Motion Picture Projectionists
Also called: Booth Operator, Movie Projectionist, Projectionist, Technical Projection GuideSet up and operate motion picture projection and related sound reproduction equipment.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 3 of its 17 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 6.2% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 7.6% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other entertainment attendants and related workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.8 hires for every 10 job openings in information, which employs about 79% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $32,890 | $32,090 to $43,200 | not published |
| California | $74,840 | $36,350 to $117,940 | 190 |
| Illinois | $78,990 | $77,740 to $85,470 | not published |
| Iowa | $23,210 | $21,880 to $26,760 | 100 |
| Michigan | $37,590 | $28,370 to $52,940 | not published |
| Missouri | $29,140 | $28,600 to $30,070 | not published |
| New York | $82,260 | $68,920 to $88,310 | 270 |
| Ohio | $36,870 | $27,900 to $44,450 | 50 |
| Pennsylvania | $29,850 | $28,180 to $31,680 | 40 |
| Tennessee | $22,750 | $20,500 to $38,270 | 90 |
| Texas | $31,160 | $28,250 to $32,170 | 40 |
| Washington | $39,070 | $35,070 to $54,850 | 60 |
Nationally: $38,270. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 3 of its 17 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Monitor operations to ensure that standards for sound and image projection quality are met. | Not published |
| AI + software | Open and close facilities according to rules and schedules. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect projection equipment prior to operation to ensure proper working order. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform regular maintenance tasks, such as rotating or replacing xenon bulbs, cleaning projectors and lenses, lubricating machinery, and keeping electrical contacts clean and tight. | Not published |
| Not much | Start projectors and open shutters to project images onto screens. | Not published |
| Not much | Set up and adjust picture projectors and screens to achieve proper size, illumination, and focus of images, and proper volume and tone of sound. | Not published |
See all 17 tasks
| Not much | Clean the projection booth. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate equipment to show films in a number of theaters simultaneously. | Not published |
| Not much | Set up and inspect curtain and screen controls. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform minor repairs, such as replacing worn sprockets, or notify maintenance personnel of the need for major repairs. | Not published |
| Not much | Coordinate equipment operation with presentation of supplemental material, such as music, oral commentaries, or sound effects. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect movie films to ensure that they are complete and in good condition. | Not published |
| Not much | Install and connect auxiliary equipment, such as microphones, amplifiers, disc playback machines, and lights. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare film inspection reports, attendance sheets, and log books. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe projector operation to anticipate need to transfer operations from one projector to another. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove full take-up reels and run film through rewinding machines to rewind projected films so they may be shown again. | Not published |
| Not much | Splice separate film reels, advertisements, and movie trailers together to form a feature-length presentation on one continuous reel. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 17 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 17 tasks fall under 8 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate audiovisual or related equipment | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Set up equipment | |||
| Maintain facilities or equipment | |||
| Prepare reports of operational or procedural activities | |||
| Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Prepare schedules for services or facilities |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for motion picture projectionists specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 4,751 moves out
- 1 Audio and Video Technicians High +3.9% 6%
- 2 Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film High +1.3% 5%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 4%
- 5 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 2,473 moves in
- 1 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 8%
- 2 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 6%
- 3 Audio and Video Technicians High +3.9% 5%
- 4 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 5%
- 5 Cashiers High -6.5% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 20% less than high school
- 61% high school
- 9% some college
- 10% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 25 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 17% less than high school
- 29% high school
- 29% some college
- 7% associate's
- 16% bachelor's
- 2% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other entertainment attendants and related workers” · 3,124 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other entertainment attendants and related workers”
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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