He guaranteed they would work perfectly, swore he'd run them, and when they arrived, neither was in operating condition. When I questioned his honesty, he replied that broken rewind mechanisms are not a problem, and that any serious projectionist would use a separate rewind instead. Especially stay away from people who would have you believe they're 16mm savvy. Some owners will request that you charge a small fee. You will also find at least one local film or entertainment critic that will think your idea is terrific, so get in touch and ask that your schedule be mentioned every week, free.
Free cinema is loved students on academic budgets.
We encourage you, as preservers of the art of film, to contact your own local school districts and ask them when they plan to sell off their film libraries. Typically, you'll get a hazy response about some time in the future. This is your best time to cultivate a friendship with the film librarian by letting him or her know about your repertory cinema, and why you should be considered the first resource when films go up for sale. It varies, but buying a whole collection for fifty cents to one dollar a title is about right. Negotiate the rights to the film racks as well, as you'll need them.