8mm Forum: Watching Silent Films without Music

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Topic: Watching Silent Films without Music

Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted July 21, 2017 04:42 PM

My family and friends cannot bear to sit through anything longer than a 1-reeler if there's no musical accompaniment. I actually prefer it completely silent. Music is often jarring to me and unless it's composed specifically for the movie I find it often distracts me from being able to fully immerse myself in the story. Thoughts?

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted July 21, 2017 05:04 PM

I've tried playing music with my silents, just so they'd fit among sound films better. I found the music influenced how I felt about what was going on up on the screen too much.

-so I usually show sound and silent films separately now.

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Will Trenfield
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 506
From: Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK
Registered: Mar 2016

posted July 21, 2017 06:41 PM

Cinemas would show silent movies with a musical score played by a pianist, band, organist or even an orchestra, I understand. A suitable score may have come with the film but that's guessing.

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted July 21, 2017 06:48 PM

Yes, they did, Will. The score the pianist played was often proprietary to the film being shown. However, these scores are great if you can read music and want to sit at your piano during the entire movie and let others enjoy the show. Great party idea. Will.. When you thread up a standard / super 8mm silent full length movie what, if anything, accompanies the film you're running? I just enjoy the quiet.

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Bill Brandenstein
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1632
From: California
Registered: Aug 2007

posted July 21, 2017 09:56 PM

Catch-22. The most recent time I tried to play unsynchronized music to a silent movie, my wife asked me to turn it off because it was too distracting! But I refuse to show silent movies totally silent if it's for anyone beyond my family at home.

So I have very few silent movies but try to buy them with scores whenever possible. Blackhawk was pretty great about doing this for a lot of titles, although the prints are fewer in number.

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William Olson
Master Film Handler

Posts: 287
From: Poughkeepsie, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2010

posted July 21, 2017 10:09 PM

I used to borrow (from my local library) 8mm Blackhawk prints of Chaplin shorts, Laurel and Hardy shorts, and other silent films from the silent days. I had a pretty good collection of records - a lot of movie soundtracks and classical recordings. I would watch a film once and make notes on the type of music to use for various scenes. I would go through my collection, pick appropriate passages then run the film again to make a 'score' sheet with sequence timing and music suggestions. I would use a reel to reel recorder to compile a score for the film. A little fine tuning of timing the sequences and I had a pretty good score that matched fairly well with the film. It sounds like a lot of work but it was a lot of fun.

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted July 21, 2017 10:51 PM

I've only ever made two sound films, but technically they are modern day scored silents. I found some music I really loved and shot Super-8 footage that worked with it. I titled it, edited it together, sent it over to the UK to get striped, got it back here and recorded the music tracks on it. It was a great project.

I love the Blackhawk scored silents. I just recently got a scored Buster Keaton "Cops". This means my silent print is going up for trade at CineSea next October.

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Will Trenfield
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 506
From: Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK
Registered: Mar 2016

posted July 22, 2017 07:18 PM

Like Brad, I watch silents without music, listening to the sound of the projector as the film goes through. I do the same with car engines when I drive. If there's a problem, your ears should pick it up.

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