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Topic: Training

Burleigh Ibbott
Film Handler

Posts: 46
From: Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, UK
Registered: Jul 2006

posted 11-30-2006 06:51 AM

Is there a training centre in the USA for a projectionist? As in the UK the Warwick University do training. Which is quite good. But they do have faults which you see in the minutes from the projectionist meeeting. Quite interesting.

* Minutes of Projectionists Meeting 20-11-06

Present: James M, Will, Jeffry, Ian, Tom, Ed, Matt, Amanda, Greg, Tim, Gareth, Liz, Maria, Martin, Rob.

Apologies: Nick

Rotas: Rotas for this week have been filled. Will needs to be making up, so will project the Sunday late, but make it up with Maria who is doing the early.

There was a brief interlude as Rachel was distracted by Tom, who had shut his eyes, and appeared to be mouthing along to nothing. He was apparently singing ‘shoot that poison arrow’

Proj Standards: Rachel pointed out that due to declining audiences, WSC is losing money left, right and centre. In the last week 88 tickets were sold, earning enough money to pay for one of the 6 films we screened. This is not a sustainable position. Matt had compiled a list of the occurrence of errors reported in the weekly report, which was 41. 50% of these errors would have been caught by basic checking and attention to detail.

Top loop dropping : Caused 7 Shut downs. Everyone was reminded that technical faults should be immediately emailed to

DO NOT EXPECT PEOPLE TO KNOW, EVEN IF THE ENTIRE TECHNICAL TEAM IS THERE......

Slide/Data proj: Caused errors 5 times........ *

I appoligise since im new i should of read Brad's notice on links. so attach is link to the whole document the link to the documant is below.
http://forums.filmsoc.warwick.ac.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1091s

[ 11-30-2006, 06:42 PM: Message edited by: Adam Martin ]

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Ben Wales
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 602
From: Southampton. England
Registered: Jul 99

posted 11-30-2006 05:34 PM

quote: Burleigh Ibbott
Is there a training centre in the USA for a projectionist? As in the UK the Warwick University do training. Which is quite good. But they do have faults which you see in the minutes from the projectionist meeeting.

Reading the Minutes, one wonders if the Warwick Uni has a qualified Projectionist to train other projectionists? [Roll Eyes]

Hopefully early next year the BKSTS Cinema Techology Committee will roll out it's Projectionist Qualification Certification programme and should see some standard improvements....

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Caleb Johnstone-Cowan
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 593
From: London, UK
Registered: Mar 2006

posted 11-30-2006 06:45 PM

I have to find £10,000 to get our university projectors working again. My friend and myself are probably the only two students in the entire University of London capable of working them if we got the things fixed, even then we would have to find someone to show me how to lace up an FP20 properly and do changeovers.

"in the UK the Warwick University do training. Which is quite good."

They are a university film society, it will be totally amateur. Looks like they are having difficulties but at least they are trying. Our Film Society has so many financial obstacles placed in front of us it is near impossible to do anything meaningful but I'm trying to move things along.

The only formal training centre in the UK is owned by Odeon in Stoke-on-Trent. If you want to get trained go find a part time projectionist job whilst you are at university.

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Brian Guckian
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 594
From: Dublin, Ireland
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 11-30-2006 07:42 PM

Anyone in the UK who wants details of Projection Training - which is available in several different forms - should contact BKSTS - The Moving Image Society, based in Pinewood Studios (www.bksts.com).

They run terrific Projectionist Training Seminars (which are free to their members), but I am sure that tailored training for specific groups and so on must also be available. There are certainly people who do it.

They also publish the highly-regarded BKSTS / CEA Projectionists' Manual, which is an essential learning resource.

Make that call and you'll never look back!

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Caleb Johnstone-Cowan
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 593
From: London, UK
Registered: Mar 2006

posted 12-01-2006 10:59 AM

The projectionists manual is fantastic. It's only £40 as well, really worth it.

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Dan Harris
Film Handler

Posts: 86
From: Bristol, UK
Registered: Jun 2003

posted 12-01-2006 06:28 PM

quote: Caleb Johnstone-Cowan
The only formal training centre in the UK is owned by Odeon in Stoke-on-Trent.

The Odeon training centre was in Burton-on-Trent but sadly closed last year. The guy who used to run it does training and his website has information on the forthcoming BKSTS Certification and existing courses:

Projection Training website

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Jonathan Bodge
Film Handler

Posts: 83
From: East Dorset, VT
Registered: Nov 2006

posted 12-01-2006 07:30 PM

Let me first say that most if not all posts are from the UK, where all good music originates. Thank the Celtic origins. As far as training, I have always wanted to get a chimp to take over this task. I believe this could be possible, but, their thumbs don't work as ours do.

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Aaron Mehocic
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 804
From: New Castle, PA, USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-02-2006 09:30 PM

Years ago, Sean Lohane from National Film Service advertized in Boxoffice magazine that he would come to your site and offer training courses for operators. This was during the building boom back in the '90's when the megaplex was becoming the googleplex.

I don't know anybody who ever took Lohane up on this, nor have I heard anything about him since then. However I do have an old article in my files entitled "Booth 101: Projection's Seven Deadly Sins" reprinted from Boxoffice , Vol 133, No. 4, April 1997 in which it is said of the author:

quote:
Sean Lohan is Director of the Theatre Services Division, National Film Service. NFS' recently launched Theatre Operational Training and Logistics Program - aka "booth school" - gives everyday managers the tools they need to run a high-caliber projection booth without years of training. The program is offered both in one- and two-day seminar formats, and it is offered to theatre circuits in North America and overseas.

Unfortunately there is no URL available so it does no justice to comment any further. Hope this helps answer your question somewhat.

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 12-06-2006 01:12 PM

Sean Lohan led Kodak's ScreenCheck Program, which included projection training. During the past few years, Sean serves as Operations Manager for Kodak Digital Cinema:

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/digital/lohanInterview.shtml

quote:
QUESTION: Is there a simple description of the Cinema Operating System (COS) and how it fits into the Kodak Digital Cinema system?

LOHAN: The Kodak Cinema Operating System is really a highly capable digital backbone for theatres. It enables cinema managers to move images with the same ease that they move ticketing and concession information today. With a main server networked to content players and projectors - and all controlled with proprietary Kodak software - the system allows theatre owners and managers to schedule all content for a multiplex theatre using an office computer. They can receive, load, store, assemble, and schedule all digital content, including movies, advertising, trailers and other pre-show entertainment. They can send the content to play in the various projection rooms in the theatre complex over a high-speed network.

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