Silent Movies

1
Silent Movies

• (Shhhhhh! Theyre silent.)

2
A silent film is

• A film with no accompanying, synchronized
  recorded spoken dialogue.
• A film that carries a universal language, in part
  because the message is mostly carried by the
  action.
• Often accompanied by music, which was originally
  played live at the theatre.

3
A silent film is

• Silent because of the technical challenges
  involved, most films were silent before the late
  1920s.
• The silent film era is sometimes referred to as
  the "Age of the Silver Screen".

4
Intertitles

• Intertitles (also called Titles) were used to
• narrate story points,
• present key dialogue and
• comment on the action for the cinema audience.

5
Intertitles

• The title writer became a key professional in
  silent film
• Intertitles often became graphic elements
  themselves, featuring illustrations or abstract
  decorations.

6
Live music and sound

• Showings of silent films almost always featured
  live music.
• Music was essential for atmosphere and to give
  the audience vital emotional cues (musicians
  sometimes played on film sets during shooting for
  similar reasons).
• Music was improvised at first, but later films
  would arrive with sheet music and cue sheets to
  help the musicians.

7
Live music and sound

• Small town and neighborhood movie theaters
  usually had a pianist.
• Large city theaters tended to have organists or
  entire orchestras.
• Massive theatrical organs such as the famous
  "mighty Wurlitzer" could simulate some orchestral
  sounds along with a number of sound effects.

8
Acting techniques

• Relied heavily on body language and facial
  expressions

• Stage actors were used to overacting, but some
  directors discouraged it.

9
Projection Speed

• Most silent films were shot at slower speeds (or
  "frame rates") than sound films,
• 16 to 23 frames per second rather than 24 frames
  per second.
• Some scenes were intentionally undercranked
  during shooting in order to speed up the action,
  particularly in the case of slapstick comedies.

10
Projection Speed

• Projectionists frequently showed silent films at
  speeds which were slightly faster than the rate
  at which they were shot.
• The projection of a nitrate base 35mm film at a
  slow speed carried a considerable risk of fire
  from the heat of the projection bulb on the film.

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Projection Speed

• Projectionists would receive instructions from
  the distributors as to how fast particular reels
  or scenes should be projected on the musical
  director's cue sheet.
• Theaters also sometimes varied their projection
  speeds to fit more showings into a day.

12
Plots

• Tended to be easy to tell
• Focused on recognizable themes (love, rejection,
  greed, peril, wealth and poverty, etc.
• Generally focused on the protagonist, making it
  easier to follow.

13
Settings

• Varied with the needs of the stories
• Could be elaborate and futuristic (Metropolis) or
  simple (The Great Train Robbery)