The Chicago Film Society presents, copresents, and provides instruction for training workshops on the exhibition of 16mm, 35mm, and 70mm film and the technologies required to present it safely, correctly, and beautifully.
Note that our workshops are not intended to replace the equipment repair and maintenance services of your regular booth technician.
Private instruction is available to institutions; inquire at info@chicagofilmsociety.org
PAST WORKSHOPS
In addition to the workshops listed below, CFS has conducted private instruction at Bucknell University, the National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian Institution.
November 2023
Evanston, IL
Projection Workshop at the Block Museum of Art
This two-day workshop, hosted at Block Cinema, was intended for a broad audience of film students, artists, and working projectionists and covered fundamentals of 16mm and 35mm projection and archival film handling.
Instructors: Julian Antos, Rebecca Lyon, and Kyle Westphal (Chicago Film Society)
• More information
May 29, 2023
16mm Microcinema Projection
Toronto, Canada
This workshop was part of Analogue Resilience: A Film Labs Gathering, hosted by LIFT, and was copresented by CFS and Process Reversal.
This afternoon-long workshop focused on 16mm projection in a microcinema or pop-up screening context. Topics included booking and borrowing film prints, thinking through the specific needs of an analog film program, inspecting a film for projection, what to look for when considering a space for film projection, preparing a non-cinema space for a film screening, how to evaluate a portable projector for suitability and print safety, routine projector maintenance, best practices for projection, and safe packing and shipping of film.
Here are the handouts from this workshop:
• Routine Maintenance Checklist for Microcinema Projectors
• Quick Guide to Shipping Film Prints
• Quick Guide for Connecting 16mm Projectors to Sound Systems
Instructors: Julian Antos & Rebecca Hall (Chicago Film Society), Kevin Rice & Curt Heiner (Process Reversal / Milwaukee Film)
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September 21 – 22, 2019
Advanced 16mm Projection Workshop
Chicago, IL
This workshop was offered as a collaboration between Chicago Film Society, L’Abominable, Process Reversal, and Chicago Film Archives, under the banner of filmprojection21.org.
Intended for people with at least some experience handling and projecting 16mm prints, this workshop was open to anyone working in a microcinema, film archive, arthouse, running an experimental film series, or making or collecting 16mm films. The workshop focused on improving projection skills and sharing knowledge and experience between projectionists and film handlers with different backgrounds.
Topics covered in this two day intensive workshop included: film inspection; projector maintenance, repair, and troubleshooting; optics and lenses; optical soundhead alignment; and xenon lamphouse alignment — and avoiding film damage and presenting 16mm film prints with the best possible image and sound.
The workshop will be preceded by a public film screening at Cinema Borealis on Friday, September 20, followed by a public discussion about the perspectives and issues of photochemical film projection.
Instructors: Nicolas Rey (L’Abominable), Julian Antos & Rebecca Hall (Chicago Film Society), Kevin Rice (Process Reversal / University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
August 28 – 30, 2018
Chicago, IL
Level 1 AMIA Projection Workshop
The Chicago Film Society, with support from the Association of Moving Image Archivists and The Film Foundation, organized and presented the “Level 1 Projection Workshop” in partnership with the University of Chicago Film Studies Center, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, Kinora, and the Music Box Theatre and with sponsorship from Boston Light & Sound and Urbanski Film. This workshop focused on archival film preparation and projection, avoiding film damage, presenting film prints in the best possible manner, as well as coordinating and communicating with with lending institutions.
Instructors: Julian Antos, Rebecca Lyon, Kyle Westphal, Rebecca Hall (Chicago Film Society); Justin Dennis (Kinora); Justin Dean (Music Box Theatre); Adam Paradis (Filmmaker)
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• Photos from this workshop
August 22 – 24, 2016
Austin, TX
35mm Projection Workshop Austin
The Chicago Film Society’s Julian Antos and Rebecca Lyon were instructors and contributed to curriculum development for this workshop, organized and presented by the Association of Moving Image Archivists and Alamo Drafthouse, in partnership with the Film Foundation.
Instructors: Antonella Bonfanti (Canyon Cinema); Afsheen Nomai (Texas Archive of the Moving Image); Justin Dennis (Kinora); Robert Cejka (Boston Light & Sound); Julian Antos, Rebecca Lyon (Chicago Film Society)
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