Ben Model’s blog
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The Kansas Silent Film Festival 2022 and other Adventures in Returning to In-Person Performance The Kansas Silent Film Festival 25th Anniversary The Silent Comedy Watch Party at Ben Model’s YouTube Channel Augmenting one’s accustomed patterns of accompaniment The joy of editing recorded scores End of scene: resolve or bridge? Ben accompanies…
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ep. 46: Kansas Silent Film Festival…and Other In-Person Shows, plus some new Undercrank Projects
Ben talks about: being a guest accompanist at the 25th annual Kansas Silent Film Festival; playing for Edward Everett Horton in a Cathedral, and the use of a “Bowery waltz”; introducing Marcel Perez to fans at the KSFF; playing for William S. Hart in Brooklyn; being able to turn on…
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Ernie Kovacs on Game/Contest Shows
Sitting in the theater of what used to be called The Museum of Broadcasting in 1985 (it’s now the Paley Center), I was transfixed by the interview I was watching. The 1961 television program on screen was an episode of “The Lively Arts”, a program on the CBC. The guest…
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Episode 45 show notes: The Silent Film Music Podcast
Video releases, Kickstarters, Marion Davies, and MOMA Ben’s live appearances seem to be increasing in Winter 2022 Festivals are announcing schedules, such as TCM Classic Film Festival in April, Capitolfest in Rome, NY Edward Everett Horton’s silent shorts are breaking out Effective as a silent film performance Harold Lloyd’s company provided…
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ep. 45: Home Video Releases, Kickstarters, Marion Davies, Wesleyan and MoMA
Ben talks about: the process of scoring “Zander the Great” and “Beverly of Graustark” for home video release; a recent Kickstarter that funded super-quick; Marion Davies’s talents as a silent film actor; teaching in-person and on-campus again after two years; accompanying Edward Everett Horton shorts and “The Fire Brigade” at…
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ep. 08 (re-posted): “A Trip to the Moon” in Tromsø, an Organ in Oslo, live comedy show “Everybody Gets Cake”, Marcel Perez
This is a re-posting “flashback” of episode 8, which originally posted on February 4, 2015. Welcome – News from January: composing and performing music for Parallel Exit’s “Everybody Gets Cake”, running off-Bway thru Feb 8, 2015 – Recording: instrumental from “Cake” show: “A Shakespearean Smoke Break” – the restoration of…
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ep. 07 (re-posted): News From the Road, “Peter Pan”, Hitchcock’s “Blackmail”, physical comedy show “Everybody Gets Cake”
This is a re-posting “flashback” of episode 7, which originally posted on January 21, 2015. Welcome – News from the road – December 2014 recap: the Silent Clowns Film Series, Chaplin Mutuals, Library of Congress holiday party, the Powers kids in “The Skeleton” – Recording: live performance, accompaniment to “Peter…
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ep. 44: Exploring the Music of “City Lights”…From Inside the Score
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…
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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.…
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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,…