Home Movies vs Home Video

[Pumpkin_Man]

Hi Folks:

I thought I would share another one of my favorite childhood memories with you all just to change the pace a little around here.

There was a driving force in my early life which is the reason why I went into photography. That force was the magic my father worked when he pulled out the old 16mm movie projector. As a chile, I was allways entranced by bright lights, be they my dad's old bar light movie lighes, the lights on a tree or even a work light. Anyway, my very first experience with the old 16mm that I can remember occured when I was about 5 years of age. It all started when my dad broke out this tripod style screen. It was a white, glass-beaded screen that was highly reflective. Then he set up the projector. It was an old Ampro 16mm that he bought used around the year 1942. He attached the removable power chord, and then put on the take-up reel. Then he pulled out a 50 foot spool of film and loaded it into the projector. He turned the machine on, and it actualy sounded a little like a jet engine. Then he turned on the 750 watt incondescent lamp and this amazingly bright light eminated from it. On the screen I could see this window of bright white light. Then he shut off the lamp and put the machine into "neutral" while he loaded the film. Then the room light was shot off, the projector lamp was turned on, and right before my eyes, my younger sister and I both saw ourselvs on Christmas even hanging out stockings and getting ready for that annual visit from Santa.

The colors were so brilliant and the image so sharp that I actualy thought I could stick my hand inside the picture.

What are some of your home movie or home video memories? What was it like for all of you when you saw yours and your siblings and parents image on a movie screen or a tv screen for the first time that you can remember?

Mike