Behind the Big Screen - Part 1 

Victor has to be one of the few most intelligent and skilled "modern" projectionists I've seen or heard speak in ages (especially on RU-vid) and would qualify as a *real* projectionist in the "old-school" tradition (vs. most of what's found in multiplexes today). He has a sensibility and pride along with an accurate knowledge of film & projection equpiment - things that were common (& mostly required) in the days of single huge screen theatres, pre-late 70s/early 80s.

I was a projectionist in the UK and there were two trains of thought about winding : winding em in was deemed 'the norm'by some of my fellow projectionists, but I worked in a preview theatre ( professional screening room ) where films in progress ALWAYS came in emulsion out and returned to the client emulsion out.Most labs I use in the UK send material to me emulsion out:my Steenbeck(a flatbed viewing device) cannot run emulsion in : they never have:so for 25 years have preferred emulsion out.

Im currently a projectionist at a 18 house theater that runs completely on 35 mm. Although digital is the up and coming thing, I will always love film more.

Sometimes film will get stuck in the gate and melt on screen,very spectacular to see.

Rewinding on to spools emulsion out seems to be common practice in the US. Here in the UK we normally wind base out(so the feed spool would always run clockwise). The only exceptions being on certain US machines (eg. Simplex) where the fire traps are specifically designed for reverse take off.

Thank you for this informative video. I love film, and just hearing the sound of film moving through a projector is wonderful. I hope film never goes away as it is a beautiful format.

I'd personally only return a print emulsion out if requested. I've noticed in recent years many new prints arriving from the labs with some reels 'in' and some 'out' (often alternate reels) and often some head out & some tail out.

I should have mentioned the wonderful FILMGAURD film cleaner which cleans and protects film prints like every show was the first!This theatre now has curtains that open and close!We have also added Dolby digital to our sound system.I also upgraded to ISCO Ultrastar hd lenses and a curved gate!

Perhaps if Victor is reading this, he can respond to your question about improving film. The way film is handled and projected, will impact the image on the screen. 1080p is the digital limit of the official HD spec only. Digital can go much higher, and will need to for digital projection to compete with film. 35mm film doesn't have "resolution" but it is estimated to be equivalent to about 7 mega pixels. 1080p HD is currently about 2 mega pixels.

cool video. your projectionist was very informative.

I've always wondered how this is done. It'd be interesting to hear some projectionist horror stories. Like, what happens when the film breaks?

Wow! I always wondered how that was done in the theater. Well done and instructional.

And by the, I was and will always remain, the AV geek, and proud of it.

Yet another brilliant episode! Very informative. I can't wait to see more. Keep up the good work! ^_^

I would not worry about the resolution... The big question is: How far can you go to get a usable image quality... I think that 4k (maybe sometimes 6k) resolution masters should be enough... However there are people who claim that the real resolution of a 35mm film can range from 6 to 10k

I apprenticed with both schools of thought.When i run a feature reel to reel i do wind the other way.

@Olphus Digital cinema uses 4k resolution, I believe.

He's running an emulsion-in wind. It can help maintain a more-consistent focus.

ohhhh.....my bad....those are old Simplex model 35 then.....I forgot all about them

The only thing I'd strongly disagree with him about is the platter system being "easier" on film than the older traditionall 2 projector reel to reel setups (although he is right about the platters contributing to more dust & dirt to the film). In fact, the major studios won't even allow an "archival" print of their classic movies to be released to a theatre that has only a platter system to show it - due to the greater wear & tear on the print - besides the extra "dust in the air" factor.

The projectionist is the final link in the film making process, without them, it's just a bunch of small pictures in a can that mean nothing, or when it comes to digital, a bunch of gb's or tb's that mean nothing.

If i run a movie reel to reel i run it counter clockwise because the other projectionists around here keep doing it clockwise i go with the flow but not allways.For the sake of the video i wish i had gone counter to avoid this question.

He says, "This is what you'll find in all the multiplexes of the world"...but that's about to change, right? When they go digital?

those are old Century projectors

The reel he loads on the projector is wound wrong way out!

@Olphus Film is about 6000p

Interesting documentary,spoiled by music-why include it the video is great on it's own!!

better than a christie. lol

High speed printing of films to make opening day on 4000 screens run by untrained under paid kids makes for less than perfect images.Its hit and miss but mostly miss.Film needs TLC TO SHINE.

terible, can`t believe such things still being done in digital age