
Ben Model’s blog
-

Ben relates the journey of playing piano as part of a full orchestra live accompanying Chaplin’s City Lights under the baton of the score’s restorer, Timothy Brock, during the Silent Film Days Festival in Tromsø, Norway. Ben also explores how he experienced Chaplin’s score “from the inside” and what he…
-

ep. 06 (re-posted): Re-Starting the Podcast, Recap of 2014, “The Spice of the Program”, Marcel Perez on DVD, Arthur Kleiner, SFSMA
This is a re-posting “flashback” of episode 6, which originally posted on January 7, 2015. Welcome — Mea culpa, and welcome to the podcast reboot — The Silent Film Sound and Music Archive — My new DVD label Undercrank Productions and the LoC — Live performance: “My Best Girl” at St.…
-

ep. 05 (re-posted): Marathon of shows, Music for Doug and Mary, Organ Benches and Piano Lights
This is a re-posting “flashback” of episode 5, originally posted on March 18, 2013. Welcome – A whirlwind week of performances and travel – 7 shows in 8 days Live performance: “The Mark of Zorro” at Central Baptist Church – Preparing for a performance: music prep, bench height, piano light,…
-

ep. 04 (re-posted): “Accidentally Preserved” Kickstarter, getting clues from film intros, return to Boise
This is a re-posting “flashback” of episode 4, originally posted on January 14, 2013. Welcome – Playing the organ at the Library of Congress theater – My Kickstarter project to release rare/lost silents on DVD and YouTube – Live performance: Raymond Griffith in “You’d Be Surprised” at Silent Clowns –…
-

ep. 03 (re-posted): Two Silent Griffiths (Raymond and D.W.), Music for Weddings and Funerals, DVDs, Alternate Scores
This is a re-posting “flashback” of episode 3, originally posted on July 12, 2012. Welcome – Playing for “The Avenging Conscience” and “Paths to Paradise” – Live performance: “Paths to Paradise” at Silent Clowns – Thoughts on scoring “The Saphead” and “The Devil’s Needle & Other Tales of Vice and…
-

ep. 02 (re-posted): Unidentified films, DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments”, YouTube ethics, The Crowd, and more
This is a re-posting “flashback” of episode 2, originally posted on June 29, 2012. Welcome – report on what was the first “Mostly Lost” film identification workshop – live performance recording “Ten Commandments” on Steere & Sons organ in Brooklyn – an ethical issue on uploading silents to YouTube from DVDs…
-

ep. 01: re-posting of premiere (2012) episode
This is a re-posting “flashback” of the very first episode of The Silent Film Music Podcast, originally posted on June 9, 2012. Welcome – score for “The Eagle” – new web series – Mabel Normand – Raymond Griffith at The Silent Clowns – score for “The Night Club” – playing…
-

ep. 43: End of the Year 2021 Recap – Part 2
In the second half of this 2-parter, Ben Model recaps the past pandemic year: producing and releasing the Edward Everett Horton DVD set, a handful of DVD release projects in development, remembering MoMA’s Eileen Bowser, and looking toward the future of silent film live-streaming in 2022. Episode 43 Show Notes:…
-

ep. 42: End of the Year 2021 Recap – Part 1
“End of the Year 2021 Recap” – in the first half of this 2-parter, Ben Model recaps the past pandemic year of silent film live-streaming, rediscovering the meaning of providing entertainment for fans, the return to in-person accompaniments, and ponders the future of the silent movie virtual cinema. Episode 42…
-

ep. 41: Live-Scoring for the Virtual Cinema (part 2)
“Live-Scoring for the Virtual Cinema” – in part two of this conversation, Ben Model discusses what it’s been like to accompany silent films throughout 2021 via live-streams he’s produced and presented out of his home. Ben and co-host Kerr Lockhart discuss: the differences for Ben between the creative mindsets of…