Projection booth

During the early cinema period (1895 to the late 1900s approximately), the projector was typically located and operated within the theatre auditorium itself.

Projection booths that were segregated and equipped with fire prevention, fighting and containment infrastructure gradually became a legal requirement throughout the developed world.

A typical example of the regulation that emerged during this period was the fire safety provisions of the Cinematograph Act 1909 in the United Kingdom.

The origin of the reduced size dates back to the ability to manufacture glass without imperfections that could distort the image but more importantly these openings to the auditorium had to be made fireproof.

Steel guillotine shutters were fixed over each window between projection room and the auditorium and in case of fire a low melting point fuse would release the shutters and isolate the projection room from the auditorium should the glass break from the heat of a fire.

These include isolating the noise produced by opto-mechanical projectors from the audience, providing appropriate atmospheric control for the projection and film transport equipment (including, in more advanced booths, the use of HEPA air filtration to prevent dust contamination of the film prints in use), the provision of work space for the projectionist to prepare prints for projection and maintain the equipment, and the isolation of dangerous equipment and infrastructure (e.g. potentially explosive xenon bulbs and three-phase power) from untrained members of the public.