LA to Leven via Liverpool

Projectionist gives the Mail a tour behind the scenes at The Regent

 

Since it opened in early 2010, Leven’s Regent cinema has gone from strength to strength.

The original days of the community cinema meeting up in the Carlow Hall seem a distant memory now that it has firmly established itself in its Commercial Road premises.

The Mail has followed the cinema group since it announced it was taking over the venue and, this week, revisited the building to meet with Charles Ellis, the man in charge of projecting the latest films on to the big screen for Levenmouth’s film fans.

Charles (59) has worked at The Regent for 14 months.

A fully trained projectionist, he is part of the old guard of the industry and, ironically, his route to Leven reads like the script for a film itself.

A Liverpudlian, living in Southport, he makes a 500-mile round trip to Leven every week and stays with friends for four days while working at the cinema.

His CV would be hard to improve on, boasting experiences including working on cruise ships and living in Los Angeles for 26 years, where he screened for audiences of 2500 people watching on 110 feet by 52 feet screens in drive-in theatres.

He has also worked with the Los Angeles Independent Film Studio and became the personal projectionist to none other than Hollywood A-lister Bruce Willis.

“I became a projectionist after seeing a picture of a projection box in a book at the age of 14,” Charles explained.

“I went to my local cinema and asked to see theirs, and that was it.

“In the old days, you had so many different reel lengths you didn’t have time to watch the film. Nowadays, 90 per cent of my work is preparation but you still have to listen out to the sound, as it’s the first indicator of problems.”

Of working in LA he added: “It was a wonderful experience.

“Working in drive-in theatres you really felt something, knowing if you made a mistake, so many people would see it. That gives you a terrific feeling.

“I was Bruce Willis’ personal projectionist and I worked in his house where he had his own projection box. He was a very nice man.

“He would sometimes finish work and I’d get a call at half-past four in the morning, asking me to go over.

“Sometimes he would run two or three films in a night.

“I also ran a film on the Queen Mary at the Long Beach Film Festival and, as far as I know, I am the last person to run 35mm film on it.

“I have been very fortunate.”

But home eventually beckoned for Charles and he moved back to Liverpool. Most recently, he worked in an eight-screen multiplex before hearing about the community cinema project at The Regent.

He added; “I received a phone call from a friend who said the cinema needed a projectionist and this would be the ideal place for me, as it needed my expertise and talent.”

“There are not many of these places left. It’s an honour to work here.

“I have a passion for the job, it’s more than a job to me. I get a lot of satisfaction out of it.

“I don’t think there is a better place for an old projectionist.”

(source; 02/11/11 - East Fife Mail)