Projection/Cinema Exhibition

I’m a specialty projectionist at San Francisco State University, where I run 35mm, 16mm, multiformat, and file-based shows. The venues below are available for use to outside parties on a fee basis, contact the College of Creative Arts for details.

I’m also available to provide AV planning and operation for cinema exhibition events at any other Bay Area venue, including resource transcoding & formatting, Keynote slide preparation, equipment setup, etc…. I am a projection perfectionist, and as a filmmaker, I’m dedicated to presenting creative work the way it was meant to be seen—with the best presentation production values possible. I also believe in treating film exhibitions as whole experiences from the moment the audience arrives to the moment they leave, not just when the film is running. That means designing the pre-show experience, running title graphics during spoken introductions, controlling the lighting look throughout the show, fixing aspect ratio, color, sound, etc… issues before the event, etc… so that the event is flawless, and making sure the audience never sees a projector menu or computer desktop. Cinema events are always fluid and unpredictable, and equipment issues can catch you by surprise; I pride myself on my ability to correct AV issues quickly, or even on the fly during a show.

Since this all sounds fairly abstract, let me explain what I do for a typical film event:

• Coordinate with filmmakers to get/download the media to be exhibited
• Validate that the media is in optimal format for the venue’s equipment (aspect ratio, frame rate, audio levels, codec) and transcode/combine if necessary
• Build and test a show reel file
• Provide playback hardware & cabling for file-based playback; test setup
• Clean & test celluloid projectors (gate, lensing), assemble multi-reel media
• Calibrate projector and audio equipment
• Assemble pre-show and introduction music and slides
• Adjust screen masking
• Operate venue lighting during event
• Operate lecture audio/slides during introduction remarks
• Operate playback and projection equipment during show, troubleshoot last minute AV issues
• Cleanup equipment after the show

Recommended Venues—reserve through SFSU Creative Arts/Creative Arts Technical Services

• SFSU McKenna Theatre-701 seat performing arts theatre, equipped with Cinemeccanica Victoria 18 35mm projector (formerly at the Coronet!), Panasonic PT-DW1000w 10K lumen WUXGA digital cinema projector
• SFSU August Coppola Theatre (FA101)-150 seat Cinema-style theatre with JBL surround sound, adjustable masking, wireless mic system, front-of-house VGA and audio connections, equipped with Christie P35C 35mm projector and Autowind 3 platter load system, Elmo LX-1100 16mm projector, EIKI LC-X80 6K lumen XGA projector. Note: this venue tends to get warm with a full house.

Shows I’ve run:

• 2010 Frameline exhibitions of The Stranger In Us, in 2K at the Roxie and Castro theaters
• 2011 Oaktown Indie Mayhem
• 2011 Vietnamese Diaspora festival
• 2010, 2011 SFSU MFA Thesis Films
• 2010, 2011 SFSU MFA First Year Films
• 2011 SFSU Undergraduate Thesis Films
• 2011 SFSU Film Previews
• 2010, 2011 SFSU Film Finals
• 2010, 2011 Health Equity Institute Social Justice Health Documentary Films