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On the other side of the coin, there are tons of union projectionists I would not give two hoots in hell to have in my booth because they are not qualified. As per example, I have ran across a few union projectionists who were not qualified to change a belt in a Simplex 5-Star or a Century R-3 sound head. Just because one carries a union card does not necessarly mean he/she is a professional.

As far as DLP technology is concerned, the young people who were born with a computer in their butt and pursue a college education in appropiate field such as electrical engineering are the ones who will score BIG TIME! The teen-agers and the people in their early 20's on the Film Tech Forums should take a long close look at that. They will be able to make a comfortable living!

It is just around the corner.

Someone has to maintain those things. Somewhere on Film-Tech I read it is probably going to be under the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Paul, how exactly to you define professional projectionist? Is it just a matter of having the skills, know-how, and pride to do your job perfectly? What if I did not know how to change the belt on a Century R-3 sound head because I never worked with one? Would that mean I'm not a professional projectionist?

A professional projectionist is one who knows the booth equipment like the back of their hand. One who knows how to repair their machines, or make quick fixes to get them through the show should a problem develop. One who knows the theory of motion picture projection, and how the equipment works. One who knows how to keep the machines running at peak efficiency. One who knows electrical and electronic theory, and has the ability to adapt to precision machinery. One who knows how to work under extreme adverse conditions without whining about someone taking their damn TV set away from them because they were not paying attention to what they are getting paid to do. One who realizes they are getting paid to do a job, and one who will do the best possible job under any unfavorable conditions. One who knows how to operate their machinery, and one who takes pride in keeping it clean. One who takes the extra steps necessary to insure the film is handled correctly, and one who takes pride in their show, and one who will get off their dead ass and keep an eye on things. One who knows how to present the product correctly, and one who will not settle for hind tit in their performance. And, one who knows what they are doing, and one who is completely alert of their surroundings. One who can pick up abnormal noises and investigate them. One who does not panic if something goes wrong, and one who knows exactly what to do if something does go wrong. One who knows how to read the manuals, and one who is willing to pick up a technical manual or literature for any piece of booth equipment and study it to learn more about it, and one who will learn from their mistakes, and one that has common sense and how to use it. Also, one who will is willing to learn more about anything that has to do with industry. One who can be creative about the way they want to present their program. And, one who is willing to take that “Extra Step” needed to make his or her performance enjoyable for the customers who are paying to see the show.

Ken, the equipment in your assigned booth is what I am talking about. If you never ran a Century or a Simplex in your life, I would not expect you to be qualified to keep that stuff running. However, if you are running that type of equipment, I would expect you to get qualified very fast to keep 'em rolling...as a true professional would.

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As for union vs. non-union operators, I've seen good ones and bad ones from both camps. Just recently, I heard about some truly awful film handling practices going on during ShoWest--with IA operators no less. Carrying a card certainly does not guarantee competence or even a good attitude towards the work. But I will say that the chances are that the guy (or gal!) with the card has at least been doing the work for a while. Whether the guy is good at the job or has been practicing bad habits all his career depends on the guy.

What defines a professional? I would say part of it is a mental attitude that approaches the work as a craft, a skilled craft that requires some time and effort to master, and more time and effort to maintain. Treat the job as a license to learn. Stay current--like pilots and flying hours, the best projectionists are the ones who do it the most. Read up. Read the manuals. Take industry training. Take electronics and computer and film classes. Network. Join SMPTE. Join USITT. Join CAS. Join AES. Contribute to Film-Tech. Be a mentor--take on an acolyte! Teach. Give presentations.
Give back to the craft!

Back on topic, the projectionist occupation has been identified as a dying one for quite some time. In the early '80s I worked for a very short while under Local 150's (LA-Hollywood) extra board. At that time the state of California had determined that projectionists were a dying breed and provided state funding to re-train projectionists for other occupations. Don't know how many guys took them up on that offer. But some of us are still alive and kickin' almost two decades later!

Paul
Staff Projectionist, Senior Vidiot
Crown Theatres Neonopolis 14
IATSE Local 720 ('74-'94), blacklisted

I have seen a few card carriers that were not so good, and I would not have them in my booth. Please be advised I am still Pro-Union, as I have been a card carrier for many years before I tossed in the towel.

I am sorry you have apparently mis-interperted my post. I also completely agree with Paul Mayer's second paragraph. He said it much better that I could have.

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