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The reels are spliced together by hand. The film has to be cut and taped together precisely or it will not feed through the projector correctly and will "jump frame" causing a distorted 1/2 screen image (and an angry audience). The film is then wound onto larger reels using a motorized make-up table. From the make-up table the film is held together with large clips and carefully moved in it's giant form to a platter. It is very heavy and slippery. One wrong move and you could have film everywhere! Hmmmm, sounds like I may have experienced that once. These are the platters that the film lays on and spins around. In the center of the film roll is a mechanism called a "brain" that feeds out the film and decides how fast the platter should spin to keep up with the projector. While another platter, above or below, is taking up the film and rewinding it from the projector as it is being viewed. This set of platters can feed and rewind two movies from two different projectors at the same time. |
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The film is threaded through a series of spools alongside the platters to prevent tangles and provide tension and information to the "brain" as it proceeds to the projector. |
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Then the film travels a few feet away entering the top of the projector. It is threaded through another series of spools and drums inside the projector and behind the lens creating the sound and picture. The film threads out the bottom and then continues the circle returning to the platter to be rewound. Then at the end of the week you get to take the movies apart, put them back on the smaller reels and start all over again with new movies. It's a vicious cycle! |
