A stand-alone subject of the film projectionist curriculum, and the one most likely to matter on a bad night.
The electrical side of the projection booth, and how not to get hurt in it.
Projection equipment draws serious power, and a projection booth is a small industrial environment: high currents, hot surfaces, an arc lamp that can blind, and a room sometimes full of flammable material. This subject starts with power engineering and safe working practice - the regulations, fire protection and first aid that everything else depends on.
From there it covers the equipment itself: secondary power supplies and rectifiers, the motors that drive the transport, auditorium and booth lighting, and the regulation of light sources - how a lamp is fed and controlled. It closes with uninterruptible power supplies, accumulators and batteries: what keeps a screening alive, and a building safe, when the mains does not.
It is the least glamorous subject in the curriculum and the one that most often decides whether a fault becomes an incident. There are no entry requirements. Purchase grants a non-exclusive licence for 12 months from the date of purchase.
Regulations are covered at EU level, with Czech practice as the worked example. Always check the requirements in force where you work.
Available on its own, or as part of Complete Projectionist (€540, saving €180) - the bundle that covers the whole trade, classic and digital.
The subject runs in three parts. Each part is a self-contained block of lessons closed by a knowledge check - passing it is required to move on.
Electrotechnics
Part 1
power engineering, safe working practice, electrical regulations, fire protection, first aid
Part 2
secondary power supplies, motors, lighting
Part 3
lamp regulation, uninterruptible power supplies, accumulators, batteries
Part 1 in detail
Power engineering
single- and three-phase distribution, protective devices, earthing and bonding, and what a cinema's supply actually looks like
Safe working practice
the effects of electric current on the body, isolation and lock-off, working limits for non-electricians, and knowing where your competence ends
Electrical regulations
the framework of standards and inspections, equipment classes, revisions and records
Fire protection
fire risk in a booth, nitrate and its history, extinguishing media and what must never be used on live equipment, evacuation
First aid
freeing a casualty from live parts, electric shock, burns and first aid
Part 2 in detail
Secondary supplies
transformers, rectifiers and converters, the DC supplies a lamphouse needs, ripple and regulation
Motors
AC and DC motors, starting and speed control, the drives used in projection equipment, and the faults they develop
Lighting
auditorium and booth lighting, dimming systems, emergency and escape lighting, and the light levels a cinema has to hold
Part 3 in detail
Lamp regulation
striking and running an arc, current control, xenon lamp supplies, lamp life and safe replacement
UPS
why a cinema needs uninterruptible supplies, topologies, sizing, and what has to stay alive when the mains fails
Accumulators
lead-acid and lithium chemistries, charging regimes, service life, and the hazards of each
Batteries
primary cells in equipment and emergency systems, storage, testing and disposal
Lessons combine video lectures, illustrated reading and interactive elements, available 24/7. Knowledge of the most important concepts and principles is checked by tests throughout, and passing them is a condition of progressing through the subject. A certificate of completion is issued on finishing.
Regulations are covered at EU level, with Czech practice as the worked example. Always check the requirements in force where you work - and never carry out electrical work you are not qualified and authorised to do.
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This is relevant wherever you are the person responsible for the equipment rather than just its operator. In small cinemas without a technical department, the projectionist is also the one who finds the tripped breaker, recognises an overheating supply, and knows which fault to isolate and hand over rather than investigate. In touring and festival setups the supply is temporary, unfamiliar and often improvised, which is exactly when understanding it matters.
The same knowledge underpins service and installation work in cinemas and screening rooms, and it is the basis for the safety side of the trade: fire protection in a booth, emergency lighting, and first aid for electric shock and arc-light injury. Anyone maintaining a booth single-handed needs it, because there is nobody else on shift to ask.
Electrotechnics is one of six subjects covering the whole projectionist trade. It supports Construction of Film Projectors, whose lamphouses and drives are what the electrical side is feeding, and Audio Technology, where amplifiers and racks bring their own electrical demands.
When does the course start? Are there fixed dates?
The courses are entirely online and self-paced. You decide the start date and the tempo.
How does the course work?
Each subject is a structured sequence of lessons that takes you into the material and explains each topic to the depth the trade requires. Lessons combine video lectures, reading and interactive elements. Knowledge of the most important concepts and principles is checked by tests throughout, and passing them is a condition of progressing - so that finishing the subject means something.
Which country's regulations does this cover?
Regulations are covered at EU level, with Czech practice as the worked example - a concrete national system is easier to learn from than an abstract summary, and the structure is broadly common across Europe. Always check the requirements in force where you work.
Does this qualify me to carry out electrical work?
No. This subject teaches you to understand the electrical side of a booth, work safely around it, and recognise a fault - not to intervene in installations. Electrical work is reserved for qualified and authorised persons under the rules of each country, and part of what is taught here is knowing where that line falls.
What do I need? Do I need an electrical background?
A computer or tablet with an internet connection, and the willingness to work through the material properly. There are no entry requirements - the electrical theory is developed from first principles, so no prior training is assumed.
Is there any practical training?
Not as part of the course, and for this subject that is deliberate - electrical equipment is not something to experiment on. You get guidance: what to observe in a working booth, what to ask the responsible technician, and how to keep a record of it. After completing all the courses, you should be fully prepared to start your own practice.
Do I get a certificate?
Yes. A certificate of completion is issued for every subject you finish, listing the subject, its scope and the hours involved. It is a record of training, not a licence to practise - no such licence exists in most countries.
How long do I have access?
Twelve months from purchase, for each subject you purchase.
Can I take an examination?
This projectionist training has a formal counterpart in the Czech Republic, where it prepares candidates for a
state-recognised professional qualification examination, leading to a certificate with a Europass supplement. That examination is held in person and in Czech, so it is realistic only for candidates who can travel and speak the language. Everyone else should treat these courses as what they are: the knowledge itself, certified by us.
There are no entry requirements for this subject - no prior study, no electrical qualification, no experience in a cinema. The electrical theory is developed from first principles.
What you need to study
Equipment
a computer or tablet with a stable internet connection
Audio
headphones or speakers for the video lessons
Time
roughly 8-10 hours per part if you want to work through it briskly - less if you take longer, which you are free to do
Helpful, but not required
Physics
secondary-school level - familiarity with voltage, current and resistance makes the first part faster
Access to a booth
a cinema where you can see a real installation - observed, not worked on
Important
This subject does not qualify you to carry out electrical work. It teaches you to understand the electrical side of a booth, work safely around it and recognise a fault. Electrical work is reserved for qualified and authorised persons under the rules of each country.
Purchase grants a non-exclusive licence to the e-learning course for 12 months from the date of purchase.
