Feeling like a projectionist (Mike Williams)

Mike Williams interviewed by Richard Wallace

Projectionist Mike Williams describes the qualities required of a projectionist and the associated feelings that come with the job.

I don’t think it’s the skill, I think it’s loving what they do. It’s not a skill. It’s something embedded in you. And I think you either have it or you don’t have it. And that's a deep love of providing a competent showing for the public. It doesn’t matter what the show is if the public like it and it’s presented properly that's the projectionist’s job. And that’s about it really. It, it’s not a, I felt I could do it when I walked into the projection suite the first day. I felt I’d come home. Nothing was unfamiliar, it felt right. Everything about it. With no training, and they were the first projectors I’d ever seen. But I felt right with my hand on the projector, I felt I was in the right place. And that basically has what a projectionist must feel. He must be competent and able to put on a show. Providing, providing that window on the world. That's what it’s all about.

Title

Feeling like a projectionist (Mike Williams)

Subject

personal views on being a projectionist

Description

Projectionist Mike Williams describes the qualities required of a projectionist and the associated feelings that come with the job.

Creator

The Projection Project

Source

Interview with Mike Williams

Publisher

The University of Warwick

Contributor

Richard Wallace
Mike Williams

Relation

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/7970

Format

.mp3

Language

English

Type

Sound recording
interview extract

Coverage

1956-1964

Interviewer

Richard Wallace

Interviewee

Mike Williams

Location

Cardiff

Transcription

I don’t think it’s the skill, I think it’s loving what they do. It’s not a skill. It’s something embedded in you. And I think you either have it or you don’t have it. And that's a deep love of providing a competent showing for the public. It doesn’t matter what the show is if the public like it and it’s presented properly that's the projectionist’s job. And that’s about it really. It, it’s not a, I felt I could do it when I walked into the projection suite the first day. I felt I’d come home. Nothing was unfamiliar, it felt right. Everything about it. With no training, and they were the first projectors I’d ever seen. But I felt right with my hand on the projector, I felt I was in the right place. And that basically has what a projectionist must feel. He must be competent and able to put on a show. Providing, providing that window on the world. That's what it’s all about.

Original Format

One-to-one interview

Duration

00:01:07

Bit Rate/Frequency

320kbps

Cinema

ABC (Olympia) Cinema, 67 Queen Street, Cardiff

Citation

The Projection Project, “Feeling like a projectionist (Mike Williams),” Cinema Projectionist, accessed April 25, 2024, https://cinemaprojectionist.co.uk/items/show/389.

Output Formats