For me, it's collecting and bringing old, unwanted projectors back to life. My wife refers to our basement as the home for unwanted (but now loved) projectors. It's nice to find a dilapidated machine at a charity shop and then restore it to its former glory.

Finding a title your not sure about or even heard of to be pleasantly surprised once you project it and get something great, doesn't always work!!! Mark

Being able to share it with an appreciative audience. To me, sharing our love of “screening” our hobby with others has always been the best part for me.

Since I own machines mostly from the 1940's-50's, I enjoy operating the old machinery and watching it in motion, so as long as it's not chewing up film! But theses older machines are manual thread, so that hasn't happened yet. :-) Simply collecting the films is a lot of fun. It's like collecting records or comic books.

I really enjoy looking for films or equipment at estate sales, garage sales, thrift stores or on craigslist.
For me, it is like treasure hunting! You never know what you will find, if anything, but at least occasionally, you stumble into some real film "treasures" ! And often at bargain prices too!

Mark - ever come across a title hidden deep in your stacks that you forgot you even had? I try to keep an updated list, but its happened to me on a few occasions!

I enjoy having had the chance to meet so many fellow collectors in person, and having the chance to get together several times a year...

I enjoy sitting at the editing bench cleaning films....fixing splices...making up "show" reels....tinkering with projectors...I also shoot super 8 so putting my own films together....organizing the film shelves....it never ends. Sometimes I go downstairs to watch films and end up doing all the things I've listed and I don't watch anything!

I enjoy showing films in hope of converting people :-) Also the meetings, auctions and chatting with fellow collectors

Getting new prints you know nothing about. I never seen A Night to Remember before I bought it from Barry, to find how bad I think Titanic from Cameron is. A Night is much better

Michael
Yes that has happened before, I thought I sold by accident my lovely colour 600ft of the Magnificent Seven only to find it a few years later in a plain box I hadn't labelled, a few other occasions too,always a nice surprise when you do rediscover "lost" films,Mark

That is the best version Vidar, 2nd would come 'Titanic, with Barbara Stanwyk. Survivors of the Titanic were advisors on the Kenneth more version. Like one of the other posters commented, finding a film by one of you favourite actors, that you have not seen before, and especially, when there is no alternative choice. I like tidying up boxes that have suffered a bit over the years, and decorating them. Lubricating the film, and checking it at the same time. I like to preserve any original leader and tail by adding a generous amount of while leader to the original.

Totally agree, Robert, I like the Stanwyck one too, but only have the 400’ digest of that. Seen it on TV a loooong time ago, though

Mark,
Finding a title your not sure about or even heard of to be pleasantly surprised once you project it and get something great, doesn't always work!!! Mark

This happened to me recently, i knew Dave Guest has a 16mm copy og No way out. All i knew about it was that it starred Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman. G Hackman is one of my favourite actors, so i viewed the trailer on-line and thought that it looked a good film. I never usually buy movies i have never seen. I read a little bit about it and saw that it had teists and turns with an unexpected ending. IDavid did me a very very good deal on it so i took the punt and wow did it pay off. One of the best films i had seen in years. Not too sure how it passed me by since 1987, and for those new to this forum here is my review of this movie here,

No Way Out. Kevin Costner & Gene Hackman. LPP Poly print.

Also, for some reason i have suddenly decided i like to keep cleaning and airing out my film room. I also enjoy doing minor repairs on my projectors . It's quite rewarding when things do go right. And again, for those new members who may be interested, i did a bit of a breakdown and reassemble of my spare NT1 on here,

The NT1 experiment, will it run again?

i was pleased that this one had as many readers as it did. Makes it all worth while, most importantly, i also do this in the hope that i get people replying with hints and tips who are far more qualified than i am. I am but a beginner when it comes to fixing projectors.
I do wish to get an Elmo ST1200 /1200HD in order to pull apart and experiment with.

To me it has to be re recording prints, the difference is incredible. As technology advances and the sound on Blu Rays gets better, to then transfer that sound onto a super 8 print then run it through a Hi-Fi system, all I can say is wow. In the last couple of weeks I have re recorded Rocky, Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines and Dambusters, it is so rewarding and has brought a whole new aspect of the hobby to me.

In addition to collecting films and projectors I also collect books,
Books about cinema, cinemas, projecting, star's biographies. All, and more interest me.
Just ordered this book and awaiting delivery.
http://www.cinemamuseum.org.uk/2012/holl...ls-joel-finler/

I saw the Stanwyck version once,when I was a kid and have the two reeler.I also have the german 1943 version which is also a very good film. I am trying to find the complete Kenneth More version plus... I am perhaps the only person in the world who hasn't seen the Cameron version!!!

That's what I'm talking about Tom,nice when it happens and you get something great like your film,I do it mostly at film fairs by finding something I've never heard of,done it with super 8 200,400 etc and features and the same with 16mm,like I said it doesn't always work but it's worth taking a chance for me,Mark

Del, getting professional at it? Perfect sync, even with splices? I still haven’t gotten around to get my Terminator to speak English

If you want to sell your service, I would love to get the Mono track onto my Super 8 Terminator :-)

Definately makes a difference rerecording films,another part I enjoy also, lifts the film to another level,just done my recent purchase of The Sound of Music,not a huge fan of the film but it certainly sounds impressive now,Mark

Beside films I also have a big library of film books and magazines and do like to make more complete copies,especially of silent comedies, by editing together scenes from different versions.

I have discovered that I am a collector. It is not just about watching the films, but the feeling when you get a film you have looked for a long time. That is great! I also love old projectors and how thy work. I am fascinated at how they make a stream of pictures become alive.

I enjoy shooting film, sharing my collection with others, and the experience of my children appreciating the flicker of celluloid. In the end I think I just love the organic love of everything coming together.

Hi Don,
We are all looking forward to seeing how the film that you shot recently turned out!

I'm trying to perfect my technique's Vidar, I'm getting there, I'm quicker and the results are better, just tweaked something re recording Dambusters and it worked a treat, it has now opened up a whole new level of recording I can now do and it's even more rewarding when you play the film back. Just got the Blu Ray for Sound of Music Mark so that will be my next job.

Totally agree with Vidar's post about A Night to Remember. It's full of pathos and more horrifying than the other versions, plus it has extraordinarily good special effects. It makes Cameron's film look like a pantomime.

I also love Bill's post about tinkering at the bench, creating show reels and rearranging. Total bliss!