Training (Phil Fawke)

Phil Fawke interviewed by Richard Wallace

Projectionist and cinema manager Phil Fawke describes the process of training 'on the job'.

I started at the Regal, Leamington Spa as a fifth projectionist, believe it or not. And we weren’t allowed to touch a machine. We weren’t allowed to do much really except clean up and make tea for the chief projectionist. And we used to have to stand at the back of the box which we called it then, not a projection room, it used to be a box, and watch the other people and then you were allowed to take a spool out of the bottom and take it into the rewind room. Then you were eventually told how to rewind it and you had to be very slow, hold your finger on the film which burnt you, I can tell you. Then you burnt it and you had to check every joint, every V cut, everything. And then eventually in about 1942 I was allowed to take my first change-over. Because in those days the film used to come in ten minute reels and it was joined on to make 20 minute reels, and each 20 minute reels went on to a projector and then you had a dot to start the motor and another dot to change over. And you had blank film which ran through the other projector while it was on. So you had to… and first film was called My Gal Sal that I made a change-over on. And I did it right, thank goodness for that. It had to be perfect.

Title

Training (Phil Fawke)

Subject

training

Description

Projectionist and cinema manager Phil Fawke describes the process of training 'on the job'.

Creator

The Projection Project

Source

Interview with Phil Fawke

Publisher

The University of Warwick

Date

09/12/2015

Contributor

Richard Wallace
Phil Fawke

Relation

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/24797

Format

.mp3

Language

English

Type

Sound recording
interview extract

Coverage

1940-1942

Interviewer

Richard Wallace

Interviewee

Phil Fawke

Date of Interview

04/12/2014

Location

Birmingham

Transcription

I started at the Regal, Leamington Spa as a fifth projectionist, believe it or not. And we weren’t allowed to touch a machine. We weren’t allowed to do much really except clean up and make tea for the chief projectionist. And we used to have to stand at the back of the box which we called it then, not a projection room, it used to be a box, and watch the other people and then you were allowed to take a spool out of the bottom and take it into the rewind room. Then you were eventually told how to rewind it and you had to be very slow, hold your finger on the film which burnt you, I can tell you. Then you burnt it and you had to check every joint, every V cut, everything. And then eventually in about 1942 I was allowed to take my first change-over. Because in those days the film used to come in ten minute reels and it was joined on to make 20 minute reels, and each 20 minute reels went on to a projector and then you had a dot to start the motor and another dot to change over. And you had blank film which ran through the other projector while it was on. So you had to… and first film was called My Gal Sal that I made a change-over on. And I did it right, thank goodness for that. It had to be perfect.

Original Format

One-to-one interview

Duration

00:01:44

Bit Rate/Frequency

320kbps

Cinema

Regal/Vue, Portland Place, Leamington Spa
Regal, 511 Foleshill Road, Coventry

Citation

The Projection Project, “Training (Phil Fawke),” Cinema Projectionist, accessed April 18, 2024, https://projectionproject.warwick.ac.uk/items/show/428.

Output Formats