Man this video is going to blow up, there's not many good 70mm projectionist videos on youtube

This was so fun to watch. Thanks for documenting this, Drew!

As someone that ran 35 mm and 70 mm I applaud you, sir. I worked in the theater business for more than 17 years. I appreciate all you do and your videos.

My best friend who sadly passed away years ago, was a projectionist back in the late 90's early 2000's and took me up into the booth a few times. This video brought back a lot of good memories and was fascinating. Thank you for that.

Dude! My whole family went to your 70mm showing at Bridgeport! Thanks for your commitment to making this the best it can be.

Christopher Nolan would be so proud of your care for his film and the work that gets put in to watch it how he meant for us to watch it. Thank you good sir!

I remember watching Oppenheimer on 70mm at AMC a few months ago, and the first time I saw it on 70mm, my jaw dropped of how beautiful it looks on 70mm, and ever since, I fell in love with the 70mm film format

This was really beautifully filmed, the shots of the print running through the projection system were fantastic 🙂 It shows what a skill being a projectionist really is.

Didn’t expect to see my local theater on this!! Saw Oppenheimer at the Tigard theater opening night in 70mm!! So proud to get the chance to personally thank you! 😁 the film wouldn’t have looked as amazing as it did if not for you!!

Very well done all the way around! Camera placements, lighting, close ups of a clean looking projector. And not letting the leader touch the floor. Roger would be very proud.

As a kid the theatre was always such a magical place. I remember my dad taking me to see Lion King and Little Mermaid almost hundreds of times. I got to go up and see the projector and i just remember being fascinated that a strip of pictures made a film, and that i was watching drawings basically.

It's just crazy how much work actually goes on behind us a few feet up above while we get to relax and enjoy a film for 2-3 hours. Thanks for showcasing this Drew! Your efforts don't go unappreciated!

Thank you for documenting such an important and pivotal art of film history, it fascinates me all your process and seeing how fewer and fewer movies are being filmed in 70mm heartbreaks me. Hopefully the talk over Oppenheimer and the 70mm will ensure that this art and profession has a place in the future.

Back in the '80s I ran a pair of Century model C projectors that are basically the 35mm version of what you're using. individual reels, back before platters made it to most theatres. And carbon arc lighthouses. It was the best job a young guy could have had. Glad to see there are still a few places running film these days. It's becoming a lost skill.

Really appreciate you documenting this process. I attended a 35MM, a 70MM, and an IMAX 70MM screening to work on a big video myself about my experiences, and I think it's really important documenting how stuff like this works, especially today in the digital age.

This is bringing back a lot of memories from one of my first jobs as a projectionist 15+ years ago. Seeing you feed the film through makes me think I can do it just the same with my eyes closed!

As a Tigard native, hat tip to you for getting the pronunciation right! I watched Oppenheimer in 70mm at that exact theatre yesterday and I absolutely loved it.

I’m only 19 so film isn’t something I was around when I was growing up. But watching videos like this, watching videos about working with film and using film makes me hope that analogue formats like this never go away. Film, cassettes, vinyl records. All of that analogue stuff is so cool to me and this video just makes me love it even more.

You got a new fan from South Africa

20 years ago a few of my friends from high school were working at a movie theater and I ended up hanging out at the movie theater a fair amount of time. I got the chance to go up to the projectionist booth a bunch of times, always thought it was a cool experience up there. Whoever was working would show me how all the machines work and all that. The theater has since been closed, remodeled and turned into a church.

We have a 70 mm cinema in our village (one of two in Denmark). It was my intention to watch the Oppenheimer movie in 70 mm, but unfortunately the owner/operator of the cinema, who is also a big 70 mm enthusiast, had health issues. The last 70 mm film I have watched in our cinema is therefore Nolan's Dunkirk. I must still say that the Oppenheimer movie shown in IMAX was a great experience. Thanks for a great video :)

Hardcore nostalgia watching this! I was a 35mm projectionist for about four years before our local second run theater shut down in 2016. Thanks for sharing!

This is totally awesome. I worked as projectionist back in the early 1990s and everything you showed brought back countless memories. It funny to think splicing the trailers with the tap and everything is pretty much the same as it was 30 years ago. Watching the film as it run through the projector and back onto the platter made me think of the first time threading a film. Awesome stuff thanks for sharing.

I read somewhere that because of the huge influx of people wanting to see this in 70mm that IMAX is going to expand film projection across its businesses. With there currently only being 19 70mm cinemas in the US, thank you so much for showing us this side of it!

Oh man, this is so cool. I’m a huge analog film nerd and I was actually cast as a background scientist in this movie so got to closely watch Nolan and Hoyte work together. Best MasterClass ever. It would be an absolute dream to have a 70mm film cell of me around the 1 hour 58 minute mark!

Finally getting around to catching up on any/all of the 'I was there' KZfaqs from Oppenheimer. Great job! I was BL&S operator in STL [also for Dunkirk, H8]. My setup is same as yours, save for Strong console instead of Christie. One other twist; I was one of few lucky venues to get a print on 3 three shipping reels and a 'platter loading device' contraption to put the whole thing together. It did not go smoothly, but we got it done. Long story. MUCH prefer the single large split shipping reel. Your booth looks very modern and clean. We've had housekeeping issues at our location, with change of ownership between H8 and Dunkirk, the last of the regular projectionist[s] being kicked out, water main break in the ceiling in winter of '22, etc.. But we cleaned up our area as best we could and had a great 8 week run. Cheers, and great work again. // FWIW, I started my projectionists career back in .... 1978. Before H8, last worked in the booth in 2004. \\

The dedication to your tradecraft is one I can relate to and should always be applauded 👍🏼

I used to own some independent cinemas and I was a film booker/buyer for a number of screens. I ran my own booths at my 35 mm twin screen. This was just the best seeing you working so professionally at your craft. I share your love of motion picture exhibition.

I watched Oppenheimer in 70mm yesterday and it was the first time I saw a movie in 70mm, actually the first time I saw a movie on film at all. The image quality was just mind bending at easily the best picture I've ever seen.

I’m a huge cinema fan. I only recently discovered your channel. This is a surprise to me that you’re a projectionist. I think it’s really amazing that Christopher Nolan still fights so hard to both shoot and exhibit on film. Being from Rochester, NY (the birthplace of Kodak), I feel a sense of pride watching this. I loved the film by the way, excellent all the way around.

watched Oppenheimer yesterday at the san antonio 70mm location near the alamo. ive never seen an imax movie nonetheless 70mm, but it was INCREDIBLE. i wrote a paper on oppenheimer’s life my sophomore year of college so the movie was amazing, but the film!! ive never seen a screen that large be so clear and captivating. thanks for your work man

Drew this video and editing are a work of art. Your soundtrack just adds and it's amazing the work that's been put into a 20min video. Incredible, I came for the raidoligical stuff, this was unexpected!

I’m going into film at IU and this is an eye opener on how projectors work, it’s fascinating yet hella complicated unless you know what you’re doing. I didn’t even know trailers had to be attached to the film reel. Such fascinating stuff

Spent 10 years projecting 35mm in the 2000s but never worked with 70mm. Seeing your left finger getting that bottom loop just right by feel felt very familiar. I could thread the whole projector with my eyes closed before I was done (though it may not have been in frame!) It is wild they shipped the whole print on one reel (but I would never in a million years want to repair a bad splice on a platter for a print that big). Gods and Generals was probably the biggest print I ever had to move, thankfully we had carts. Not surprised to see the OSRAM bulbs are still packed the exact same way. Changing Xenon bulbs was never my favorite activity, though never had one blow up. I learned how to say “no” when managers would ask me to change one hot. I knew another projectionist who said yes and had it explode in his hands (safety gear protected him). The GM had to take over projection and scratched all the prints. Thanks for documenting this! I always wanted to work with 70mm, and this really took me back to an underpaid, yet fulfilling time of my life. Seeing an anticipated movie like this the night before anyone else really could was always a thrill. “Make do, that’s what projection is all about.” That is TRUTH. So many experiences where we are scrambling upstairs and our reward was for nobody in the auditorium to be the wiser.

WHOA! This is where I came to see it opening night! I’ve actually seen the movie 5 times now. Twice in 70mm and three times in IMAX. Funny enough, I actually work for a Cinemark in Portland, but we don’t have any film projectors so I came to Tigard. I’m so happy that this is still an option for cinema. What a wonderful skill you get to partake in

Very cool to see some of what goes into Oppenheimer from this perspective. Thanks for making this!

Cool video! Nice to see you post this to show your passion in what you do and love!

just want to express my gratitude for those out there such as yourself. I'm 26 and consider myself extremely lucky to live within an hour driving distance to have seen the hateful eight roadshow (still got my program) and Oppenheimer in 70mm here in the midwest. thank you for keeping the dream alive I appreciate you so much

I watched in in 70mm in New Orleans and found it just as cool as the movie that they even printed trailers when they didn't need to. At first I though they just stuck on some old trailers that they had stored away in a desk drawer or something, but was delighted to see the (studio I presume) print new trailers for the movie when they didn't really need to. I saw the movie in 5/70 the Friday it opened, then drove up to Dallas to see it in IMAX 70mm.

I discovered your channel by accident, and I’m really glad I did. You have a new subscriber brother. This is really fascinating work and a dying art. Massive respect to you. Thank you for showing us this process

Enjoyed thus behind the scenes video! Thank you, Sir!

Hi neighbor, I was a projectionist at the Lake twin running 35mm prints on 3 platters for each projectors for double features back in the day. Never had the privilege to run 70mm, and was long gone by the time the digital became standard for many of the theaters. The last digital film I watched in a theaters had issues with the DRM and connection for the license, so the film was delayed 40 minutes. There are advantages to a physical print. The 35mm we had were shipped in double reel 40 minute boxes. The oldest technology I had the pleasure of running was a single auditorium running 20 minute enclosed reals with the rollers on the projector, the velocity damper, and the last resort the chain by the door to drop the fire doors for the event of a reel catching fire. Yes the lamp houses were carbon arc powered by the motor generators in the basement. Somehow I miss running the carbon arcs. I've replaced my share of the Xenon short arc lamps, as they generally need replaced annually. Have only experiences one catastrophic bulb failure. Those high pressure bulbs do go off with a bang. Maybe some time I'll drop in and say hi. If my memory holds, I think I watched Top Gun and The gods must be crazy there.

Thank you for your dedication to keeping film alive and running a great show for the audience. I have seen Oppenheimer 3 times now, once in 70mm and twice in IMAX and I really appreciate the work projectionists do.

Never had any idea that this was so complicated especially adding in previews and how many rollers, loops, and turns that film makes. Love the mechanics of it and it truly is an art form! Bravo!

Love seeing this… thank you for making.

The conception, design, manufacture and operation of these machines blows my mind.

This was special. Thank you for sharing such a thorough behind the scenes walk through of a dying art.

I used to work at Australia's largest drive in and we had the old 70mm projector still in the protection booth. Sadly it was out of commission but it was rather cool to see one in person. Now I get to see how one operates thankyou for sharing history with us

This was so fun to watch. Thanks for documenting this, Drew!. This was so fun to watch. Thanks for documenting this, Drew!.

Many years ago, I was a projectionist (35mm) for a Drive-in theater in Angola, NY and in an indoor house during the winter months. I enjoyed watching your story immensely. Thank you. Just as a bit of background we used old Century heads with carbon arc lamps. Pretty cool old stuff... I remember "watching" MASH 45 times, Love Story over 40 times, Woodstock over 40 times and Gone with the Wind more than I care to admit LOL....

Thanks for going through explaining such complex machine. As a cinema nerd, I love these videos. Thank you man.

As an applied media artist 12:35 is the beginning to the most beautiful montage of the film running at 24fps. My favorite part is how you can see what is playing on the film on the spools but the image is blurry and smudged only in front of the projector with the shutter can you see the clear picture.

Thank you so much for documenting! I really enjoyed.

Thank you so much for sharing the behind the scenes video. I got to witness this in Dallas and it was pretty amazing experience.

This was fascinating. The amount of effort, money, and time to provide the audience with such perfection is so much appreciated. This is like watching magic happen. Thanks for documenting this process and showing us how it's accomplished.

This video is for me a piece of art. I really enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing this process. I'd love to show it to my kids 10 years from now when film might be less than it currently is, and when they are old enough to appreciate it.

Outstanding work and memorable documentary with great choice of music!

Awesome BTS insights and it’s also gorgeously shot. Kudos 🎉

Oh man, you're such a great projectionist. Appreciate all your hard work so much. God bless you! Long live Cinema!

Wow, that was fascinating to watch. All those spools and sprockets and how you’re able to keep it all straight is quite impressive. Thanks for the behind-the-scenes look!👍🏻

Man! Awesome video, really great shots! Congratulations!

This was so satisfying to watch, great work!

This is a phenomenal documentary! Thank you for doing this, and props on the quality of the shots, composition, editing, music choices, etc… That all enriches an already priceless look behind the scenes at such a fascinating role in the entertainment industry! 🙏

I was just recommended and saw this KZfaqr Patrick Tomasso’s video on why it’s breaking IMAX, and now this. KZfaq is really perfecting is recommended algorithm, but I love that it’s with talented people. Lovely 😊

Well done, it is beautiful to see such workmanship and pride

Saw it tonight and I enjoyed the behind the scenes. Thanks dude!

This is so cool Drew! Never knew any of that about you. Huge respect for this profession, thank you for the behind the scenes look at everything that goes into it.

It always a pleasure to see someone who cares about showing the film at work. You are a true artsain. Great video. Looking forward your next ones.

Awesome video Drew, thanks for showing this.

Thanks for the behind the scenes info. I enjoyed your take on the movie and the deleted info.

I used to be friends with people who worked on these film cameras in Vancouver British Columbia. And being a Hasselblad user I also had a 70 mm magazine for both film and they used to give me their extra bits of leftover film they had no use for. It was quite a hoot to be shooting on a 250 ASA Kodachrome film stock

Really loved the insight into how a film reel is delivered, set up and tested beforehand. I’d’ve just assumed everything was mostly digital after post-production, but seeing the mechanics of reel projection up close and learning how well maintained you keep it (especially the bulb change part) makes me appreciate the unspoken heroes that bring us our cinema experiences to us. Great video!

Great video, especially loved seeing the maintenance and service on the projector. Thank you for sharing

This is the most interesting video I've seen in a while! Always great to see such an interesting job and perspective on cinema and science.

Fantastic video! I loved both the behind-the-scenes looks at setting up the 70mm film, and your commentary on the movie itself. Having worked briefly at Oak Ridge (ORNL) about 40 years ago, I still have a deep appreciation for the challenges of radiation, and the effort that went into the Manhattan Project.

Awesome short film, thank you for making this. I've watched this 3 times now. I used to live very close to an IMAX theatre most of my life growing up in Southern California . I now live over 6 hours from the nearest IMAX location, and I'm feeling pretty down about the fact I can't afford the trip, and wont be able to see Oppenheimer in 70MM. Watching this is cathartic.

Huge respect to Drew and other film projectionists out there around the world who’s doing the at most brilliant work behind the scenes and contributing to a beautiful and memorable experience. You are the last piece that completes the “filmmaking”puzzle! 🫡 📽️🎞️

A really outstanding video, Drew! You perfectly captured what it is like to run and project 70mm film, a format that I think is superior to IMAX and is still the very best projection format that has ever existed. Truly great to see you take such great care of the print as well as care of the projector as well.

such a great video drew, super high production quality. i loved all of the creative shots you recorded of the process. keep it up!

What a great video. I’ve seen all of your content and it was great to learn a bit more about you in this one.

Drew, first off, exceptional production of this video. as I learned from some of your previous videos, it’s really neat to see you going back to your roots and having the opportunity to run a machine like this especially since it is focused on the content of your channel. I have been waiting for this film for about a year now, and I have my tickets for the IMAX version on Thursday. Thank you for what you do 👊🏼

I don't know too much about the history or the science, but the Paul Newman movie Fat Man and Little Boy back from the 80's was also a good one depicting the Manhattan Project. I'll always know Dwight Schultz as Murdoch from The A-Team, but I thought/think he was really good as Oppenheimer too haha.

What a great video thank you. Appreciate you taking the time to keep this wonderful art in our minds and hearts. Hopefully alive as well!

woow, good filming and editing, thanks for your great and professional work. and sure yes, that should be documentated

My father was at Trinity. He gave me pieces of trinitite about 1950 ( I was 5), then a couple years later, it disappeared. Later he said it all been recalled.

What an interesting view into your job! Thank you for sharing!

Amazing, really appreciate you dedication to the craft 🙂

What a cool job, thank you for the behind the scenes look, very interesting.

When I was in elementary school, I was always the kid who set up the 16 mm reel to reel movie projector when the teacher was going to show us a movie. I was good at threading the film and getting the correct tension. But man, this is next level stuff. So very cool! Thanks for showing the process of setting this up.

Thank for posting this. Projectionists have helped to entertain for what? over 100years now? The final care and prep at the presentation/theater is critical to a positive experience for all watching.

so amazing to learn about this craft. thank you for documenting and sharing this whole process. very much appreciated. and so beautifully made. bravo!

This is how movies should be shown, in 35 mm and 70 mm, not in digital. When they started to show movies in digital it was when the real movies died. You are a real hero of the movies. Thank you for this great video!

I worked at this same theater and built the Dark Knight in 70mm IMAX. It’s unfortunate that this location didn’t opt for 70mm IMAX. It was quite an experience seeing the Dark Knight on that massive screen. Film had its issues, but it looked so good. Damn, I miss my time working with film.

Thanks for a fascinating look inside the booth. Large format film in intriguingly so old-school yet in other ways so cutting edge. Professionals make it look so effortless it's easy to overlook the countless details that go into that 'effortlessness'. The observations about the movie itself were also interesting. I'll have to check out Manhattan. The only other drama I've seen about the project was Fat Man and Little Boy. It had a slight TV movie feel to it, and they took liberties, but not HUGE liberties (afaik). Paul Newman as a svelte Lesley Groves & Dwight Schultz as JRO both did justice to the script and their characters.

Thank you for sharing this. I’ve watched a number of videos similar to this, but none were as in depth and hands on like this one. Really cool to see. I hope this success of Oppenheimer will lead to a revitalization and expansion of film (wishful thinking probably, I know). We need people with your knowledge all over the world sharing this format with everyone!

Wow. Fantastic video man. Really awesome inside look at this. I’ve been WAITING for something like this for years.

Amazing! I never really thought about the fact that the DTS track is also literally a track on the film. We’re gonna tell the next generation we came from the hybrid era. From cars to movvies 😂

Loved this film, and dragged my family to Denver to see it in 70mm. Loved the movie, the black and white scenes were incredible! Unfortunately, there seems to have been a problem with the projector, as the film kept moving in and out of focus the entire time. I didn’t notice at first, but once my dad pointed it out, it became somewhat annoying (thanks dad, lol). Glad to see this cool process, and I am so happy to see folks still keeping this part of cinima alive. And I’m also happy that your projector worked better than ours, lol.

thank you for making this!! This was really cool to watch and important to see. Can’t believe there’s still such an antiquated, yet highly sophisticated process to this.

Thank you for sharing this with us, Drew! Found it very interesting!