You’ll never see us: Projectionists are still rolling
share
DENVER — Whitney Miller’s office rumbles daily thanks to the cars going up and down the parking garage ramp built right on top of it.
Sometimes, in the middle of shows, he’ll hear the ceiling groan as he’s threading 35-millimeter film on an antiquated projector.
“Don’t worry, the audience won’t be able to hear it,” said Miller, a technical director at the Sie FilmCenter in Denver.
At the Sie FilmCenter, a small group of projectionists continue to preserve the art of film, using aging projectors to show movies in film format.
Video: Peter Vo, Rocky Mountain PBS
In the last year, the Esquire and Chez Artiste closed their doors, leaving the Sie FilmCenter and the Mayan Theater as the last two independent theaters in the Denver metro area.
The Sie FilmCenter is the only independent theater in the Denver metro area that can screen 35 mm film.
“Thirty years ago, it was all on 35 mm. Every theater required a projectionist to receive the packages, typically sent on multiple reels,” said Miller, technical director of the Sie FilmCenter. “[Projectionists] would spend hours splicing film together, making sure it plays properly and isn’t caught in the projector.”
Digital cinema took over multiplexes around the country in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Today, every theater chain in the country operates with Digital Cinema Packages, called DCPs, which automated the process that projectionists were once so valued for.
Digital technology promises, with the push of a button, efficiency in distribution, high quality images and sound, not to mention cheaper prices.
“Cinemas have looked at maximizing profit and aren’t really giving films the care to make sure they’re being presented in a way the filmmaker intended,” Miller said.
Miller originally worked at a small theater in Florida as a server. As he worked his way up, he learned the art of projection. It wasn’t until he moved to Colorado in 2014 that he had his first opportunity to run a 35 mm show. The movie was “Interstellar,” directed by Christopher Nolan, a filmmaker known for his devotion to celluloid.
“That was one of the greatest experiences in my career — it gave me a lot of love and knowledge for the craft,” Miller said.
Running a 35 mm show requires a lot more work than a typical digital screening.
Projectionists work in a dark booth above the back of the theater, surrounded by the hum of machinery and fluttering film reels as they wind and weave through the projector.
Projectionists have to check multiple film reels provided by the companies and artists. This process includes checking cue — signs or scenes in a film that mark the transition to switch to another reel — and making sure film is in good condition before they’re threaded onto the machines, a tedious process that can sometimes take hours.
Then there’s the changeover.
“No matter how many times you do this, there’s a bit of anxiety when it comes [to] hitting your cues,” said Morgan Murphy, a projectionist at the theater since 2019.
Typically, a feature film doesn’t fit on a single reel because the reel cannot hold more than a certain amount of film (to give an extreme example, the 70 mm film reel for Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” was 11 miles long). Because of this, projectionists have to queue up the following reel on a second projector that is calibrated to match the first one.
Projectionists watch for a cue before switching on the second projector. Then, there will be a second cue to turn off the first projector just as it runs out of film and the screen will display the next roll of film. When done correctly, the audience will hardly notice because it’s a seamless transition.
“Running 35 mm is a performance when you’re presenting it to the audience,” said Miller. “You have to be on it, on top of your timing, and aware of every little thing happening so that it’s seamless.”
While the Sie FilmCenter does the bulk of its screenings in the digital format, 35 mm screenings are common thanks to film festivals and special events.
On May 23, the Sie FilmCenter is presenting a double feature of Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill Vol. I + II” on 35 mm film as part of the theater’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month series, called “Bruce Lee & Beyond: One Man's Impact on Cinema.”
Miller said that his favorite part of the job is being able to work with filmmakers directly. In his role, he can take films to the finish line, making sure they’re shown in their best form for the audience.
“When [filmmakers] sit in the audience with all their friends and family showcasing it — sometimes for the first time — they know they’re going to see it in the best quality and how they intended it. That makes me feel really good,” Miller said.
As technology continues to improve, Miller said audiences still yearn for analog film screenings because its quality — and the accompanying nostalgia — cannot be replaced by the digital format Miller said.
“It’s a huge honor to be able to do this job in 2025 and preserve film culture and history,” Murphy said. “To know that the filmmakers care, the audience cares, and that you’re that glue to keep this art alive is very cool.”
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.