Film Projectors: Out with the Old

When I went to the movies last weekend I found out that the movie theater I go to had just switched over to digital movie projectors. Do you know what that means? No more filmstrip! It's mind-boggling to think of movies without filmstrip, but it seems as if the filmstrip days are quickly coming to a close.

It's kind of sad, isn't it? I think so! I don't blame movie theaters for keeping up with current technology and switching to the next big thing, especially since digital movies are far superior in their sharpness and clarity, not to mention the fact that it's a lot easier (you literally just push "play"), but I think it's sad that projecting movies through film is quickly becoming a lost art.

When I first started my job at the movie theater in 2000, I was amazed when I went to the projection booth on the second floor of the movie theater and saw just what a process goes into movie projection. It's quite a production! I wish I had a video to show you of everything it entails because it's definitely something to behold. Wait a sec, let me check YouTube to see if I can find a video showing how a film projector works. Okay, I found one. The film projector in this video is very similar to the ones that were used at the movie theater I worked at. (Go ahead and skip to one minute in to the video, to the part that shows "lacing up.") It's pretty fascinating, isn't it?! Now you know why I think it's sad that film projectors are becoming a dying breed.