Calling All Cinema Projectionists, I Need Your Help!

[Guest alex birks]

Dear Sir/Madame,

My name is Alex Birks, a final year Masters student, studying Graphic Design at Sheffield Hallam University. I am currently undertaking a large research based study, on the rise and fall of cinema, starting from the early 1900s to the present day. I have been focusing on the many changes to film making throughout time, such as black & white silent films, atmospheric theatre, the triumph in talking pictures, Technicolor, etc. I have also been paying close attention to cinema technology and the roles of the cinema staff, required to run a functioning theatre.

I have recently visited 'The Cinema Museum' in London, where I met Ronald Grant, a cinema enthusiast who has devoted his life to preserving the cinema experience, since it began in the late 1800s. After sharing stories and speaking to him over the course of the visit, I gained a strong interest in the projectionist and how they have adapted to the changes in both technology and the requirements of cinema-goers.

This letter is addressed to anybody who has been involved in cinema over the years, particularly before the introduction of the multi-plex cinema, as I would like to find out more. As part of my final product I would like to document an encounter I have had with someone involved in the cinema, as a biography/information piece.

If you, or anybody you know could qualify for this position please could you get in contact with me. This will be a tremendously exiting opportunity, and a great way to share your enthusiasm with many people, both educated and non-educated in the subject.

I live in Sheffield and would be prepared to travel to meet you.

Thank you for listening to my proposal.

Yours Faithfully,

Alexander Birks

Contact details:

e-mail – alexbirks88@yahoo.com

Mobile - 07706336517