The Art of Film Projection: A Beginner's Guide

by Paolo Usai (Editor), Tacita Dean (Foreword), Christopher Nolan (Foreword)

A gorgeous gift for every cinephile, The Art of Film Projection celebrates this enduring analog art A New York Times 2019 holiday gift guide pick

The Art of Film A Beginner's Guide is a beautifully produced, comprehensive outline of the materials, equipment and knowledge needed to present the magic of cinema to an enthralled audience.

Part manual and part manifesto, The Art of Film Projection compiles more than 50 years of expertise from the staff of the world-renowned George Eastman Museum and the students of the L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation into the most complete and accessible guide to film projection ever produced. The product of more than ten years of painstaking work by renowned film preservation specialists, and featuring a foreword by Tacita Dean and Christopher Nolan, this volume addresses a changing film landscape.

No film comes to life until it is shown on the big screen, but with the proliferation of digital movie theaters, the expertise of film projection has become increasingly rare. Written for both the casual enthusiast and the professional projectionist in training, this book demystifies the process of film projection and offers an in-depth understanding of the aesthetic, technical and historical features of motion pictures. Fully accessible to the layperson, student, technician or scholar, the book is designed to be richly illustrated with photographs and easy-to-read diagrams, it is printed at a size that is easy to carry, with a ribbon bookmark and pages for notes. The Art of Film Projection invites readers to help save the authentic experience of seeing motion pictures on film.

Genres: Nonfiction, Film, Media Tie In

344 pages, Hardcover

Published October 22, 2019

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fancy myself a film buff, and I'm not completely ignorant of how projection works. This book was still an eye-opener. For example, when we talk about film being shown at "24 frames per second," did you ever really think about what that means? That film is getting fed through a projector with an intermittent sprocket system that advances the film through the light beam literally one frame at a time, 24 times per second. That is, the film is being fed into the system continuously, but mechanically started and stopped so fast you can barely see it happening. If it ever stopped, the heat of the beam would melt through the film in minutes: you have to physically separate the film from the light with a metal shield to prevent it from burning through.

This book was an analogue love letter to a dying art. Kudos to the George Eastman House for putting it out. May new generations of projectionists, myself include, be inspired and educated by it.

[Jeroen Kraan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are someone who cares about going to see film projected on... well, film, rather than the digital projection now ubiquitous at multiplexes, this is the book for you. The Art of Film Projection is written as a technical guide for would-be projectionists, including such minutiae as how to thread film, make a smooth changeover between two projectors, and clean sprockets, rollers and gates. That may not sound like riveting reading, but I was fascinated to find out how old-fashioned 35 mm projectors actually work and what the work of a projectionist entails. (Sample factoid: did you know a solar cell is used to read optical sound tracks on film?) This will give you a renewed appreciation for those rare screenings that do still project from film, and make you want to run to your nearest cinema to beg for more of them.

[Shawn Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accessible guide for beginners to learn the basics of the film projection trade. With multiple pictures and diagrams of various film projectors, the book is a great resource to refer back to if you ever find yourself behind a projector needing some extra help.

Full review here: https://bit.ly/3AiiwJS

[Nick Guadagnino · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who was woefully ignorant of all that goes into projecting film, this book was eye-opening and educational. Some chapters were a little technical for the likes of me, but I still came to appreciate the effort it takes to make it work. This is a fascinating resource and a must-have for any film buff.

[Brett Ryan Bonowicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely incredible read. I learned so much. Thank you to all involved in its creation.

[Jurassicseb]

I reread this and three days ago a guy on the bus was like "film?" and pointed to the book and I was like "yes" and he gave me a thumbs up.

[Ryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love my job! <3

[ira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to learn

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love. Love. Love.