'Can't you just rewind it a little bit?'

No kidding, that's what they asked after arriving 15 minutes late...

I had to say no, since once we start a film, it must run until the end. A normal 2 hour movie consists of about 10,000 feet of film, running though the projector at 24 frames every second. The film may be stopped, but between the with the motor winding down and starting back up, the viewer will miss about a minute of the story. It is not possible to rewind the film or fast forward it- the projector runs at the same speed, just 'on' or 'off'. All we can do is start reliably on time. Our atomic clock helps us meet that goal.

We project the standard in theatrical exhibition, 35mm film. I say the 'standard' in the face of the digital revolution because there are far more 35mm theaters in operation than digital screens, including the construction of new multiplexes as 35mm houses. Digital is gaining ground, but the expense to a theater is hovering around $90,000 per screen to convert to digital... So your local Reel Mountain Theater is going to wait and see... Once the technology stabilizes we'll take the leap. The week we install the digital system, we could probably back it up a few minutes-but  then there's the issue of asking permission from the folks that were in their seats on time if that's OK with them.

So, we may never be able to 'rewind it just a bit'.