Setting up sound (Neil Thompson)

Neil Thompson interviewed by Richard Wallace

Projectionist Neil Thompson describes the process of setting up and checking cinema sound systems.

And you had to keep an eye on the speakers on the stage, make sure they were still working all right. And every now and again we used to put a test film on from what I can remember. Somebody used to go in the auditorium while you put this test film on just to make sure that each speaker was working. So they knew that the ambiance was working from this side. And they’d say, “Right, we’ll try the left speaker. Yes, the left speaker is working. The centre speakers’ working. The right speaker is working”. And then you had an outside speaker which was like on the stage. So, again, we used to do that. Then you had to go up to the amplifiers which are in the boxes as well, you had to keep an eye on those ‘cause you had a standby amplifier which I had to check, put that in, make sure that's okay in case it went off during a show. So it was, it was interesting. I mean for a lad 16 year old coming from school and going and seeing all that, I mean it was just horrendous at first, my god. But I was so interested I just went in, I just went in head first.

Title

Setting up sound (Neil Thompson)

Subject

setting up sound

Description

Projectionist Neil Thompson describes the process of setting up and checking cinema sound systems.

Creator

The Projection Project

Source

Interview with Neil Thompson

Publisher

The University of Warwick

Date

29/12/2015

Contributor

Richard Wallace
Neil Thompson

Relation

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/26353
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/3307

Format

.mp3

Language

English

Type

Sound recording
interview extract

Coverage

1974-1990

Interviewer

Richard Wallace

Interviewee

Neil Thompson

Date of Interview

11/11/2014

Location

Gateshead

Transcription

And you had to keep an eye on the speakers on the stage, make sure they were still working all right. And every now and again we used to put a test film on from what I can remember. Somebody used to go in the auditorium while you put this test film on just to make sure that each speaker was working. So they knew that the ambiance was working from this side. And they’d say, “Right, we’ll try the left speaker. Yes, the left speaker is working. The centre speakers’ working. The right speaker is working”. And then you had an outside speaker which was like on the stage. So, again, we used to do that. Then you had to go up to the amplifiers which are in the boxes as well, you had to keep an eye on those ‘cause you had a standby amplifier which I had to check, put that in, make sure that's okay in case it went off during a show. So it was, it was interesting. I mean for a lad 16 year old coming from school and going and seeing all that, I mean it was just horrendous at first, my god. But I was so interested I just went in, I just went in head first.

Original Format

One-to-one interview

Duration

00:00:51

Bit Rate/Frequency

320kbps

Cinema

Queens Theatre, Northumberland Place, Newcastle upon Tyne
Odeon Newcastle upon Tyne, Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne

Citation

The Projection Project, “Setting up sound (Neil Thompson),” Cinema Projectionist, accessed April 27, 2024, https://projectionproject.warwick.ac.uk/items/show/441.

Output Formats