What does a Motion Picture Projectionist do?

Set up and operate motion picture projection and related sound reproduction equipment. Day to day that includes work like monitor operations to ensure that standards for sound and image projection quality are met and Start projectors and open shutters to project images onto screens.

What skills should a Motion Picture Projectionist put on a resume?

O*NET rates Operations Monitoring, Active Listening, Operation and Control, Reading Comprehension, and Speaking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Motion Picture Projectionist list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Apple macOS, Audio calibration software, Autodesk AutoCAD, Avid Technology iNEWS, and Enterprise resource planning ERP software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Motion Picture Projectionist work?

O*NET records 22 titles for this occupation, including Booth Operator, Movie Projectionist, Projectionist, and Technical Projection Guide. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Motion Picture Projectionist need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 61% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Motion Picture Projectionist role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Motion Picture Projectionist resume example

A resume for a Motion Picture Projectionist needs to show the work itself: set up and operate motion picture projection and related sound reproduction equipment. Day to day that means work like this: monitor operations to ensure that standards for sound and image projection quality are met; start projectors and open shutters to project images onto screens. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Booth Operator
Movie Projectionist
Projectionist
Technical Projection Guide
Cinema Projectionist
Digital Projectionist
Film Specialist
Projection Technician
Projector Booth Operator
Booth Usher
Cinema Operator
Cinematographer
Equipment Operator
Film Projector Operator
Machine Operator
Motion Picture Operator
Movie Machine Operator
Movie Operator

O*NET records 22 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Monitor operations to ensure that standards for sound and image projection quality are met.
Start projectors and open shutters to project images onto screens.
Open and close facilities according to rules and schedules.
Operate equipment to show films in a number of theaters simultaneously.
Perform regular maintenance tasks, such as rotating or replacing xenon bulbs, cleaning projectors and lenses, lubricating machinery, and keeping electrical contacts clean and tight.
Set up and adjust picture projectors and screens to achieve proper size, illumination, and focus of images, and proper volume and tone of sound.
Inspect projection equipment prior to operation to ensure proper working order.
Perform minor repairs, such as replacing worn sprockets, or notify maintenance personnel of the need for major repairs.
Set up and inspect curtain and screen controls.
Coordinate equipment operation with presentation of supplemental material, such as music, oral commentaries, or sound effects.
Clean the projection booth.
Inspect movie films to ensure that they are complete and in good condition.

17 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Monitor operations to ensure that standards for sound and image projection quality are met, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Start projectors and open shutters to project images onto screens, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Open and close facilities according to rules and schedules, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Operate equipment to show films in a number of theaters simultaneously, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Apple macOS
Audio calibration software
Autodesk AutoCAD
Avid Technology iNEWS
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Facebook
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft operating system
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Word
Web browser software

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

16mm motion picture projectors
8mm motion picture projectors
Allen wrenches
Cordless microphones
Digital movie projectors
Emergency lighting
Film cleaning machines
Film rewinders
Flathead screwdrivers
Laser disc playback machines
Movie theatre screens
Multi-image slide projectors

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

Audio calibration
Avid Technology iNEWS

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Operations Monitoring
02Active Listening
03Operation and Control
04Reading Comprehension
05Speaking

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Computers and Electronics
Customer and Personal Service
Mechanical
English Language

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

61%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
20%Less than a High School Diploma
10%Bachelor's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Some Preparation Needed”. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Common questions

What does a Motion Picture Projectionist do?: Set up and operate motion picture projection and related sound reproduction equipment. Day to day that includes work like monitor operations to ensure that standards for sound and image projection quality are met and Start projectors and open shutters to project images onto screens.
What skills should a Motion Picture Projectionist put on a resume?: O*NET rates Operations Monitoring, Active Listening, Operation and Control, Reading Comprehension, and Speaking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Motion Picture Projectionist list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Apple macOS, Audio calibration software, Autodesk AutoCAD, Avid Technology iNEWS, and Enterprise resource planning ERP software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Motion Picture Projectionist work?: O*NET records 22 titles for this occupation, including Booth Operator, Movie Projectionist, Projectionist, and Technical Projection Guide. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Motion Picture Projectionist need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 61% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Motion Picture Projectionist role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.