“I learned everything about being a projectionist on the job”: Jean-Luc Thedenat, the “cinema man” of Millau

“Si je devais encore soulever les bobines de 40 kg, je serai bien embêté” : Jean-Luc Thedenat. Pauline Chaliez

A musician at heart, he has been a projectionist at the Millau cinema for 40 years.

He is the “Mr. Cinema”. The one that most people in Millau know. And for good reason, Jean-Luc Thedenat entered the Millau cinema in 1985. He never left. “I am a curious person. I went there because I knew someone who worked there and he told me that they were looking to hire. It was a stroke of luck”, he says.

“I learned everything about being a projectionist on the job. At the time, we used reels. I also wrote my autobiography about my life in the cinema until the covid period. I found it interesting that future generations know how it worked before”.

“I discovered professions that I didn't know about”

Jean-Luc Thedenat is inexhaustible when it comes to talking about his experiences: “I met artists, I went to see filming and I was part of some teams because the rushes were done in cinemas before being sent to Paris. I was lucky because my boss took me everywhere. We were sometimes invited by the director to eat with the team. I like photography so I took some of the actors but also of other professionals that we never see in the image. I discovered jobs that I didn't know about, like set keeper, for example”.

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The projectionist also talks about his participation in the Cannes Film Festival, the films he saw on these occasions, but also the show “Nulle part ailleurs” which he attended whenever possible and during which he liked to have access to the off-screen time that he sometimes filmed. Jean-Luc Thedenat also talks about the period from 1990 to 2010 when he provided outdoor screenings in campsites in the area, and marriage proposals made at the cinema with his help.

While he displays a hint of nostalgia for the technical evolution of the profession, he also notes its positive effects : “If I had to lift 40 kg reels again, I would be in a lot of trouble. And even if the quality of the film had improved before the switch to digital about ten years ago in Millau, it is much more comfortable for the viewer that there is no longer any risk of breakage during the projection”.

“I haven't seen the years go by”

He claims that the quality of films has improved significantly thanks to digital, which allows for repeat takes, whereas in the past, directors wasted as little film as possible for reasons of cost. He is fond of continuity errors, which he illustrates with the most striking example for him: “In Luc Besson's The Fifth Element, Leeloo's character enters the temple wearing a yellow sweater. In the next shot, it's orange.”

To cope with the widespread use of flat screens and even home cinemas, he explains the importance “to choose the right films, to work with local associations, to offer arthouse films, to diversify the proposals for the people of Millau”. “I haven't seen the years go by”, concludes the man who will soon be closing 40 years of cinematographic experiences.

“Time to enjoy life”

On April 1, 2025, Jean-Luc Thedenat will officially retire, "and it's not an April Fool's joke", he jokes. "It makes my heart sink, of course. But having free time on the weekend to go to shows, take part in local activities, I'm delighted". Photographer and videographer for weddings, the Telethon or the music festival, he is also an author and composer. "At the time, music was not a profession. When I retire, I will have time to promote my music, why not start a band, I am preparing that. I know that if I do shows, I will find the loyal audience I met at the cinema. “I have seen people grow up”. Jean-Luc Thedenat simply plans to "enjoy life", perhaps write another book and continue to take care of his 94-year-old mother.