Will Theater Owners ‘Get the Picture’?

* “Kodak Takes on New Screen Role” [June 30] points to losses in image brilliance and clarity in motion pictures.

Yes, the projector bulbs aren’t being replaced often enough. Yes, reflectors are out of position, and glass surfaces that the projected picture passes through aren’t clean enough.

The writer interviewed Rob Hummel at Technicolor, who inadvertently points to the real problem: “A lot of times--no joking--the guy who is making popcorn is the one who runs upstairs and threads the film through the gate.”

Has industry amnesia taken over again? There used to be such a thing as union projectionists who took expert care of such things. But sadly, with the advent of multiplexes and plate systems that have virtually replaced reel changes, skilled projectionists were needed in fewer and fewer numbers, until in the late 1970s the majority were shown the door.

System maintenance was contracted out. Theater managers were given the task of working the newer, “automated” projectors. The projectionists who remain have learned the newer digital technologies and are now system engineers.

I called Theater Projectionists Local 150 and spoke to Lee Sanders, who was very knowledgeable about the “de-skilling” of projectionists. He told me about a few theaters who actually do have full-time projectionists--the Laemmle and the General Cinema chains. He also told me about an alternative to digital projection, something he called “hi-def” 70mm, which would use existing technology to duplicate the emerging digital projection systems at a fraction of the start-up cost. Even if the industry does begin a conversion to digital projection, there needs to be skilled engineers to keep the system running. These technicians will certainly find a union local willing to represent them before long.

If Kodak’s survey is correct and the average screen is half as bright as it should be, then theater owners’ 20-year experiment with elbowing aside full-time projectionists is a failure. Audiences are clearly not half as bright as they should be. If you’re noticing poor screening quality, demand your money back. Then theater owners will begin to “get the picture.”

Who knows? Maybe there’ll be a renaissance of union projectionists.

JEFF BURMAN

Woodland Hills

Member, Motion Picture Editors’ Guild

Local 700

IATSE