The Silent Film Music Podcast with Ben Model - ep 53: underscoring “Frankenstein”; using leitmotifs

[@garydmcgath]

I'm the first commenter? Hopefully someone reads this. Lately I've had a regular (quarterly) slot as a silent film accompanist at a small-town library, and yes, I started in October with Nosferatu. Since then I've done The Black Pirate and City Lights. There was a lot for me to learn from this video. The most valuable point for me was making the music come from within the film. Leitmotifs figure rather heavily in my accompaniment; it's my style. For the vampire and swashbuckler movies, it came naturally. City Lights was different for me, more outside my comfort zone (if that's the right expression) of SF and horror. In preparing, I avoided hearing Chaplin's score. The last scene was the real challenge; the music needed to capture its understated magic. By the end I expected the audience would recognize the Tramp's motif, and I avoided using it till the moment where the girl recognizes him by touch. From the comments by the audience, I'd say it worked. There are some things I'd probably have done differently after hearing your comments, though. I'll keep following and learning more.