How to become Motion Picture Projectionist in 2024

Motion Picture Projectionist Set up and operate motion picture projection and related sound reproduction equipment.

Motion Picture Projectionist is Also Know as

In different settings, Motion Picture Projectionist is titled as

  • Booth Operator
  • Cinema Projectionist
  • Digital Projectionist
  • Film Specialist
  • Motion Picture Projectionist
  • Movie Projectionist
  • Projection Technician
  • Projectionist
  • Projector Booth Operator
  • Technical Projection Guide

Education and Training of Motion Picture Projectionist

Motion Picture Projectionist is categorized in Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Motion Picture Projectionist

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Education Required for Motion Picture Projectionist

These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Degrees Related to Motion Picture Projectionist

Training Required for Motion Picture Projectionist

Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Related Ocuupations

Some Ocuupations related to Motion Picture Projectionist in different industries are

What Do Motion Picture Projectionist do?

  • Insert film into top magazine reel, or thread film through a series of sprockets and guide rollers, attaching the end to a take-up reel.
  • Start projectors and open shutters to project images onto screens.
  • Monitor operations to ensure that standards for sound and image projection quality are met.
  • Operate equipment to show films in a number of theaters simultaneously.
  • Splice separate film reels, advertisements, and movie trailers together to form a feature-length presentation on one continuous reel.
  • Inspect movie films to ensure that they are complete and in good condition.
  • Set up and adjust picture projectors and screens to achieve proper size, illumination, and focus of images, and proper volume and tone of sound.
  • Inspect projection equipment prior to operation to ensure proper working order.
  • Remove film splicing to prepare films for shipment after showings and return films to their sources.
  • Splice and rewind film onto reels automatically, or by hand, to repair faulty or broken sections of film.
  • Perform minor repairs, such as replacing worn sprockets, or notify maintenance personnel of the need for major repairs.
  • Open and close facilities according to rules and schedules.
  • Observe projector operation to anticipate need to transfer operations from one projector to another.
  • Set up and inspect curtain and screen controls.
  • Project motion pictures onto back screens for inclusion in scenes within film or stage productions.
  • Remove full take-up reels and run film through rewinding machines to rewind projected films so they may be shown again.
  • Operate special-effects equipment, such as stereopticons, to project pictures onto screens.
  • Coordinate equipment operation with presentation of supplemental material, such as music, oral commentaries, or sound effects.
  • Install and connect auxiliary equipment, such as microphones, amplifiers, disc playback machines, and lights.
  • Prepare film inspection reports, attendance sheets, and log books.
  • Perform regular maintenance tasks, such as rotating or replacing xenon bulbs, cleaning projectors and lenses, lubricating machinery, and keeping electrical contacts clean and tight.
  • Clean the projection booth.

Qualities of Good Motion Picture Projectionist

  • Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
  • Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
  • Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
  • Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
  • Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
  • Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
  • Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
  • Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
  • Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
  • Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
  • Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
  • Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  • Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
  • Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
  • Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
  • Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
  • Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
  • Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
  • Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
  • Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
  • Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
  • Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
  • Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
  • Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
  • Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
  • Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
  • Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
  • Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
  • Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
  • Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
  • Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
  • Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

Tools Used by Motion Picture Projectionist

  • 16mm motion picture projectors
  • 8mm motion picture projectors
  • Allen wrenches
  • Cordless microphones
  • Digital movie projectors
  • Emergency lighting
  • Film cleaning machines
  • Film rewinders
  • Flathead screwdrivers
  • Laser disc playback machines
  • Movie theatre screens
  • Multi-image slide projectors
  • Opaque slide projectors
  • Personal computers
  • Phillips screwdrivers
  • Portable hard drives
  • Portable motion picture projectors
  • Portable tape reproducers
  • Power amplifiers
  • Precision nut drivers
  • Screen cleaning brushes
  • Splicing machines
  • Spotlights
  • Still image projectors
  • Theater lights

Technology Skills required for Motion Picture Projectionist

  • Apple macOS
  • Audio calibration software
  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Avid Technology iNEWS
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • Facebook
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft operating system
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Word
  • Web browser software