Four Seconds
The pause between songs on a record album or CD is usually four or five seconds. I don’t know how this was determined back in the early days of long playing records, but it is just enough time to mentally… Read More »Four Seconds
Ben Model’s blog
“Little Old New York” Released on DVD
Marion Davies’ 1923 Historical Rom-Com-Drama is Now Avaiable in a New DVD When Marion Davies’ own collection of nitrate 35mm prints of her films came to the Library of Congress in the 1950s, she couldn’t possibly have predicted that her… Read More »“Little Old New York” Released on DVD
Arthur Kleiner – Mid-Century Silent Film Pianist
On Wednesday, Nov 20 at 7pm, there will be a presentation at MoMA about Arthur Kleiner, silent film accompanist. It’s a name classic film fans aren’t familiar with, but he was “the sound of the silents” at the museum for… Read More »Arthur Kleiner – Mid-Century Silent Film Pianist
Bob Hoskins and “Musty Suffer”
I first saw one of the “Mishaps of Musty Suffer” at the annual, now-defunct Slapsticon festival. I assumed it was another obscure comedy shorts series no one knew about. I found out later that some of these had aired on… Read More »Bob Hoskins and “Musty Suffer”
When a Whistle Isn’t a Whistle
I make mistakes during shows, and usually I’m the only one who notices. As an artist, often that’s all I come away with from a performance. On Tuesday I used the “toy counter” on the virtual Wurlitzer I often accompany… Read More »When a Whistle Isn’t a Whistle
Revisiting What Goes Last on a Laurel & Hardy Silents Show
Running a group of shorts in chronological order at a show isn’t always ideal. For a film class where you’re looking to present a segment of a body of one comedian’s work in the order in which is made, then… Read More »Revisiting What Goes Last on a Laurel & Hardy Silents Show
Because Not Everything Will Stream
With a number of new major streaming services launching or about to launch, on top of the established Amazon and Netflix platforms already in people’s homes (and on their phones), as a niche-market distributor I can’t help thinking this is… Read More »Because Not Everything Will Stream
Helping Make More Showings of the 1931 Dracula Happen
There’s another by-product of my doing a live score for the 1931 Dracula, one that I think is a little more important than the issue of whether or not the music should be added or whether it works. It ties… Read More »Helping Make More Showings of the 1931 Dracula Happen
Dracula (1931) – a Horror Movie Without Horror Movie Music
It may be sacrilege to add music to the 1931 Dracula, and it might also be a great idea. It wasn’t until ten or fifteen minutes into a sound-check/run-through last year that I realized…hey, this is gonna work. The two… Read More »Dracula (1931) – a Horror Movie Without Horror Movie Music
Early Film, and Helping An Audience Know Where to Look
I found myself in a near-trance state, accompanying the 1912 Les amours de la reine Élisabeth (Queen Elizabeth) yesterday at Iris Barry’s History of Film at MoMA. It wasn’t the performance of Sarah Bernhardt that had me under its spell,… Read More »Early Film, and Helping An Audience Know Where to Look