my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Digital Cinema Forum   » New Theater Tech looking for some direction

Author Topic: New Theater Tech looking for some direction Jesse Istre Film Handler Posts: 5 From: ROUND ROCK, TEXAS, USA Registered: Oct 2019 posted 11-11-2019 08:20 AM                     Hello, I have been working as a tech for about 4 months. I come from an IT background. I was somewhat hastily thrust into this position and only received about a week's training. The rest I sort of learned on the job. We have a mixture of equipment. Mostly GDC and NEC though. My question is, can anyone direct me to some sort of advanced training material? Management and corporate have been impressed with my performance and adaptability considering the lack of experience. They want to invest in me and have me receive additional training. Thanks.  |  IP: Logged Mark Strube Master Film Handler Posts: 322 From: Milwaukee, WI, United States Registered: Feb 2007 posted 11-11-2019 04:34 PM                        It sounds like you've been thrown into a sort of "head of projection" position for one location? I'm assuming since you mention "corporate" that your theater does employ a technical services company for major troubleshooting, maintenance, and installs? Or are all the technicians internal? Note: this should probably be in the Digital Cinema Forum as I see no reference to film in your post.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 11-11-2019 08:46 PM                        You can register on partners.necdisplay.com, which will give you access to service manuals and firmware downloads for the NEC projectors that you service. GDC also has an FTP site with their stuff on - you might like to try emailing them for a username and password. Barco/Cinionic run formal training courses for the installation and servicing of their projectors, that take place at their US headquarters just outside Sacramento, CA. If you deal with Barco projectors you might like to think about investigating these, and/or registering on mybarco.com. Dolbycustomer.com for their cinema products is another site to look at. QSC offer fully online training programs for their digital cinema stuff, notably Q-Sys.  |  IP: Logged Jesse Istre Film Handler Posts: 5 From: ROUND ROCK, TEXAS, USA Registered: Oct 2019 posted 11-12-2019 12:02 PM                     Exactly.I am the lone tech here, yes. The head of this department is spread thin, launching new locations. I am trying to learn as much as possible independently to be an asset. There is a local company we call for more advanced hardware-level service and installs. Thank you Leo and Mark. This is helpful information. We have a sort of patchwork of equipment here. Is there a general course on the basics of digital cinema? I feel I have a near proficient grasp of terms and procedures. But I would like to fill any gaps. From time to time I come something I am not familiar with. I was told NEC doesn't train on old equipment, is that true? I have a hard time finding support for these models. We have a NC1200c projector with GDC SR-1000. We have other projectors a few laser. But the above are the ones I need the most help with.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-12-2019 12:54 PM                        If you are new to digital cinema as a concept, the DCI specification document is worth a look. It provides a fairly comprehensive description of how the underlying infrastructure works. It might be instructive to try making your own DCPs (using something like DCP-o-Matic) to better understand the file format and structure. When you say that you are the "tech"--do you mean that you are the operator (i.e. projectionist) or are you installing and servicing the equipment? Or both? The operator needs to know how to change bulbs, load content, make playlists, and reboot the machines when things go wrong. The installer/repairer needs to know much more than that. Either way, experience in the IT field will be helpful, since the thought process for troubleshooting problems (eliminate as many factors as possible and then re-add them until the failure occurs) is essentially the same.  |  IP: Logged Jesse Istre Film Handler Posts: 5 From: ROUND ROCK, TEXAS, USA Registered: Oct 2019 posted 11-12-2019 01:23 PM                     My official title is Theater Technician. I would say though I am between Operator and Tech skills wise. They very much try to keep things in-house when possible, for obvious reasons. My goal is to be capable enough to actually diagnose and resolve technical challenges as they arise. Such as the issue I posted in this forum. I have already been given a raise and given opportunities for advancement and additional responsibilities. Do you have a link for the DCI document? Finding materials related to Digital Cinema has been a challenge on its own. Many of the acronyms we use are occupied by other industries. Google searches have turned full CSI level investigation to find relevant information. Just found this https://cinepedia.com/  |  IP: Logged Andrew Carr Film Handler Posts: 26 From: Toronto, ON Canada Registered: Jan 2016 posted 11-12-2019 02:49 PM                        AVIXA is the main AV information and education source as far as I know. There are some free online courses there or you can get a membership for a bit more free learning. Might need to sift through the courses to find info appropriate to your field. Christie University is a pretty good online resource. Obviously Christie focused... Dolby Cinema Training has a bunch of free videos here: https://vimeo.com/dolbycinemasupport AV and cinema tech is difficult as a lot of the people I've worked with over the years have no formal training and have just learned on the job. Have met some great techs but there are a lot of bad habits you can pick up if you're not careful!  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 11-12-2019 03:55 PM                        Though it's a bit old, and focused on the specific requirements of arthouse theaters, this book covers the fundamentals pretty well. quote: Jesse Istre I was told NEC doesn't train on old equipment, is that true? I have a hard time finding support for these models. If you mean Series 1 models such as the 1600 and the 2500, then manuals and firmware for them are still available on the NEC partner site (or at least they were, the last time I needed any), but you're almost certainly right in that they no longer offer any formal training courses. I know that Barco/Cinionic no longer do for their Series 1 models.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-13-2019 06:35 PM                        Here is the DCI specification https://www.dcimovies.com/specification/  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-13-2019 07:30 PM                     GDC has training every year at Cinemacon. So consider going to that. For NEC training you either have to go to MIT if they still do that or to Strong. NEC also does training in Itasca, IL at their facility. NEC has been for me the most reliable projector. I installed 334 Series 2 over the course of digital conversions and I can still count the issues on just one hand. Mark  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 11-13-2019 10:06 PM                        We (MiT) last hosted NEC for a three-day training school (on their laser projectors) in May. I had to skip it because I was in the teeth of a 12-plex install that was running late thanks to construction overrruns, with deadlines rapidly looming. I'm guessing that there will be another one sometime next year, but don't have any dates - sorry.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.