At 16 years old, C.W. began working at Winchester Century Theaters, one of California’s oldest film landmarks and longest standing movie-domed locations. In a way, the domes helped raise and shape him into the man that you know (or the man you may want to know) today. He eventually was promoted to assistant manager, and became a projectionist for the theater, working in the booth and threading projectors for the largest screens in northern California, with 35-millimeter film. Film with which he works with in his photography today. He worked there until 2014 when the theaters closed down. His deep love and respect for film began during this time and has continued ever since. The theaters hold a warm place in his heart, which he says contributed to a fair amount of his early inspiration. You can find out more about where he worked here in The Projection Booth, where you can go back in time, see Doc and Marty, and may even find C.W. when he was young, and when his love story was just beginning. We’ve even included a bonus video of C.W. hard at work and trying for The Oscars below. Now let’s take you back… to San Jose Suburbia… 1964, the brand new Century Theaters were the only buildings in the area…  tucked in between orchards and expanding American emptiness. The buzz brought people around from miles, and miles, and miles…

In 1985, before Back to the Future was released and presented as an international phenomenon to the world, it played here!

Back to the Future Day may have come and gone however its celebration allowed us here at SearchlightSJ to go back to the past and find an interesting San Jose connection to the film. The bonus features include commentary from Bob Gale, the Co-Creator of the trilogy. In the commentary Gale describes the first public screening of the film in which movie-goers entered the theater not knowing what to expect and left not wanting the fun to end. Steven Spielberg remarks that other than E.T. the first screening of Back to the Future was the greatest preview he had ever seen. Where would such an enthusiastic and fun audience come from?  From San Jose of course!  In May of 1985 Back to the Future received its first test screening at the Century Domes Theater Complex off of Winchester (the dome has since been granted historic building status by the City of San Jose saving the now defunct theater from the wrecking ball). The screening went so well that the release date was moved up from mid-August to July 3rd in order to capture larger summer audiences. It also resulted in the removal of over 6 minutes of footage which are now available as bonus scenes in the DVD and Blu-ray releases of the trilogy. One question remains unanswered surrounding the screening; what prompted the creators of Back to the Future to hold their first screening in San Jose and not at Universal? Spielberg, with his South Bay ties, may have had familiarity with the dome which was completed in 1964, a year prior to his graduation from Saratoga High School.  Perhaps more importantly, the creators of Back to the Future wanted an initial screening to occur without the presence of studio executives to maintain creative control over the film. Following the screening several minor tweaks were made before a formal screening at Universal Studios which included studio executive who gave their immediate approval of the film. Regardless the reason of how the sneak peek ended up at the Century Domes it just goes to show that whether back to the future or back to the past, we can always bring it back around to San Jose.

-This excerpt and all credit to Vaughn on searchlightsj.com. 

Take Cory to The Oscars!

Here’s a rare gem of C.W. when he was a young man, trying and vying for a spot on the Oscar stage. The year was 2014, and The Academy was running a contest for Oscar Presenter at the 2015 Academy Awards in Hollywood. The rules were simple… Make a video on “how you can contribute to the future of film”. Whoever made the best video and turned it in on deadline, would get an opportunity to present the prestigious Oscar Awards to the winners. (Yes, this was a real contest!) Anyway, C.W. did not win, but he entered and gave it all he had. They will accept him to the Academy Awards one day, but until then, he’ll continue to do his thing: bringing his work and this Studio to you. He had no idea what was to come of him then, but you get to see unfolding as it is happening right here and now. How exciting!

This video was made just before his beloved theaters closed down, if only he knew that then.... What you see below may be the last remaining footage of the projection booth, the theatre, and the marquee; and who would be inside it just before its demise? None other other than C.W. Stone. The theater meant to the world to him, and was the place that sparked the beginning of dreams that have now become his Studios. He misses the domes dearly. If only they knew what he’d do after it closed, they never would have! C.W. dedicates this page to that place in his memory. Enjoy the video below… because he sure did.