Going Dark: The Final Days of Film Projection (Documentary 1080p)
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- čas přidán 11. 08. 2014
- Hollywood is forcing theaters to either go digital or go dark. Studios have decided they will no longer send out film prints of new releases after 2014, eliminating the need for a 35mm film projectionist in most theaters. Going Dark profiles two projectionists during their last days on the job.
Directors: Jason Gwynn, Jay Sheldon
Produced by Jason Gwynn
Music by Jonathan Paulsen
Cinematography by Jason Gwynn
Co-cinematographer Jay Sheldon
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It brings tears to my eyes, I am from India and a great fan of film projection. I used to look back to the projection booth to see that huge film projector running and the dare man who holds its control. Those reels containing advertisements had a special charm and luckily had a chance to see a 3d movie in film format too. Even in my village all theaters now got fully digitalised and the film projection is almost dead :(. Dear film projectionists & projectors we miss you a lot....
Please don't forgt all the lab techs that are also on the chopping block many peeps have lost their jobs as well.even the film delivery companys lose .
In my early twenties, I worked for a local theater and I became a film-projectionist. I loved the job a lot. The last theater I worked for (Galaxy Theatres in Riverbank, California) converted to digital and I was eventually "phased out" of the job. It wasn't a pleasant experience. That was back in 2008 and I haven't worked at a theater since, tho I do miss it everyday. I still have dreams that I'm working in the projection-booth.
That was sad to hear
I hear you brother. . . I was a union projectionist from 1981 to 1988. It was the funnest job I ever had. I am glad that I had the opportunity and was in the right place at the right time to be a projectionist.
Digital will never be the same no matter the resolution or sound. It is missed.
Thank you David Ward and Henry Finch.
I was a projectionist my junior and senior years of college. It helped pay for my education. It was the perfect job. This was before 'platters'. We had 2 projectors. We got the film delivered in heavy metal cases in 20 minute reels. In between switching from projector to projector, I had time to study, write my term papers and read. The bell would go off, and I would jump up to get my hands on the switchover knobs and look out into the theater for the circular 'markers' on the film (oval, if it was widescreen). It always surprised me that, even when I pointed them out, my friends could never see those markers. It was one of the best experiences in my life - no multiplexes - just stand alone theaters with projection booths. I even did some drive-ins. It was always exciting to me to switch from the flat lens to the anamorphic lens and lock it into place when the frame was perfectly rectangular. Just, unfortunately, another job lost to history and progress.
I too was a projectionist with 20 minute reels in an old-school projection room. Did a lot of homework up there. It was a fantastic job.
Those are que marks, I notice them all the time.
@@jagdtiger9287me too. I learned what they were when I was a kid and drove people nits about it.
I was actually looking for video of the change reels tone. I'm reading a fiction called "The Starlite Drive-in" by Marjorie Reynolds. It's actually very well written in the style of To Kill a Mockingbird, from the kid's POV. They live in a drive in and she mentions that. I've seen the dots, but I didn't know there was a tone.
I still see those marks on older films that have been digitized. First mark start counting 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-change over.
I was a projectionist and service technician for over 25 years....and reluctantly trained for and did a few digital installs....but the reality is, I was and always will be a film projectionist and technician. I started at an Air Force base theatre doing the old school reel changeovers with two projectors, later running an 8 screen theatre with the platters shown in the video. I then went on to a company that built specialty 35mm projectors for film locations, and ran 35mm film for many Hollywood celebrities and studio heads in their home screening rooms. It is that part I miss the most..I got to see films before release and met some great (and a few not so great) people in the industry. The latter part of my film days was spent running 16mm, 35mm and video screenings for a University Film Studies dept. I am now just an electrician, but I have a full 35mm projection, platter and sound setup that will eventually end up in my own private screening room.
I worked at the Air Force theater at Wheeler Field. One day one of our crew was in the back of the theater and had fallen asleep. We all tip-toed out and turned the lights our and waited for him to wake up. About 5 min. later came out with a sheepish grin on his face.
The old way kept the projectionist on his toe's, 20 min change-overs, etc
And Digital ended the Projectionist's nightmare: Receiving a 4 reel print with it's heads and tails detached and missing. Sure you could figure out which were the first and last reels, but the two in the middle? It happened to me when we got a foreign film through Miramax. Well, there was a 50/50 chance of getting reels 2 and 3 in the right order. After the first showing we asked the audience what they though of the movie. Most of the audience was confused, so we switched reel 2 and 3 and again asked the audience what they thought of the film. Now everyone was confused. Turned out there was a missing reel, as discovered when the film was released on VHS with a running time 18 minutes longer that what we showed in the cinema....
with today's incoherent stories, i doubt anyone would notice,. lol. However it happened in the 1980s at the Odeon I worked at. parts 2 and 3 of a film called YENTIL. it ran for 4 weeks and no one noticed until a woman who came to watch it after already seeing it came down and told us
I spent five years as the projectionist at an 8 cinema complex and just loved the job, the equipment, and everything associated with cinema projection - I certainly miss that job and will never forget those five great years in the bio box. That was five years back now.
I have seen just one film in digital format here in New Zealand. After the film started the auditorium lights were still on, I complained to a staff member who did not know how to turn them off. The picture was bright and clear but I could see the iris moving trying to keep the contrast high. Once I spotted this, that's all I could see. Sound was way to loud. I was told it was always set at a pre set level.
That was the last time I have been to a cinema after a life time as a projectionist and technical engineer within the industry. All my film viewing is now at home.
Michael Beeny same here too dude.
I experience the same thing here in Australia. Went to see a 'classic' movie, Vertigo with James Stuart and Kim Novak. Audio way too loud and spoiled the movie. It seems all movies these days are shown with the audio at Star Wars level. House lights came up about five minutes before the end further ruining the final moments of the film. Spoke to the 'operator' afterwards, he did apologise but added that the house lights where pre-programmed when the 'film' is set up. He said the error was because modern movies always have the credits at the end when the house lights come up but because this film was old and credits were at the beginning. So I guess that explains it all!! Sad times for those of us who have experienced the chatter of film running through a projector at 24fps.
I was a projectionist in the UK for twenty years, from 1961 to 1981. There were no cakestand platters containing a whole programme in those days. We had two projectors and went from one reel to the next and back again every 18 to 20 minutes or so, in a process called 'changeovers'. It was a very heavy and involved job, particularly with regard to dragging the very heavy metal transit cases full of film from the loading bay up the stairs to the rewind room. No motorised rewinders, either. We turned a handle on the rewinder to rewind the reels and splices were made with film cement, not Sellotape. Videos such as this give the mistaken impression that films were shown like this forever until replaced by digital and that is far from the case. Cakestands didn't come in until the late 1970s in some circuit cinemas and most none circuit cinemas kept the two projector system until they closed down.
Well said. The job of projectionist has been gone for 50 years. It takes no skill to thread a projector, push a button, and walk away.
Wow, way to tug at the heart-strings! As a former projectionist, this beautifully shot documentary really captured the essence of what it meant to be a vital part of the cinema experience. There was a real art to being a projectionist that is now sadly lost. Thank you for capturing the beauty and humanity of this important time in history.
So happy to see this still making the rounds. It was a wonderful experience to be a part of this, and by far the coolest momento of that time of my life.
I used to go to every theater and saw every movie and it runs on 35mm film. Those were the good old days. The last film I saw was Disney/Pixar's "Brave" which was shown at the South Hills Mall. The rest of the theater chain are all digital. I go back to analog film and collect cartoons on 8mm, Super 8 and 16mm film. And I also have three movie projectors in my possession.
You'd BETTER have 3. All the dual 8 projectors aren't too good!
The last film I saw in analog (until last year) was Inception in 2010, then I saw the 70mm roadshow of the Hateful Eight at the end of 2015, it was amazing. I miss film projection :(
I was a projectionist for 10 years, 1999 to 2009. Was trained in-house by senior projectionists and ran platter systems. I was damn good at it and I loved the job, if not the anti-social hours. I saw the writing on the wall around 2007, retrained as a teacher and left before I had to face redundancy. The Hurt Locker was my last threadup, running an interlock between 6 houses, which was a great way to go out. It was an incredible privilege to be involved and I still miss it today. This really bought back memories!
Two monts ago, our local cinema brokes down, my fellows get fired and for me the beginning of a change start.I was moved to another cinema of the company that only runs digital, not to long i quit. My last day in the cinema was one of the most trist things i ever live, I love the cinema, the projection in general, but most important: The 35mm projection, Threading for the last time, and listen at the end of the movie the motor of the machine shutdown was the end for me, a very important part in my life will get extint. I have 24 years old, i regret the fact of take this profession to young. For all operators / Projectionist i say that this tragedy in the history marks forever our lives. Good bye 35 mm Projection, In our hearts and our memories you will keep forever.
Nice piece. But I had to laugh at the remarks that the chatter of the projector was part of the audience experience.
When I was a projectionist in a very old-school theater, it was very important that no noise escaped the projection booth. If you could hear the projector downstairs, someone did something wrong, like removed a porthole glass.
Im.one of those the audiologist tried to bust in one of those soundproof booths.
I HEAR EVERYTHING. It can be GREAT, like when my '72 Harley suddenly lost its "washing machine motor sound" at 55 mph, and I KNEW it was VERY, VERY bad, it blew up not long after...or extremely irritating. Such as when the moron with a V8 truck INSISTS on idling 1/2 a block away for NO REASON. We've been fuel injected since at least 1987. That was mine, A 1987 GMC Jimmy truck. They don't NEED to "warm up!" Even back then, it wasn't half an hour!
Add ADD and noises can be very distracting.
But I got a 100% on my hearing test! Well above most people in my age and sex group. Females and younger people hear better.
So, yeah, if there was a mouse farting, I could hear it.
5:50, I miss threading a projector... there's just something unique about being able to quickly thread from the brain, through the rollers, into the head. Feeling the points from the roller on my finger tips would let me know my finger placements were correct and I could do it without looking (as long as it lined up in the aperture). I miss that sound of the film going through... such a fun job.From building up the film to opening the shutter.... it's great. It's lonely working up there in the dark, but it's also the best... Plus, cleaning the projector heads of emulsion and oil... oh man, such a tedious process and cool process. All projectionists know to cherish these memories.
+Terri Dactyl Well said ! I started in projection when Reagan was still in office, and left the booth for the last time in 2000. Never met a female projectionist before.
Haha, well we existed.
Hey Terri, I was one of those kids that turned around and looked up to try looking into the booth room to see what it was like inside, trying to see what the projector looked like. I've always wanted to go into a projector booth to look at all the really cool tools and that projector for the 35mm film. I think the last time I saw a film was in 2009, now unfortunately it's all digital. Like the guy said in the documentary, there seems to be that one seen that's so quit I could hear the reels. growing up with 35mm at the movies, I do miss that.
I was one of those kids too... I miss the clicking sound of the projector as the movie starts and how at first it's noticeable but then we habituate to the sound.
the smell of the film...
I grew up watching film and I remember there were times when after the movie started, I noticed that the image looked funny and would go out to tell the staff that they had to flip the projection lens to either flat or anamorphic. Even though I'll miss 35mm, I do enjoy the benefits of digital. The focus is usually spot on (I remember going to many film screenings when the focus was slightly off), the picture doesn't degrade (prints look beat up after a few days of screening) and most importantly, you're watching pretty much what the director was looking at during editing (because most movies are all digital intermediates now). BUT, I can say 70mm and IMAX is definitely something that hasn't been replicated yet.
Worked 25 years on projector and currently working on digital. Love this job!
Career as a projectionist for 12yrs overseeing 8 cinema projectors/halls. Missed those sounds. Sad to see it being replaced by digital. Any ol skool projectionist will tell you the same thing.
I ran projectors in Indiana from 1984 until 2012 and ran digital in Florida for 3 years. I really enjoyed the info you packed in here and this resonated well with me!!! My boss and I had a real passion for reel-to-reel, mutt systems and platters until we were forced to upgrade. Many small theatres could not afford to go digital, and small communities lost some real treasures.
I think that's the plan! The old movie houses were either ruined (Chicago's old Biograph, wherw Dillinger was shot out front by the alley), or still there on a smaller scale (Music box is still there and still has a massive church organization and organist).
Great doc. This really unlocked a lot of memories from working the booth when I used to work at the theatre when I was younger.
Congrats on this doc production from me, a late viewer, journalist and media producer from Brazil, among other things. Tear-moving last scenes. Hail and farewell.
Last film I saw analog was War Horse. I managed to catch it late as it was just on its way out from theaters so the print was all worn out and scratchy, especially during the beginning of the film. Wow what a wonderful experience that was, seeing all that grunge, pop and warm static slowly stabilize into a coherent beautiful visual representation. It's almost like the physical material itself is purposefully reminding you that you're watching 24 frames of celluloid and not a movie, until it dissipates and completely immerses you into the story. Nowadays our minds are prepared for the film going experience by blasting us with crystal clear high definition ads and BWAAAM trailers. It's just not the same thing...
last one I saw was "X-men: First Class."
I used to love projecting 35mm film - it was physical and you knew how things were going just from the sound of your projector and the 'chak-a-chakker' of the film going through the gate and sprockets.
You'd hear the in and out music of your advert reel, then the trailers and finally breathe a sigh of relief when the feature started and you relied on the next 18 or so minutes being intact from whoever had the film before you as each reel went through from the top of the long play tower (we didn't have platters!) to the bottom.
Where is the fun in digital and simply switching a projector on and pressing a 'GO' button?
Keep it clean, keep it in focus and frame, keep it bright, make sure the sound is loud enough to hear but not blaring...the keepers of the magic....there was a dance to it
Beautiful film. Thank you for spending the time to honor the craft of the projectionist.
Well made. Excellent Documentary. Thank you for producing this.
Thank you for posting, it brings back so many memories for me :)
Great documentary! Thanks for sharing
I really do miss going to the movies and like the one guys said in this documentary, there seems to be one scene where it's so quit I can hear the reels of the projector. It's sad, because anybody who hasn't had the opportunity to see a movie(s) on 35mm film truly don't know what a true projected movie truly is. As a child, I was one of those kids turning around looking up trying to see threw the window to see who's behind and what was behind the glass, trying to see what the projector looks like. for me going to a theater was a great adventure looking at a movie that came from a reel just totally amazed me. Still does, even though 35mm is unfortunately gone with the wind.
Will be forever missed and your right..i will miss the shutter ...i did notice it as a kid.....was a analog feeling that u canot reproduce with a codec!.....respect
Love the tail leader at the end. Thanks for a sweet homage to a wonderful craft!
Glad to say that 10 years later, we still show film, 35mm and 70mm, all changeover. Our Christie CP2210, which we bought in 2014 for about sixty thousand US dollars, has had countless issues (and is currently out of service with a broken and backordered water pump), but our Philips DP70s just keep on running.
Its shameful how the industry elected to cast aside the people that made the experience possible, but try as they might, they can't kill film, projectors and projectionists are returning to venues that went all-digital a decade ago, and interest and awareness about film is on the rise as well. I doubt we will ever truly return to the way it was, but I hope to see a real understanding of the art that is film projection continue to develop.
Digital war too soon and was never capable of matching film. For digital to catch up it would need 12k resolution, some sort of new colour process and a light source so unique that it creates a few artistic image.
My first apprenticeship was in a film lab, where I learned the whole nine yards of photochemical image capture. Once a year we had to clean a sink and scrap all the silver from the bottom and walls and usually ended up with a bucket of 10 to 15 kilograms. :-D That was in 2000, right when Digital took over. I'm glad I got to experience all the hands on stuff with analog film equipment!
Is that carcinogenic?
I was a projectionist back in high school and college. I loved that job... This documentary brought back a lot of memories. I ran 10 projectors back in the late 80's. I still remember 4 sprockets per frame. I think I could still thread a projector and build/break down a movie.
I had no idea at the time just how fortunate I was to have had the opportunity to work in a projection booth when I was in high school.
i miss film not only for the experience of watching a movie like its suppose to be and because all the magic that it happens in the projection booth with the film itself and the projectionist
The magic in the booth with the film and projectionist has been gone for almost 50 years now.
In 1961 I was sent to 35 motion Picture operator by the USN. got my card. several transfers and years later I got a call in a Navy school from Personnel. Would like to take over the projectionist job at the Naval Hospital Millington. I said yes. In my time in the military I worked for about 5 years in three different Navy bases. great job
I am from an older day when we did not put the film on one platter. The projector was salvage from the Battleship Missouri. You would call a movie a 4 or 5 0r 6 realer hip to you tails out, You had to inspect the film by hand cranking on a bench setup from the tails out to the reel with heads out. If there was a break in the film you did a new splice. For inspection you would crank with one hand and with the other hand put you fingers on the edge of the film, if you felt a bump. inspect the splice, replace if necessary and repeat with each reel. When showing the movie and alarm would chime at the 3 min. mark. Put your foot near the change over button,. Watch the upper right conner for change over marks and hit the button. With a reeler 1 time each 20 min. for a total of 3 times spaced out at 20 min. intervals'. When showing of the movies were over the reels put back in the shipping container with tails out. Did this for about 5 years and loved it. I do remember seeing some stinkers this way. An Italian film with subtitles and had to show to the end because I still had on customer in the theater. Another time with a French opera in French. Beautiful music and did not understand a word.
This April will mark nine years since my 13-year tenure as a Projectionist came to an end in the Digital Shift. I echo the love of creating this form of entertainment for thousands of people; there’s been nothing like it, since. 🎥❤️
🖖♾
Thank you very much for making this doc., it's touching and excellently made.
PS: From a girl who has played with film :)
When was the last time you watched a film with 35mm projection in cinema? Well, those glory times seem to be over...
+The Documentary Network Last time I watched a 35mm print was in summer 2011. The film was (oh the irony) "Super 8". I looked one last time through the small window behind me when a guy threaded the film into a projector. Farewell film - it has been great!
+The Documentary Network I was lucky enough to see The Hateful Eight in 70mm and last year Interstellar in 70mm Imax, both an incredible experience.
+The Documentary Network back in 2011 a Tamil (Indian Regional language) movie "Seedan' OMG it's been 5 years :(
it was in 2012 and the film was Marvel's The Avengers
3 Days ago...2001: A Space Odyssey in 70MM
Now we all watching big TV in cinema
I was fortunate to be trained to operate a single screen two projector house in the late 70's, making changeovers between machines every 20 minutes. Within four years the theater had been twinned with one projector and a platter in each. Typical of the time. As nostalgic as I am for the craft, I appreciate the image quality digital delivers. Many fond memories.
I'll probably miss the warmth of analog sound forever, tho. I fond record pops and such irritating ah, but never could stand Mp3s unless I'm desperate. No point in Bang and Olufsen or Bose or Harmon Kardon for stupid MP3s.
love the doc
INTERESTING !!!
Anyone who likes movies might like Going Attractions, a doc about drive-ins. There's also a very cool song in there.
Excellent video. So sad now it's all gone to digital. I am also an ex projectionist. And I loved my work in cinema. It's the same as film in camera, although
I still have my Mamiya camera and put film through it. It's just having that feel of film in your hands. as opposed to a Hard drive with nothing to see.
They killed film awhile back with digital.. Alot of younger folks have no idea and insist digital is better.... It isn't. Film is a wonderful medium. And I don't care if anyone disagrees...😉 Just know that the people that own the companys that make/made these things dont give a damn who they put out of work or who they harm. They only care about one thing, and thats how much money they can make.
So, don't buy it. You can get a refund in any theatre within 20 minutes of the start. Most movies suck now. They're almost annoying in their brightness abd sharpness. I don't care for digital sound, minus the part where it's lacking noise. Tape noise never bothered me, because it's consistent, but records are irritating to me in annoying sounds.
Looking behind you that's the exact same setup as I used, Cinemacanica lighthouse with a Vic5 projector. Very reliable. After 20 years I could still thread the projector with my eyes closed I reckon.
I was one of the lucky ones who worked in theatres with film. Good Show!
best way to watch a movie in 35mm gonna miss it
Sprocket jockey: "I've been doing this for six years. I'm really good." (Makes splice with huge gap over soundtrack.)
pegbars ...with bare fingers.
If you ask me, those old movie projectors had much better pictures and sound than the digital systems of today.
35mm film is about 12k resolution with it being at a minimum of 8k. They are also optical chemical processes that produce colour at levels digital cannot handle.
They have three projectors that aren't being used at the budget theater near me and I wanted to go about asking if they could teach/show me how to run one of these on their free time.
The General Manage looks n talks like Tom Hanks!! Either ways.. Great Film.
I still have my splicer, and make-up kit, im going to cut the grass growing around it.
I did projection with century projectors for 9 years. Did you guys experience any eye damage working with the xenon bulbs in the machines? I have irreparable damage to this day and im sure the higher ups knew of the potential risk involved to the projectionist.
Patrick Kemen, no problems here. never opened a lamphouse with a xenon fired up, and rarely looked into the shaded view hole.
Your very lucky. My perjectors were missing metal panels on the Century machines and excess light was visible just looking in the direction of them. I had to create little shields by making cardboard cutouts and covering them with tin foil and placing them over the missing panels just to stop the light from being exposed to me. My managers thought I was crazy for doing this but I knew of the danger the xenon bulbs had on the eyes. They also made me open the back end while the bulbs were lit as well. I know I have eye damage to this day because of the exposure to the bulbs. The higher ups told my manager to fire me before I put a class action law suite together, forcing theaters to upgrade their machinery if parts were missing but he did not have a heart to pull the trigger and actually fire me. The theater closed down shortly afterwards. I know I would have a had a law suite as another projectionist I worked with I talked to years later told me their eye doctor asked them if by any chance, did they work as a projectionist? That doctor knew or seen something in their eyes that was wrong! It still affects me to this day as Im light sensitive and have macular degeneration. :(
Patrick Kemen o
This is heart breaking. I love going to theaters. Iove the sound of film projectors. I love the quality of the 35mm film. Im my country (philippines) we're fully digital. Tho I still go watch movies in theaters so they will continue making movies. But i will surely missed the 35mm film.
:( why i don't go to the cinema anymore! it is not film it is TV including commercials.
i own a 16mm proyector.. and a super8.. also i have a dlp projector.. but nothing compared to watch a movie on film..
In 2024 there are some still championing film. The purity of the image that film provides. I wish it didn’t have to vanish. It’s an art form. It’s the one job I wish I could have had. Heck I don’t even have a cinema in my city centre. We used to have 2. 😢
really sad I hope they offer training for the projectionist to do new ingest of digital movies to continue working in the cinema industry
A lost art... :'-(
I was a projectionist luckily I got out when 5000 reels were there. I was an avoid moviegoer, I have never set foot in a digital theater and won't.
Damn...😢
How heavy does a 70mm weigh? 6 or 7 reels?
Film was delivered on Thursday to my theater and a typical 90 minute feature was in two cans on six 2000' reels.I never actually weighed them but I would guess each can was 25-30 pounds. That was 35mm, so double it for 70mm.
I can tell just from seeing the illumination of a image on the movie screen if its digital or projected film. The digital image to me seems to have no life. it is not as bright as an image projected with carbon arcs. We had the most pristine way to project an image and we blew it sacraficing that for the convenience of pushing a few buttons instead of having a highly skilled Projectionist running the show.
They don't want to PAY you, or anyone else involved.
The one movie theater I worked at, I was usually the one that carried these canisters upstairs and boy they were heavy.
Many jobs have been obsoleted and each has a melancholy story because it often seems we are what we do - and when what we do is consigned to the ash heap it seems a piece of us dies with it - we are after all -only human. Suffering is real -but so is hope - as the Indian chief said in the movie The Outlaw Josey Wales ........endeavor to persevere .........;)
Oh man.. the smell of popcorn, the distinct smell of the room, the people, the atmosphere, the laughs, the scares... yes take it all away. :( :(
I could live without most of the other people talking, making an inconsiderate mess or playing on their phone the whole time. I just about have it perfected at home.
yes, I'm going to miss 5 1/2 disc as well. LOL... JK, most of us don't know what ur talking about but it's a nostalgic feeling when u hear that wheel, I get it.
+Dan A (1m2) Yes, nostalgic feeling is a great part of it, but there are many old and/or obsolete formats I don't miss: such as VHS video tapes, compact audio cassettes, any kind of floppy disc.... There is more to a true film print: you actually have each frame physically existing - almost like a painting - and film grain has a character to it (much more than ugly digital camera sensor noise) and the general look of modern print film stock (colors, contrast, silkiness....) is simply awesome. This might not make much of a difference to the viewer as digital cinema improves constantly. Yet: digital cinema cameras and image processing still try to mimic "that" film look. There is a reason for this.
I'm picking up what you're putting down.
well said man.
i miss analog tv to be honest the sound and picture ha a certan wampth to it
Yes, but try to look at an analog box type tube TV set nowadays, especially in PAL format (50Hz): that flicker is horrible. The problem with modern flat screens is that the factory presets cause over sharpening (ringing around edges) and a blue-ish tint, to fool people into thinking it's pin sharp. Dial that down and It will look way better. A recent 4K (or higher) digital transfer from a film camera original looks great on a nice modern HD 16:9 screen. The magic happens in the film emulsion in camera: the way it handles colors, contrast and highlights with that silky smooth roll off - not data hitting a wall. All it needs is higher resolution all through the signal path and less data compression and sharpening artifacts. Then you can watch "films" almost looking as great as a fresh, projected film print. Many a film print was made with cheap, fast, high temperature processing (and poorly maintained contact printers) and looked grainy (not to mention the digital intermediate stages which only recently got really good). Yeah: nerdy talk... O.K. in English: 35mm prints very often could have looked way, way better, but they were made on the cheap during their last decade or so.
As a projection manager, how can you claim the presentation is important when you aren't using gloves while building that film?
Corey Oilar were all thinking the exact same. I’d also question a single person pulling the print off that aw3, that raised spindle in the middle and all...
I'm not sure if I've ever seen a film on actual film. I would like to though, hopefully film can stay alive in a very niche market. Also, why can't the movie theaters just have a digital and film projector?
+Shamic Entertainment They can. And a number of niche cinema palaces do. But movie studios are refusing to put out film prints on film so it makes no sense for standard multiplexes to keep projectors that will no longer have any use. Plus digital is MUCH cheaper for cinemas to run.
As jamesthemaniac said, some places do. Most multiplex theatres projection rooms do not have the space (or dual projection ports) to allow both film and digital...some places put in track systems in the floor to allow the machines to move to the same port (costly.) But the main reason most don't are: one, film prints are rarely being made, and two, there is literally no one left qualified enough to run a film projector properly anymore. Also, a film machine does need to be run, cleaned and lubricated even if inactive..otherwise, it may not work when it is finally needed.
As ANY machine does! Too many rich people leaving cars for a month with just a battery tender!
Not even a decade later they threw all theater owners under the preverbal bus and started renting the movies out directly and digitally. Kind of sad, they treated that entire industry like used, disposable rags.
I think the worst treated people were nurses during the virus and people who were pretty much immediately fired b/c of it, even tho it sure wasn't the black friggin plague. Avoid standing that close for long and you're fine.
My dentist uses a medical grade air cleaner. She never had the virus and nobody got it from her office the whole time. Simple solutions.
Overall it comes down to the fact that film makers don't want to work anymore...they just want to be able to punch a string of ones and zeros and have a movie. Digital looks FAR worse than the old projections!!! These endless CGI effects simply look like CGI and nothing else. Give me a 35mm filmed in Technicolor anyday, but as usual the Hollywood "blockbuster" that costs $300 million to make, but takes in $150 million in revenues gets to knock aside the small films that make us think and actually make money while doing it. Do us REAL film fans a favor...tell Hollywood to go to Hell and DON'T GO DIGITAL!!!
ALLNEWSUX it’ll have an effect on the quality of movies. Before, people have to think before running that panavision camera, because it literally burns money every minute. Your takes has to rehearsed then rehearsed again and only when perfect do they start running film. Now, ten inferior takes cost less than one perfect rehearsed one so it can just be jammed together.
They already are. Nobody could intentionally write a script as boring as the Barbenheimer was.
Compare to the Imitation Game, as it looks like Oppenheimer. The boom was pretty cool, tho.
I liked Final Destination 1 and 2, lost all interest with the fake-a**, FD3, because escalators definitely don't take 10 minutes to eat you. Should that happen (See "woman in China eaten by escalator," It's pretty fast!) And there's no GEARS in the middle of an escalator!! Argh! Even a dummy like ME knew that! Tho whether there are or aren't, you'll still be Hamburger Helper in the end...just notice the lack of clearance between the steps and the bottom. Theres definitely gears at the top on an up one (Chinse lady) not sure about bottom end...
But it also LOOKED really stupid!
His voice was breaking.
.
Nice!
Too bad it was not made into a 90min - 120min doc. It is all being lost to history.
The music is louder than the dialogue .
I don't see digital films, only analog ones with people who actually put something into their work.
No offense, but I'm skeptical of a claim that one does not watch digital films when that claim appears in a CZcams comment.
@@brygenon I digress. I was referring to feature films shown in movie theatres and the technical people who showed and managed them.
Credits don't say, but obviously shot in digital.
I know a great dermatologist....
Wave about 500.00 goodbye, then. You'll be getting bills FOR MONTHS they didn't tell you about!
They're making the most human endevour, art, an inhuman practice.
Well, the scripts now are just awful. Compare the Barbenheimer to the Imitation Game. I had hopes for all, but the agenda in Barbie and boring script in Oppenheimer had me just waiting for the big boom.
Many people looses . There job after digital came. . It is said . Thing
I agree . theaters now are just giant tv screens. Look at the network tv show previews and tv commercials that come on before the movie starts. Im not talking about snack bar ads, actual tv commercials. Heartbreaking but this is the so called change that was wanted.
I call them up and bother them for the REAL time the movie starts. I don't mind previews, but not so many I forget what movie I went to SEE!
I think the scripts are now garbage, I was disappointed in both Barbie and Oppenheimer and I was VERY into the idea of both! Barbie was cute until Ken tried to pull adverse possession, and Oppenheimer, I was waiting on the big explosion.
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823
There is very few previews today. It is all advertising that you have to sit through.
It's not celluloid it is mylar.
Screw You, Hollywood!! I grew up with film and when I compare then and now it sucks being now. Film with arc lights had that special colouring- can´t simulate that. And movies became crappier anyways- I´d like to watch Blues Brothers once more like the old days...
Maybe some equipment got salvaged but to find arc rods now- I doubt it. I remember in my youth the sound in our cinema was very crappy, not much to miss there but I´m sad anyways.
I don't remember great sound a lot of times. I DID get tears in my eyes during Titanic, both at the show (1997) and with a sound card on a laptop on blu ray. I fought long and hard to even FIND a blu ray laptop!!
To my memory, laser disc was great, but you had to turn them.over in the middle, they were expensive af (50 bucks 40-some years ago was a LOT, when a tank of gas was UNDER 20 on a BIG OLDS!), and that's more my memory than reality. They're not as great as blu ray.
I got replaced by the machine
1965-1987. Super Simplex, Simplex X-L and Century heads. Strong Utility, Peerless Magnarc and Ashcraft Super Cinex lamphouses. Worked changeover houses up until the craft migrated to platters and Christie pedestals. The fun ended with the advent of platters and automation. In my days we not only ran the movies but also the houselights, the curtain and the masking. If you really liked a challenge, try running 3 projector + a 35mm sound reproducer Cinerama. I never ran it but had the pleasure to pay a booth (really 3 booths) visit at the Cooper Denver in 1965.You had to stay awake every reel and it was one of the most enjoyable jobs I've ever worked. Digital makes for beautiful screen images but beyond that, it's sterile and boring. In my view, the craft is dead.
They could add a fake clackity sound in the theatre.
Awesome work. Lets be CZcams Friends.
" I wish ..I could do that job 💜 projectionist ..Now a lost if not good as gone art form!
If I watch a movie at home it's through the projector on to a 110inc wide-screen. Otherwise just normal t.v. for everything else ..
d 🤕💜🇪🇺🗺
so very sad
film is real cinema,digital is only a hd tv for home
People who thread platters and press a button to run a show are not projectionists. The job of projectionist ended with the introduction of xenon lamps (which was in the early 1970s in the US). The vast majority of skill and knowledge required to be a projectionist was wrapped up in carbon arc lamps and the associated power conversion equipment. The job was a craft back then and a person off the street could NOT do it. Xenon allowed the use of platters and automation, which spawned mega-plex cinemas... and de-professionalized an entire industry. Like the kid says in the video, anyone can do what he does. That's because he's not a projectionist; he's a theatre employee. I wouldn't even call him an operator because automation is controlling the shows.
Doesn't xenon burn your eyes? Literally?
IMAX still uses film
No question, digital projection is a far superior way to show a motion picture.
But I feel for the old-school projectionists. Back in the day they were skilled artisans, able to coax the magic of a movie experience from the most primitive technology. They had a strong union and could buy a house and raise a family without their spouse having to go to work.
Like piano tuners and technical illustrators, just to name two job types, these craftsmen have lost their livelihood through no fault of their own. And when they look around for training in well-paying trades that still exist, they quickly discover that there are no well-paying service jobs left in the USA.
And it's not because of technological innovation. It's because the unions are gone, the manufacturing jobs are gone, and employers are taking advantage of the desperation of middle class workers who have never before faced the specter of poverty.
The union is gone from projection booths by their own hand. The IA threw the projectionists to the wolves. They could have met automation head-on and demanded an operator for each screen in multiplexes, but they caved to management. Since the theatres were enjoying the INCOME from multiple theatres under one roof... an operator for each screen wouldn't have been unreasonable. Instead, the union began allowing scabs in the booths to operate with the members... then eventually allowed the union operators to be cut out entirely. Some union!
Sure there are. Rich people still have pianos. Even a spinet isn't a big deal to own.
Service? Well, you have maids, house managers, dog care, and such. Plus, plumbers. HVAC guys who can do minor electrical work. Carpenters. Handyman. It takes a lot to have a GOOD worker you can trust and don't have to follow them around to make sure they're not doing something stupid. Guys who do wood flooring are certainly artists. When they fix it. You can't even SEE where the repair is! Higher end furniture repair. That's not cheap. Upholstery. Often for antique cars, but sometimes old furniture. Not cheap. There will always be shoe repair or high end alterations as long as you have 250$+ shoes or clothing.
You have roofers, tuckpointing...audio work. That's a lot of digital, but you still have analog boards.
If you can just put in things like kitchen faucets or bath stuff. You'll always work. It's a PITA, and the cabinets are VERY tiny! I'm.not! Well worth it to me to pay a good painter, carpenter or plumber.
There's lots of jobs, just not the SAME jobs.
Whoever thought of getting rid of classic film projectors ought to be slapped, punched, and kicked 6 ways to Sunday (enough to seriously hurt, but not hospitalize them, I ain't cruel), and have their head thoroughly examined, because that kind of thinking with "digital being better than film" is asinine. They killed a form of art as a result. I don't mind digital film at all, but to get rid of the analog backup is gravely irresponsible and the works of some idiots.
There are film.societies that do film.on a smaller scale: the home theatre stuff. I'd find them at a historical society. Maybe you can gather money to aquire a projector and protectionist....
@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823
The problem is distribution. New movies are going through a digital film when scanning.
I understand the sentiments conveyed in this video but when I go to the theater today, I see movies presented on state of the art digital projectors and the picture is BETTER than it ever was with film projection. The movie looks more REAL. And this nonsense about how "film lives and breathes" is just that...nonsense. It's a strip of plastic with dyes on it. It's fragile and easily damaged. It gets scratched, it fades, it eventually deteriorates. You know, I rather enjoy the process of setting up a reel to reel tape and listening to music oni it, but that's NOSTALGIA. I understand nostalgia but the point of movies is to be watched, and the point of music is to be heard, and digital does it as good or better, and makes it more accessible, more convenient, and less expensive. To close your theater because you won't upgrade to digital projection just marks you as one of those dinosaurs. You know, someone who can't adapt to changing times.
"Less expensive?" You are dead wrong sir. The ONLY ones saving money are the studios on shipping and manufacturing costs for film prints. The average digital projection setup for a screen 30 feet wide or less is over $95,000 for the projector and server. (It was well over $120,000 at the start of the digital rollout, prices have come down as of today because of scale.) Compare that to a film projection system including platter, projector, lamp console and automation, which was less than $20,000 for the same size screen. To convert the average 20 plex screen to digital (and not counting any sound system upgrades) will set a theatre owner back $1.9 MILLION. (And add another 20-30,000 PER SCREEN for any screen larger than the average 30' screen.)
Yes, a digital copy will hold up well, but any breakdowns put the screen dark with often no recovery. If a film breaks, I was able to get back on screen in under two minutes or less. But, with digital, there is usually NO ONE in the entire theatre with the technical skills (read: projectionist) to get the show fixed. It's call the network ops center and hope they can fix it remotely, or talk someone with no clue how to fix it by phone. Both result in huge downtime.
As for the wear issue, film prints can and have lasted for thousands of runs, BUT the catch is, you need to have only competent, well-trained projectionists who cared and kept the machines clean and watched out for trouble. Many chains allowed the popcorn kids to run the machines, with little to no training. THAT caused more damage to prints, equipment (and more that a few serious injuries) than having a professional projectionist run the same print thousands of times. So a false sense of labor savings by eliminating the projectionist resulted in many chains spending many times more in equipment and film damage, show refunds and lost business.
And that's where we are now..watching a giant tv screen, paying a premium for it, with no reasonable guarantee of not having a serious breakdown interrupt the experience. That is not progress in my book.
I understand what you're saying. But those of us that ran projectors, it's different for us. It was a source of pride for us to give you a good show. And yes, when we're in the audience, we notice when the picture is out of frame, out of focus, or the sound is too loud or soft. We did our best so you wouldn't notice. The picture may look better now, but there isn't anyone up there now that cares about it.