Final Project- Emily Mitchell

Silent Film Era

            The silent film era lasted from 1894 to 1929. At the beginning the films that were made were short in length and seen as a past time for the lower class and uneducated people who could not read. As film making progressed films increased in length and started to tell stories and so it became a middleclass past time. The United States was one of the major film producing countries in company with France and Italy. In 1914 World War I ruined the Italian and French film industries allowing the American film industry to explode. As films became increasingly popular the hub of film making moved from New York City to Los Angles for a more moderate climate so that outdoor shots could take place year round. This is what started the Hollywood film industry.  The greatest output of films in the history of the United States occurred from 1920-1930. There was an average of 800 films a year; this far exceeds the current average of less than 500 films a year (Filmsite). The large Hollywood studios used a factory system of producing films. Each studio had contracted actors and employers to make films. The five biggest studios were Warner Bros, Paramount, RKO, Metro- Goldwyn- Mayer, and 20^th Century Fox. These large studios owned their own theaters. They had large “movie palaces” which had room for an orchestra to play. They would distribute films to their own theaters first and charge more for tickets.

Music in Silent Films

            Silent films were almost always accompanied by live music. Music was recognized as an essential part of silent films. Many theaters had the specially designed theater organ. It was better than a piano because it could do more sound effects. It could create music and do sound effects like horses galloping and thunder claps (ATOS).

http://pipe-organ.com/rylander.shtm

Speed and intensity of music would coincide with what was going on in the film. During the silent film era movies were the largest source of employment from instrumental musicians. Unfortunately the end of the silent film era coincided with the start of the great depression and this was very hard of instrumental musicians.

Acting Techniques

            Silent film actors used many different techniques to express themselves since words were not used. They would use body language to express emotion. The stage acting techniques that were popular at the time were similar to silent film acting. Actors would pantomime what they were trying to express (Rob Merin). The actors would have to use over the top facial expressions so the audience could tell what they were feeling.

Projection Speed

The speed at which silent films were projected had some variation. Silent films were shot anywhere from 12 to 26 frames per second. Some scenes were intentionally “undercranked” to accelerate action. This technique was prevalent in comedies and action movies. This is seen in “The Navigator” when Buster Keaton and Kathryn McGuire are running around the ship trying to find each other. It is comical because neither of them ever sees the other one.  

Tinting

Another technique used by filmmakers to get a story across was tinting. The film could be dyed different colors to express different settings.  A blue or purple tint would express night scenes.

            

http://www.davidbenz.com/news/2008/03/18/love-bomb-blog-a-thon

An amber tint meant daytime, a red tint signified a fire, and a green tent portrayed that

something mysterious was going on. This is a scene from “The Phantom of the Opera

(1925).” Christine is wandering unsuspectingly through to the chambers of the Phantom.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/96077146@N00/1180707457/

Influential People in Silent Film

            Mack Sennet was the founder of “slapstick” silent film comedy. He produced hundreds of full feature films between 1912 and 1935 (Spark Chart). He was influenced by circus, burlesque, pantomime, and comic strips. He was known for his rapid fire shots, last minute rescues, making fun of other films, and violent yet harmless pranks (Spark Chart).  Many silent film stars got their start in his movies they include: Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle, Harry Langdon, and W. C. Fields (Spark Chart).

            Charlie Chaplin is one of the most famous silent film stars. He was one of the only ones who continued making silent films after the start of “talkies.” Between 1914 and 1918 he became the “first international film superstar.” He wrote, directed, and starred in films. He came up with the character “The Tramp,” a comic figure that wore oversized pants and shoes and had an ever-present cane and bowler. “For Chaplin, comedy was not an end in itself but a means to examine the impact of social forces and structures on individual freedom and happiness. The Tramp is full of contradictions: pragmatic, courageous, and ingenious but also romantic, vulnerable, and socially awkward (Spark Chart). Charlie Chaplin’s films are still popular today.            

wikipedia.com

            Another notable silent film star is Lillian Gish. She has an astonishingly long acting career, which lasted 75 years. It lasted from 1912 to 1987. She is called “The First Lady of American Ceinema.”  She was more successful in silent films and in theater than she was in talkies (Lillian Gish).

Wikipedia.com

Silent Films Today

            Many silent films were created on nitrate film, which is extremely unstable, and flammable so many of the films have been lost together. Many are still popular today. Some silent film stars transitioned into talkies and others couldn’t find their groove in the new type of movie.

Works Cited

"About Us." ATOS. American Theater Organ Society, 2012. Web. 16 May 2012. <http://www.atos.org/about>.

Dirks, Tim. "Film History of the 1920s." Film History of the 1920s. Filmsite. Web. 11 May 2012. <http://www.filmsite.org/20sintro.html>.

"Film History: Silent Period (1895–1929)." Spark Chart. Spark Notes. Web. 16 May 2012. <http://sparkcharts.sparknotes.com/film/film/section4.php>.

Mermin, Robert. "The Silent Stars." The Silent Stars - Story by Rob Mermin Rob Mermin. Rob Mermin. Web. 10 May 2012. <http://www.robmermin.com/general/story-silentstars.php>.

"The Official Web Site of Lillian Gish." The Official Web Site of Lillian Gish. Estate of Lillian Gish. Web. 10 May 2012. <http://www.lilliangish.com/>.

"Silent Film." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 May 2012. Web. 16 May 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_film>.

Yahnke, Robert Martin. "Cinema History: Films from the Silent Era." Cinema History: Films from the Silent Era. Web. 15 May 2012. <http://www.tc.umn.edu/~ryahnke/film/cinema1.htm>.