Reel Stories - An Oral History of London's Cinema Projectionists

How did TV broadcasting resolve the difference between the projector speed of 24 frames per second vs the TV speed of 30 frames per second? And were movies shot with negatives so they could make prints?

I remember buying those packets of bubble gum with the 35mm film clippings in them around 1955 / 56 when I was 8 or 9. But they weren’t strips of film but around a dozen single frames from different cinema films of the time or slightly earlier. When you had enough empty packets, you took them back to the shop and exchanged them for a little plastic film viewer that you put a frame in and looked through the viewer while holding it up to the light. I still have most of them all these many decades later. Some of them were CinemaScope frames with four magnetic strips on them for stereophonic sound and of course the images on them were anamorphically squeezed. Among the Scope titles were THE ROBE; BENEATH THE 12 MILE REEF; KING OF THE KHYBER RIFLES; CAPTAIN LIGHTFOOT; THE PURPLE MASK and TO HELL AND BACK.

También disfruté mi vida como proyeccionista y ahora tengo mis propios proyectores en casa. Siempre los tendré cerca de mi.

cinema now is button pushing now actually of the real thing exists anymore

What an excellent film on projectionists l absolutely loved it... brought many memories back for me from my projectionist days, l believe author of this film missed me

Wonderfully entertaining and informed compendium of projectionist tales.

You've just made my bloody day with this intriguing documentary about film projectionists. As someone who grew up in the 1990s and 2000s, I never had much of the privilege to see the strong heydays of 35 mm and 16 mm cinema exhibitions. But the best thing about going to the cinema in the UK is the whole package- the BBFC black card ("The following film has been passed for cinema exhibition ________, U PG 12 15 18"), the cinema ads (sometimes scaring me more than the film itself I'd see), the trailers especially with the 'U TRAILER' or 'PG TRAILER' before, and those F.A.C.T. piracy warnings.

I was lucky enough to have a month of traning with a small team of projectionist in my 15 years old , they show me how it works and how to load the film on the big wheel and how to splice it correctly with some metalic tape that could automated the change of the lens format during the show, it was a small cinema near my hometown that was indepedant from the big circuit, the owner was the city itself and they show ( art movie) and also foreign movie with subtitle, it was so cool but i never have the opportunity to make this my job.

Motorized rewind bench, you were lucky we had hand rewinders.
I went from trainee to chief over a lot of years, best years of my life.

This was so nice. I never got to be a projectionist but now I can almost call myself one. I love the stories these old masters tell. Experience is so valuable.

Thankyou for showing this what a brilliant documentary .very interesting

Did anyone split a film from the cake stand to a 1-hour spool when it was 3 parts through (marked) while the film was running? The film never touches the floor. well it did at odeon ipswich

Wow! What a wonderful documentary. Thankyou so much for that!

To all the Projectionists.
You are way I became a Theater Technician. Back in the 70's I wanted to be a projectionist. At that time here in the US you had to be in the Stagehand Union and I had no one to sponsor me.
I was fortunate to get a tour of a two rejection booths. One was at a local drive-in theater, and the other one was at a movie house. I remember my Friends had to pry me out of there.
I worked for 35 years in the theater and retired in 2021 and I have always had an appreciation for projectionist.
I was sad when I found out the Union removed the Projectionist.
Great video. Stay Safe.

Somehow, projection was never the same without carbon arcs.

I’ve met a few of these people, Nigel, Amanda and Kore, and a few others look familiar.

This was an awesome video presentation. Like the people in this video, I have dozens and dozens of stories of running film in my life before we had to go to digital. Those stories will always be special to me as to my life as a projectionist.

Still my favourite job. I got into projection in the final two years of film distribution (2010-2012). The best part was when the projector was getting up to speed then as our automation was broken, opening the douser to allow the light to travel trough the film and onto the screen. Magic.

Very enjoyable. Fabulous people

Yes, the river flows. As in all of these workplace histories, that river ends up being, first a sewer, then, cleaned up, a museum.

I'm getting too old for thid life.

Such a touching film. I really felt sorry for those professionals whose jobs were slowly snuffed out. They knew how to put on a show that would entertain and give the audience their money's worth. Now it's just push a button and the whole show is run by computer. Thank you for posting this wonderful film.

When I entered the industry the chief interviewed me & told me if this job gets into your blood you will never get it out of it, how right he was, 20 yrs passed with amazing speed, I consider to this day it was the most special & exciting work in the world. On my days off I would go to another cinema & ask my friend in the projection box if he would like some time off in the evening, so in theory I never took a day off.

As a young boy I dreamed of becoming projectionist one day. That for me was the best job anyone could have. Unfortunately I ended up in Information Technology, but to this day, I still dream...about what could have been.

Really makes me think about the old cinemas I went to when I was young. These projectionist were like artist in the work they had to do as well as the attention to detail involved and timing. I never realize the pride and reward in a job well done they felt when things came together well. I for one want to say Thank You.

Beautifully done, informative, evocative -- and melancholy. A portrait of "progress" that raises many questions. Thanks for this fine piece of documentary reporting.

I used to go to the Scala all nighters in the 80s. They sold Red Stripe in cans and boxes of Maltesers. Some nights were utter mayhem because people went there after the pub, great fun.

Wow i remember the good times ,, i was senior projectionist at the Prince Charles cinema and the chief was Amanda Ireland, I've been many cinemas after as chief but sadly digital took over , I got into cinema through my late uncle Jim Carter and his good friend David oddy ,, love the film

I certainly remember at the Streatham ABC one matinee being told by the projectionist that he had run the adverts and trailer too early and that I could go and take a walk round for 20 minutes or so as the main film would have to start on time and there would be nothing to watch until then.

I trained in 1957/58 on Kalee 21s at the Gaumont Clapham. I went on to work at the ABC Streatham (and quite a few other theatres) for a number of years as a 3rd and later as co 2nd. I went to Canada for a year and returned to a job at Elstree Studios. I left the industry in 1974 and miss it sometimes. Cleaning mechs was a job for carbon tetrachloride in the old times. Nearly passed out with that stuff. Always played the National Anthem at the end of the night—to an empty theatre most times. We never called them record players. To us they were always non-syncs. The money was rubbish but the smell of an early morning auditorium, the purr of a well oiled machine, and a lot more pluses than you can shake a stick at, made it all worthwhile. I worked for myself when I left the industry and never had time to look back. I'm 78 coming up 79 now and reminisce over all the fun I had. The art of presentation ended with multiplex cinemas. No tabs, no stage lights, no carbon arcs to keep trimmed. It's sad but life moves on.

A really good film that bought back meany happy memory's for me. I left the projection room in 1986 but, I have never been without a 35mm projector at home to keep me sane. Today I have 2 Philips DP70's, Mole-Richardson 490 arc lamps, mercury arc rectifier, a Dolby CP200 processor, D-150 screen and lense and boxes of carbons, total ecstasy.