Program Description:
From the classic films of golden age Hollywood to intergalactic ‘80s battle epics, the incredible visual history of 20th century cinema quietly unfolded in daily newspapers across the country. The stunning advertising images scorched readers’ eyes with Action! Laughs! Kung fu! Romance! Werewolves! – but the unique letterpress plates used to physically print these ads were then discarded and lost to time… until recently.
The Press Room Collection at Alamo Drafthouse features over 60,000 original printing plates for films spanning the 1930s to the 1980s. The collection is the largest single archive of these irreplaceable artifacts of movie history, all kept alive by our dedicated master printer, hand-cranking an original 1940 Vandercook press to create distinctive collectible prints celebrating cinema culture.
Join us for a documentary screening and talk about the collection, followed by a printing demo in the lobby, featuring plates from the collection!
Instructor Bio:
Travis Smith is a letterpress printer and educator from Austin, Texas with over fifteen years of experience in the craft. He oversees and explores the magnificent Press Room collection – an archive of over 60,000 original cinema advertising cuts.
