Silent Film Music By Ben Model

On this episode Ben talks about: the annual Mostly Lost film identification workshop at the Library of Congress, currently postponed until 2021; underscoring a key scene in Keaton's "The Cameraman" and noticing a parallel with "Singin' In The Rain", playing for "Spite Marriage", the challenge of introducing and presenting "The General" at a college show; playing for Laurel & Hardy on a 1980s electric theatre organ, and using that console's MIDI function to bring the sound of the Wurlitzer to a cinema; how Ben chooses and utilizes piano or organ for score recordings, and much more. episode 37: "Comedy Today! – Buster Keaton and Laurel & Hardy" Missing the Mostly Lost workshop, cancelled this year due to the pandemicMaking an alternate accompaniment for The CameramanThe Cameraman’s kiss in the rain and Singin’ In The Rain: Copy, homage or coincidence?Spite Marriage comes to life with an audienceMark Fuller, member of Southwest Silents in Bristol, England talks about The Silent Comedy Watch PartyPuttin

On this episode Ben talks about: using music an audience may or may not expect to hear during a film in preparing scores for shows of Fairbanks' "Robin Hood" and Raoul Walsh's "Loves of Carmen"; using underscore to help smooth over missing footage; playing the theatre organ like it's an orchestra and sparingly using its "toy counter"; expanding his live-streamed silent film shows beyond his weekly "Silent Comedy Watch Party", and more. episode 36: "Famous Players and Famous Melodies" Silent Comedy Watch Party updateAccompanying Westerns - Art Acord in The Showdown and William S. Hart in Three Word BrandFairbanks’s Robin Hood; incorporating songs written for the film by Victor SchertzingerProgramming Douglas Fairbanks films for performance todayKelly Kitchens from Dallas talks about The Silent Comedy Watch PartyThe Loves of Carmen versus the melodies of BizetImprovising in the style of traditional folk music formsCreating musical bridges for missing frames and scenesExpanding live streaming accompani

On this episode, Ben Model talks with co-host Kerr Lockhart talk about a cancelled gig at the Metropolitan Museum of Art turning into an online one, Gage County Nebraska and Hollywood, accompanying Russian silent films, scoring a French film for an audience with live-translated intertitles. Plus: using leitmotifs, finding a lost reel of a Baby Peggy comedy, piano tuning and this week's silent film book recommendation. You'll hear excerpts from Ben's last show before the pandemic shutdown, a screening in Brooklyn and one with theater organ on Long Island. Episode 35 Show Notes Ben talks about accompanying two short documentaries for  the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Pottery Maker(1926) directed by Robert Flaherty (Nanook of the North); and A Visit to the Home of Childe Hasam. Ben discusses accompanying Behind The Door, a film with Nebraska roots at a screening in Beatrice, NE on March 7, 2020 hosted by the Gage County Historical Society and Film Institute. He talks about making an effort to play m

On this episode of the podcast, Ben Model discusses the creation of the Silent Comedy Watch Party and the response so far; talks about teaching his silent film course at Wesleyan using Zoom; shares an excerpt from his score for Alfred Hitchcock’s Champagne for the Hitchcock British International Pictures Collection for Kino Lorber; talks about the annual show at the Idaho State Museum and his collaboration with the Boise Philharmonic, and shares an excerpt from his score for the Nell Shipman film Light On Lookout; discusses the rediscovery of Julia Crawford Ivers during the development of the Kino Lorber box set: Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers; and shares an excerpt from his score for The Intrigue; Kerr Lockhart joins the podcast and begins the new segment: Frequently Asked Questions.  This Week: Do you really make it all up as you go along? (Look for an FAQ transcript page coming to this website soon.) Finally, Kerr and Ben exchange self-quarantine recommendations. Kerr recommends Hollywood: A Celebration

On this episode of the podcast -- I use a song-title-pun during Mostly Lost, play for the same Chaplin shorts three days in a row to work on an orchestral score, play a Möller in Rome like it's an orchestra, bring silent comedies to the Adirondacks, score two Marion Davies films in a recording session and at the Library of Congress, and make the sun rise a little faster in Pennsylvania. Plus news about Douglas MacLean, upcoming shows and more. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play Music, Spotify or Overcast; please consider supporting the podcast at Patreon.  And, if you want to say "thanks!", why not buy me a cup of coffee? Links from the episode: My blog post about the historic 1911 Park Theater is here.Read all the backer updates about the Douglas MacLean DVD project on the Kickstarter site's page.The Silent Clowns Film Series has monthly screenings, for free, at the NYPL at Lincoln Center.My orchestral scores are available for performance here.If you're interes

On this episode of the podcast, I discuss meeting an audience's expectations while staying true to the film's original culture, choosing a comedy short to show newbies, and playing for a show where someone else's music credit is onscreen; also, Arthur Kleiner accompanies a Harold Lloyd short with an iPhone, 700 kids in Boise laugh at Buster Keaton, I play a MoMA premiere of a newly-discovered film from 1898; plus – news about recent and upcoming shows. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play Music, Spotify or Overcast; please consider supporting the podcast at Patreon.  And, if you want to say "thanks!", why not buy me a cup of coffee? Links from the episode: You can view Something Good – Negro Kiss (1898) at the USC Hugh M. Hefner Moving Image Archive's Vimeo page. My mini-doc about USC archive director Dino Everett and 28mm film is on YouTube.Mostly Lost 8 will be held June 12-15, 2019.The Silent Clowns Film Series has monthly screenings, for free, at the NYPL at L

On this episode, Ben Model talks about creating and performing a live score on theatre organ for the 1931 "Dracula" with Bela Lugosi, shares some insights about programming the "Silent Comedy International" series at MoMA, and discusses why playing at a suburban library is just as important as playing a big film festival. Performance recordings on this episode are from "Dracula" at the Library of Congress, "Vester Vov Vov" with Danish comedy duo Pat & Patachon ("Fy og Bi"), and Harold Lloyd in "Ask Father". Plus, there's news about Ben's upcoming silent film shows and DVD projects. Be sure you're on Ben's email list, so you don't miss a show or new DVD.

On this mini-episode, Ben Model gives you some tips and some do's & don't's on how to accompany a silent movie if you're doing one this Halloween...or any time of the year. Plus, there's news about Ben's upcoming silent film shows and DVD projects. Be sure you're on Ben's email list! Subscribe to the podcast via the platforms listed below, or on Overcast.

On this episode, Ben Model recaps his summer silent film shows, discusses musically wrapping up a scene to match the film, talks about what to do musically when the film breaks, traces a 14-year trajectory in a "how'd you get that gig?" story, shares some info on Lee Erwin's synthesizer-based theatre organ and his novelty song "Tootsie Oodles", and more. All this plus news about upcoming silent film shows and DVD info. Here are links to Kino Lorber's new release of Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers, a video of "Matchmaking Mammas", and Ben's email list.

I've recorded and posted a new episode of The Silent Film Music Podcast with Ben Model. It's the podcast that takes you inside the mind of someone as they prepare for, perform and reflect on performances of live musical accompaniments to silent movies. In episode 28 I discuss scoring a Laurel & Hardy silent comedy utilizing a tune many fans of theirs know, recording a new score for Lois Weber's Hypocrites for the new Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers box set for KinoLorber currently screening in select cities, accompanying The Golem at the Morgan Library and Museum, and other insights into the silent film accompaniment process. You can listen below, and can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Overcast.

On this episode, Ben Model takes you above the Arctic Circle to hear a pipe organ accompanying a Swedish silent, to Boise ID to its historic 1927 Egyptian Theatre, and to Hollywood for the TCM Classic Film Festival. Ben discusses choosing a main theme for his score "Show People", the importance of John Morris's music for Mel Brooks films, plus some insight on the use and usefulness of a silent film score's main theme. All this plus news about Mostly Lost, upcoming silent film shows and DVD info. Show links: Tromsø International Film Festival, Arctic Cathedral, TCM Classic Film Festival, Mostly Lost 7. 

Welcome and intro - reports on recent shows and recordings, and October DVD releases - starting a score at a performance: playing the audience into the film - performance clip: "The Temptress" with Garbo & Moreno, on organ at the LoC - explanation of the podcast's theme - anticipating mood shifts and when to make the change - performance clip: "Metropolis" in Brooklyn - finding a way to make the most of "Spite Marriage" with Buster Keaton - score clip: original 1929 score recording - reasoning behind my choices for the same sequence - performance clip: "Spite Marriage" at the Iola Buster Keaton Festival - my defunct altscore.com service lives on? - upcoming show info: shorts at the Silent Clowns, Nosferatu in Nyack, Keaton and Slapstick Divas at the AFI Silver - signoff and thank you.

Welcome and intro - "Silent Film Days" in Tromsø, Norway - demonstrating musical moods for 5th graders - the universality of silent comedy - recording of score for One Week for students - making underscoring fit physical actions in an unobtrusive way - performance recording ofexcerpt from score for L&H in From Soup To Nuts - waiting for just the right moment for the first instance of a love theme - excerpt from performance of Borzage's Seventh Heaven - upcoming DVD release and project info - signoff and thank you.

Welcome and intro - Stuart Oderman - DVD/Blu ray release of "When Knighthood Was In Flower" - holding back in playing in order to get audience inside a character's head - performance excerpt from "Show People" - underscoring a moment that extends into a scene with different energy - performance excerpt from "The Crowd" - Silent Film Days in Tromsø again next month - score recording of Lee Erwin accompanying "The Thief of Bagdad" - upcoming DVD release and project info - signoff and thank you.

Welcome and intro - "Silent Film Days" festival Tromsø (Verdensteatret 100 År!) - performance clip "Madame de Thebes" - scoring "Why Change Your Wife" and hunting for "Hindustan" for the Kansas Silent Film Festival - performance clip "Why Change Your Wife?" - more about scoring WFYW and about seeing William DeMille's films - show prep is more than just musician prep - performance clip "It's The Old Army Game" - being in an oil painting and on a book cover - premiere of my restoration of "When Knighthood Was in Flower" at the Toronto Silent Film Festival - upcoming shows - how you can help silent film - signoff and thank you.

00:00 Welcome, and intro to Cruel and Unusual Comedy -- 04:02 More Plots and Plotters -- 11:21 Ethnic Profiling: Stereotypically Speaking -- 19:47 Loco Motives: On the Wrong Track -- 27:52 Scared Silent -- 36:27 Hits of the Past -- 45:29 Working Girls.This episode contains chapter stops. (Your podcast player may or may not recognize these.)

00:00 Welcome, and intro to Cruel and Unusual Comedy -- 04:31 Westward Whoa -- 14:36 Love and War: Romantic Skirmishes -- 26:16 Family Jewels: Child Progeny -- 34:29 Wage Slaves and Working Stiffs -- 40:00 Slapstick HashThis episode contains chapter stops. (Your podcast player may or may not recognize these.)

00:00 welcome; intro to special "Cruel and Unusual Comedy" series and podcasts - 05:40 Plots and Plotters - 14:07 Chaplinitis - 26:15 Sports Injuries - 36:11 Arts Deprectiation. This episode contains chapter stops. (Your podcast player may or may not recognize these.)

coming in January 2017: 3 special episodes of the podcast This mini-episode is more of a trailer of sorts for three special podcast episodes that I will post simultaneously in the first half of January 2017.In this 10-minute mini-podcast – first off, I recap some fall DVD releases and a couple that are on tap for spring of 2017. Then you'll hear about some orchestral score performances coming in February, as well as a "Director's Speed" screening of "Sunrise". Finally, the piece de resistance (if you'll pardon my French), some news about "Cruel and Unusual Comedy" at MoMA January 13-26 and the podcasted film notes by Steve Massa that I've produced as a companion guide. Thanks for listening!

episode 19: a trip to Egypt?, Keaton and Lloyd in South Korea, prepping for a 1915 Swedish silent Welcome. I get lost en route to a gig whilst dealing with a snafu in overseas travel. Next, I talk about explaining the onscreen music credit (attributed to someone who is not me) to 3,000 people in Jecheon, South Korea. Performance recording: accompanying "Steamboat Bill, Jr." starring Buster Keaton at the 12th Jecheon International Music and Film Festival. I talk about preparing for and playing during two outdoor shows at JIMFF for huge crowds, outdoors by a lake, as well as my recent experience with the universality of silent film. Performance recording: accompanying "The Freshman" starring Harold Lloyd at the 12th Jecheon International Music and Film Festival. Preparing to accompany "Madame de Thebes", a 1915 Swedish silent film, at the 11th "Silent Film Days" festival in Tromsø, Norway; the challenges of a contemporary audience decoding the cinematic storytelling language of a 1915 drama, and in particular