When you go to the movies, you may imagine someone like this guy in the projection booth: Russell Carroll, general manager of the Picture House theater in Campbeltown, Scotland. More likely, however, today's projection booth is unmanned, occupied only by digital projectors and hard drives.
How screening movies has changed —
When you go to the movies, you may imagine someone like this guy in the projection booth: Russell Carroll, general manager of the Picture House theater in Campbeltown, Scotland. More likely, however, today's projection booth is unmanned, occupied only by digital projectors and hard drives.
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Inventor Thomas Edison and his associates are credited with a number of motion picture innovations, including the Kinetograph and Kinetoscope, forerunners of cameras and projectors.
How screening movies has changed —
Inventor Thomas Edison and his associates are credited with a number of motion picture innovations, including the Kinetograph and Kinetoscope, forerunners of cameras and projectors.
Getty Images/Archive
A Kodak projector is used for a private screening in 1937. Until recently, showing a feature film required knowledge of how to thread a projector and swap reels at just the right moment.
How screening movies has changed —
A Kodak projector is used for a private screening in 1937. Until recently, showing a feature film required knowledge of how to thread a projector and swap reels at just the right moment.
Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
By the mid-2000s, digital movies began to encroach on film projection. But Peter Halter was still threading film through his projector during the 2005 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
How screening movies has changed —
By the mid-2000s, digital movies began to encroach on film projection. But Peter Halter was still threading film through his projector during the 2005 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
Mark Mainz/Getty Images
The inside of a Century JJ film projector, showing the gate and trap. Atlanta's Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, which used this projector, went digital last fall.
How screening movies has changed —
The inside of a Century JJ film projector, showing the gate and trap. Atlanta's Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, which used this projector, went digital last fall.
Courtesy Kevin Ward
A Christie CK20-CC20 lamp house with a Strong Simplex PR1014 projector head is removed during the Landmark Midtown's conversion to digital equipment.
How screening movies has changed —
A Christie CK20-CC20 lamp house with a Strong Simplex PR1014 projector head is removed during the Landmark Midtown's conversion to digital equipment.
Courtesy Kevin Ward
Today, the projection room at many multiplexes, such as Atlanta's Regal Atlantic Station 16 theater, is a wide corridor featuring digital projectors (large black boxes, like the one on the left) and servers.
How screening movies has changed —
Today, the projection room at many multiplexes, such as Atlanta's Regal Atlantic Station 16 theater, is a wide corridor featuring digital projectors (large black boxes, like the one on the left) and servers.
Todd Leopold/CNN
Films no longer arrive on reels. Instead, they're shipped as enormous files on hard drives, ready to be ingested into a theater's system.
How screening movies has changed —
Films no longer arrive on reels. Instead, they're shipped as enormous files on hard drives, ready to be ingested into a theater's system.
Todd Leopold/CNN
A touchscreen at Regal's Atlantic Station theater in Atlanta shows the status of "Fast and Furious 6," which is running in the complex's "premium" auditorium.
How screening movies has changed —
A touchscreen at Regal's Atlantic Station theater in Atlanta shows the status of "Fast and Furious 6," which is running in the complex's "premium" auditorium.
Todd Leopold/CNN
The hard drive for "The Hangover Part III" shows the 110GB file size, running time and other data.
How screening movies has changed —
The hard drive for "The Hangover Part III" shows the 110GB file size, running time and other data.
Todd Leopold/CNN
The xenon bulbs used in digital projectors are amazingly bright, sometimes costly and definitely fragile.
How screening movies has changed —
The xenon bulbs used in digital projectors are amazingly bright, sometimes costly and definitely fragile.
Todd Leopold/CNN
The English-language version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was shot on digital by cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, who says: "The proudest comment I get is, 'What did you shoot "Dragon Tattoo" on?' To me, if you can't tell, we're getting much closer."
How screening movies has changed —
The English-language version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was shot on digital by cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, who says: "The proudest comment I get is, 'What did you shoot "Dragon Tattoo" on?' To me, if you can't tell, we're getting much closer."
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