id=0.1.4.11&lc=en

BigScreenBiz is a great site. More technical discussion is also on the http://www.film-tech.com Film Handlers Forum.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Customer Technical Services
Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Telephone: +1 585-477-5325 Cell: +1 585-781-4036 Fax: +1 585-722-7243
E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Welcome ShyGrl:

I started in projection in the late '40s and spent more than a quarter of a century in the booth. Yes, there is a lot of different equipment out there. Some of it older than I am. But, if it's well maintained it will put out a good picture.

The multiplexes are similar with probably not more than a half-dozen different brands of machines. Simplex seems to be the most prevalent. It's been around since the silent film era but it's manufactured by a different company today.

We used to call the projection room the "Heart of the theatre". I hope you develope that kind of passion for the booth as screen presentation remains the single, most important aspect of the cinema (but you wouldn't know it from some of the screen presentations I've seen in some multiplexes).

Good luck. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

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Bob Allen
The Old Showman

Welcome ShyGrl. It is always nice to hear from new people in the business. Congratulations on your promotion.