Author: Ben Model

  • A Universal Non-Spoken Language

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    Ben Model
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    We’ve all heard of or referred to Silent Film as a universal language. It’s not just because the films are wordless, although that certainly levels the playing field. But it’s true. But it’s because of that same leaving-out that is at the core of the medium’s communication and storytelling. There is something about Silent Film…

  • That’s Not a Real Car

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    Ben Model
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    We use our imagination to fill in the elements left out, with Silent Film. As obvious as this may be to adults who’ve seen silent film, it’s ironic that there’s an assumption that kids won’t go for silents. Ironic, because children are in way better touch and access of their imagination. Parents and educators are…

  • The Reason Silent Film “Still Works”: Your Brain

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    Ben Model
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    People who haven’t seen Silent Film — or experienced it — are always surprised to know there’s an interest in it. When I tell people kids eat it up when I show Keaton in schools they are amazed. They shouldn’t be. But it’s because they’re thinking of the wrong side of the brain. Walter Kerr…

  • Brandy Snifter on the Cocktail Bar Piano

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    Ben Model
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    I wasn’t sure when I first heard about Patreon, but a recent NPR piece about it that interviews its founders Jack Conte and Sam Yam mentions their launch year of 2013. So, this was during the time in the early 2010s that I’d been researching what people in the music business had been doing to…

  • Re-release Everything

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    Ben Model
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    Over the last several months of doing live-accompanied live-streams of silent films, I’ve noticed the validity of something I’d read that Charley Chase once said. That he’d learned from his years in vaudeville that every seven years you get a new audience. As much as Steve Massa and I have thought some of the shorts…

  • ep. 39: “Adventures in Sound!”

    ep. 39: “Adventures in Sound!”

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    Ben Model
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    “Adventures In Sound!” – Ben tracks his own journey to find the digital devices that best re-create or at least evoke the classic theater pipe organ experience under modern screening conditions. Topics Ben discusses the “temporary” theme for the podcast, “Those Keystone Comedy Cops” Ben’s instrumental evolution  Learning to play the organ Lee Erwin, theater…

  • Rugelach and Gilbert Gottfried: the Gifts that Keep on Giving

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    Ben Model
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    I often bring rugelach from Zabars as a professional gift. People really like it, and Zabars is 8 blocks away from our building. When I tossed bags of the stuff to Frank Santopadre and Gilbert Gottfried while unpacking my keyboard gear, Gilbert exclaimed “Ooh! You’re our new favorite guest!” Which I kind of guessed might…

  • Exploring the Speed of Silent Comedy Film – test #5

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    Ben Model
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    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 silent film We took this at 12 fps, or we started at 16 or 14…

  • Exploring the Speed of Silent Comedy Film – test #4

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    Ben Model
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    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 difference — as long as the appropriate adjustments in performance tempi are made. Rather than…

  • Exploring the Speed of Silent Comedy Film – test #3

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    Ben Model
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    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 how to hit each other…and be hit by one another. It’s a technique that goes…