From: jittlov@gumby.cs.caltech.edu (Mike Jittlov)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.mike-jittlov
Subject: Re: Newbie projectionists
Date: 28 Sep 1992 09:56:06 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
NNTP-Posting-Host: gumby.cs.caltech.edu

fontana@iguana.cis.ohio-state.edu (Mark Fontana) writes:

>A recent posting on rec.arts.movies prompted a bunch of us 
>net.projectionists to reply to a guy named Biff (name changed to
>protect the guilty).  Biff is a newbie projectionist, and was looking
>for tricks of the trade.  (??)

>Anyway, we all got cc:'d on the replies, and I thought I'd share
>a few with my fellow Jittlov fans who take pleasure in the world of film.

>> someone told me you'll learn from experience...i think it's true.
>> here's a horror story:

>>> If we are going to trade war stories...(this could make a fun newsgroup)

Let's see... THEATER PROJECTIONIST HORROR STORIES, Volume II..

I was approached by Universal (?), to show my original WIZARD
short film with one of their new features, "CHEECH & CHONG'S
NEXT MOVIE".  For two weeks of screening, they'd pay me $600.
Not bad, for a three-minute short, in one theater.  But I'd
have to supply the 35mm print.

Slight hassle.  I shot it in 16mm.  But on very fine-grain ECO
filmstock, all exposures perfect.  I had an excellent blow-up
made.  (People walked into that test screening, soon exclaiming,
and asking how I'd gotten this much quality on a 35mm animation
set-up - and they were floored, when I told them it was "amateur"
rig - ie my specially-adapted Beaulieu, seen in the feature).

Took about a week of my time, and $500 of my dollars.  (The 
studio advanced NO money.)  Delivered the 35mm personally to
the Westwood theater (when was this? about 1981-2?  somewhere
in my records, who cares).  Went upstares, and handed the small
reel to the Projectionist.  Probably the most intense, nervous,
angry human being I have ever met.  He stared at me, and then
at the can.  I started to explain something he should know.  He
grabbed the can, tossed it, and went fuming to another area.

I stood, patiently.  He finally put down his magazine and stood
from the chair, returning to stare at me.  I wasn't leaving.
He snarled, "What?!?  Alright!  Tell me!!"  So I mentioned the
filmshort was a little non-standard - it'd been shot for TV, at 
a 1.33 ratio.  If he was setting up on a second projector, as 
it seemed, would he mind putting in the 1:1.33 matte?  He
exploded.  "LOOK!  Putting in a matte!  That means I have to
DO something!  I got WORK here!  I don't wanna have to DO
ANYTHING!  YOU UNDERSTAND?!?"

I waited until he came down below boiling point, and asked
about the incredible tension he was undoubtedly going through.
It was, after all, a complex and demanding job, etc etc.  We
had a good talk.  Turned out this wasn't his normal occupation.
Just part-time, to help pay tuition.  He was actually a student
at nearby UCLA.  Pre-med.  Studying to be a brain surgeon.

I am not kidding.

(Oh - it took months to finally get the $600 from Universal,
and a lot of phonecalls.  Usual Hollywood game.  Convinced
me against ever doing this again.  Similar experiences with
the animation festivals - just is not worth the aggravation.
Which is why you rarely see my filmwork, anywhere.)

(Second True Story:)

A friend and I went to Westwood (again), to see DARK CRYSTAL.
It'd just come out recently, and was playing at a tri-plex.
Projection was very poor - I have seen sharper Super-8 on a
theatrical screen.  People were yelling, but no one doing 
anything.  I got up, walked to the popcorn counter, asked the
girl to call the projectionist and ask for a focus check.

Went back in.  Few minutes later, the image shook, then slowly
shifted to perfect focus...and out the other way.  People
started screaming again.  I returned to the popcorn girl, same
thing.  Back in.  Same thing.  Projectionist was probably a
UCLA student, studying to be an optometrist.  I went to the
popcorn girl, one more try.  Back in to view.  THIS time, the
image almost got focussed.  And then the reel change came, and
the next projector was even worse.

Seemed too late to get our money back, so my girlfriend and I
sneaked into another screening room, to see ET.  It was in
focus.  But raining scratches, really sad print shape.

We went nextdoor, where they were showing TIME RIDER.  The
sound was too soft, muffled and distorted.  The reason was
apparent - half the soundtrack was visible, on the right side
of the screen.  I went back to the popcorn girl, apologized
for seeing the messenger of complaints this evening, but
could I speak with the projectionist?  She said he was very
busy.  I mentioned the film's sound.  She said it's always
been like that, and offered me some free popcorn - they
were closing up the counter.

We left.  The theater's still in operation.

(Third True Story:)

John Massari (co-starred in WIZARD) called me late one night,
there was a movie I HAD to see!  "I don't know why, Mike.  But
they just went wild!  It was jammed, packed house, everybody
was cheering!  Even though the picture stopped and burned on
the screen three times!  One of the reels was even upside-down
and backwards!  They didn't care!  You gotta see this!  It's
got everything you like, Irish music, one guy against the
system, he's an artist, but, but, I just don't get it!"

What it was, was a cast & crew screening - typically over-the-
top reaction.  And in the Egyptian Theater, in the middle of
Hollywood.  On a Friday night.  I went to the theater, a few
days later, for a more honest audience and reaction.  TURK 182
was playing to an audience of 5.  And the screen showed five
burn-bubbled frames, briefly.

The Egyptian Theater has been recently closed.

--mike jittlov




  he couldn't understand it,
wasn't the greatest movie, bu
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