Ever slam your hand in a door? This is what we played with in the last of the five videos. There’s a way to do this safely and make it look real, using the ersatz sleight-of-hand of the speed-up of… Read More »Exploring the Speed of Silent Comedy Film – test #5
One of the facets of silent film, and silent film comedy, is that since the film overall is being projected faster than taking speed, you can take individual shots at different speeds. When run together, the viewer won’t see the… Read More »Exploring the Speed of Silent Comedy Film – test #4
There are a few sequences in Chaplin’s “The Pawnshop” (1916) where Charlie and co-worker John Rand engage in slapstick hitting fights. It’s almost a running theme throughout the film, and they’re executed with precision by two clowns who really know… Read More »Exploring the Speed of Silent Comedy Film – test #3
One of the gags I’ve seen in silent comedies many times that’s really something you’d typically see in an animated cartoon. The trick is in creating the illusion of someone weighing a fraction of what they actually do. Usually one… Read More »Exploring the Speed of Silent Comedy Film – test #2
One of my fascinations with silent film is with how it is that it is shown faster than the speed at which it was shot, but doesn’t look it. Once I figured out that the secret is in adjusting the… Read More »Exploring the Speed of Silent Comedy Film – test #1
“Have you ever scored any new films, like regular movies, not silent ones?” It’s a question I get asked by reporters and people I meet socially. The answer usually surprises people. It’s “Nope.” I do get asked from time to… Read More »Working with People Who Haven’t Been Dead for 60 Years
Here is the latest episode of my video blog. I talk about accompanying Alice Guy Blaché films and the challenges of playing for nickelodeon-era films, about working with Parallel Exit, and some other tidbits. Enjoy! [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prQ6ceftEZc&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&border=1]
May 3, 2009 – played for Poil de carotte (“Carrot Top”), the 1925 silent directed by Julien Duvivier. I recorded my blog entry as a blogcast/podcast on my digital recorder while walking home from MoMA after the show (so that’s… Read More »Poil de carrotte
After some initial futzing with audio set-up we got the Miditzer sounding just right for tonight’s showing of The Gaucho at MoMA’s Titus 2 theater. This happens from time to time, but the MoMA projectionists are fantastic and they always… Read More »“The Gaucho” w/Douglas Fairbanks at MoMA