Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Showing Movies with Live Orchestra Playing

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 10-21-2009, 03:51 PM:

Is this something rather new (not including SILENT FILMS, obviously)? I had not heard of this before they did it with the ET show out at (I think it was) the Kodak theater. Then there was the Fellowship of the Ring show at Radio City Music Hall. Now I'm reading in another thread about a showing of Wizard of Oz with a live orchestra.

Is this a new trend? Do they setup special prints with sync'd sound, or how is this done typically? I saw the behind the scenes video on the ET DVD, but I'm curious for more details on this. I'm sure they have to separate out the dialog and effects stems from the music stem... but then what? Is the sound on the film? Is it on a special set of DTS disks? Sync'd to a hard drive somehow? Or is the whole thing digital? (I hope not.)

Anyone have any details on any of these shows?

I'd love to see one some time. Both from a technical end and also as an audience member.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 10-21-2009, 05:29 PM:

At the Telluride Film Festival they did this when I was there at the outdoor theater (don't know if this is a yearly thing or not). I think the orchestra was called Ah-Bull-Gaunts or something like that. They played in sync with the movie (which I believe was in black and white and had no sound). Actually, it was about half a second out of sync in some parts but it was still a really awesome experience that can't be replicated in any other way.

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 10-21-2009, 08:04 PM:

This is not a particularly new thing - special screenings with live music have been going on for years, though maybe there have been more of these kinds of shows scheduled lately.

Yes, special DE and click tracks have to be prepared; in the old days these tracks were recorded to separate mag film reels then interlocked to the picture ("double-system" sound either by using synced mag dubbers or a projector modified to play separate tracks by threading both the tracks and pix on to a common sprocket). Not sure how it is done nowadays.

The DE tracks play to the house along with the live music. The click track is fed to the musicians and the conductor via headphones so they can stay in sync.

I've done quite a few of these shows over the years. It is a lot of fun, both to do and to watch!

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 10-21-2009, 08:40 PM:

I've done things like this three different times.

One was "Phantom of the Opera" (1925) featuring the orchestra I Musici de Montreal.

The second was "Pictures at an Exhibition", again with I Musici.

Third was "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" with the Jazz Mandolin Project.

The first one was standard silent film fare. The other two were live orchestra to video. In all cases, the conductor or leader watches the film and directs the rest of the ensemble. His score is marked with title cards or scene numbers. He directs the players to speed up, slow down, pause or repeat segments of the score based on the pace of the film.

The orchestra always rehearses two or three times prior to the show. I've never had them use a click track or anything like that. The film/video is specially edited for the orchestra to play along with.

The first time I did one of these events I asked the conductor, Yuli Turovsky, if he wanted to use any special click tracks and he just smiled at me and said, "No, we don't use such things..."

The audience always seems to enjoy these shows. If the opportunity presented, I'd do it again.

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 10-21-2009, 08:52 PM:

While not exactly an orchestra playing to E.T. , here we have a Blue Grass band called The Blue Grassy Knoll. They play alongside classic Buster Keaton silents.

Here is an interview with them from 1986 with excerpts from the show.

I ran Sherlock Junior with them at the old Valhalla Cinema in Sydney around that time. It was one of the best experiences I've ever had as a projectionist. Full house and EVERYONE enjoyed it.

Keaton and The Blue Grassy Knoll...just fabulous.

[thumbsup]

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 10-21-2009, 10:34 PM:

I signed up for the alerts on the Two Towers at Radio City next year. Can't wait - I hope we get to go.

Posted by Ron Keillor (Member # 1790) on 10-22-2009, 02:44 AM:

The Soviet film "Alexander Nevsky" has occasionally been shown with a live orchestra playing the Prokofiev score.
The Vancouver Symphony played for "Phantom of the Opera" last Hallowe'en, and will play with F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu" this one.
http://www.vancouversymphony.ca/concertpage.php?concertcode=09SPEC02

Posted by Ron Keillor (Member # 1790) on 10-22-2009, 04:19 PM:

Silent presentations this Hallowe'en
San Francisco - Nosferatu with organ
Atlanta - Phantom with orchestra

and Seattle - 3 nights! Hitchcock's "Psycho" with the Seattle Symphony playing the Bernard Herrmann score

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 10-22-2009, 06:16 PM:

I believe Boston Light and Sound has a system that synchs with the projector and provides the conductor with a time clock that allows the conductor to write time-cues into the written score. I saw this in action once, and I believe it was an analog clock that reset for various scenes. My memory isn't too clear on it, though.

Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 10-24-2009, 05:21 PM:

I don't know anything about live music playing with talkies, but seeing one of the great silents with a good live accompaniment is an incomparable experience. The Alloy Orchestra plays three shows every year at the Detroit Film Theatre (usually Nosferatu and two others), and I've made a point of seeing them for the past several years. In fact, Nosferatu is my absolute favorite film, and this is how I saw it for the first time. I have also seen Carl Theodor Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc at the magnificent Redford Theatre with a full choral ensemble and organ, and it was extremely powerful. I can safely say, no DVD or Blue Ray is going to match that.

Posted by Jim Bedford (Member # 4) on 10-24-2009, 11:32 PM:

Along with a number of single artists and a few duos playing for silent or mostly silent films, we've had multiple visits by the Mont-Alto and Alloy Orchestras. The Alloy Alloy site has played for LONESOME, THE LAST COMMAND, THE GENERAL, SPEEDY and a few others. Mont-Alto Mont-Alto site has been here for L'ARGENT and PEOPLE ON SUNDAY. Philip Glass conducted and played with Kronos Quartet for DRACULA (1931).

For these artists, syncing with the film is accomplished by rehearsing over and over, usually to a DVD on a TV screen. This can (and often does) create problems since silent film speed from different sources varies from 18-22 fps so either (or both) the theatre and the artists must adjust to remain in sync.

I love these shows and they are some of the best programs we've ever had. I know it's a throwback, but to see newly struck prints of wonderful films set to original live music is a treasure.