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Resources

Facts About Projection (Third edition) (1975)

Seventies-era students watch a film projected by a student projectionist. Shows that constant maintenance of equipment is necessary for satisfactory and successful film projection.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Production Company: International Film Bureau
Audio/Visual: sound, color
Keywords: Motion pictures: Projection

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: Christine Hennig - - June 16, 2006
Subject: Hey, That's Me Setting Up That Projector!
This 70s film on film projection is an AV geeks dream. It was essentially designed to show to AV geeks to give them the basics on film projection and maintenance and it contains a whole bunch of high school AV geeks performing these tasks in the classroom and in an AV room with movie posters all over the walls. If you went to high school during the 70s, this will be a real blast from the past, as 70s students of every stripe are present in the classroom scenes. In fact, the girl who shows us how to set up the projector in the classroom looks an awful lot like me as a high school student, though I had thinner and straighter hair and wouldnât have been caught dead wearing a skirt to school. The film also contains a cool dollhouse classroom with various kinds of miniature movie screens, something that I call dibs on for the Film Ephemera Museum of Quirky Devices. The film as a whole is rather dry, but it has lots of great stuff in the background to groove on.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.

Reviewer: heheh - - July 5, 2004
Subject: Oh man....
I wish there were more 70's ed-films like this one available on this site. It's amazing to see the contrast between the hokey, genial black-and-white educational films of old versus the creepy, melancholy vibe of the 1969-to-1981 variety. And that stock music...you think someone wrote it just for this film? Nope, I heard the ending theme somewhere else; and there are at least a few oh-so-familiar ditties that were used in several ed-films and on TV too. Anyone who has more information on who composed this stuff...post here! Many of us want to know.

Reviewer: Eric_Petersen - - May 29, 2004
Subject: Best projector how-to film on this site
I was 5 years old and in kindergarten when this film was made in 1975. I always loved watching movies in class and was curious about how the projector worked. Alas, by the time I started high school, classroom movie projectors had been replaced with VCRs.

This is the best of the projector how-to films available on this site. It's even better than the Air Force training films because it gives great examples of problems to avoid, like a dirty lens, dirt on the plates, damage to the film, and sound synchronization problems. It also shows a variety of projectors, including filmstrip projectors.

It's interesting to see how projectors had improved over the years and become practically idiot-proof. The 70's clothes and hairstyles were a lot of fun, too. They brought back a lot of great memories.

Believe it or not, collecting 8mm and 16mm movie projectors and film reels is a popular hobby in this DVD age. People even sell their old home movies on Ebay, as well as a plethora of classic educational film reels, feature film prints, cartoons, and even stag film reels.

Every budding "home screening room" hobbyist should see this and the other films on this site dealing with projection. Knowing how to properly operate and maintain a projector will make your hobby even more enjoyable.

- Eric Petersen

Reviewer: Spuzz - - May 5, 2003
Subject: AV Geeks unite!
Throughout all this film you will get the atypical descriptions of how to load your film correctly, the proper way to set up a screening, and projector maintanence. But what really sets this film out is the NERDY AV STUDENTS. This AWFULLY homely looking girl operates the projector for the (mostly bored students) and this black individual with a curiously looking unkept afro deals with the demonstrations of the actual projectors. We even get to see the proper care of a filmstrip projector! Woooeeee!

Shotlist

This film is designed to show student projectionists some of the steps to be taken in getting ready for good film projection.
A classroom scene shows a high school boy beside the projector stand as he signals to his assistants to pull the window curtains and turn out the lights. As the projection begins smoothly, words on the screen suggest a careful study of the preparatory steps, which follow.
The projectionist arrives early at the empty classroom with the projector, speaker, stand, screen, and films. He makes sure of the proper power supply and sets up the tripod screen in the best location at the front of the room. He next sets up the projector directly in front of the screen, attaches and anchors all cords, and finds the distance at which the projector will give the best image in terms of size and brilliance.
He then cleans the aperture plate, connects the speaker, warms it up, and tests the tone and volume. He opens all film cans, checks the titles, and stacks the films in correct order. He next threads the first film and checks the projection and spare parts.
The commentator explains the importance of proper darkening facilities as the projectionist tries out the draw curtains, which are mounted on a track in the ceiling about eighteen inches from the windows.
When the class arrives, the projectionist and his class assistants begin the showing smoothly, and as the end title of the film appears, he turns off first the lamp, then the sound, and finally the motor as the lights come on in the room. [Educational Screen, Feb 1951]


Motion pictures A-V Squad Projectionists Audiovisual education Teenagers Boys Classrooms Educational films Nontheatrical motion pictures