Neil Brand explains how he became a Silent Film Pianist - being approached in 1981 by a Film Society in Eastbourne, England and asked to play for a Buster Keaton film ‘Steamboat Bill Junior’.
Discusses the music’s input to the film’s momentum, style and his preference for playing unrehearsed.
Talks about silent film in general and the Pordenone Silent Film Festival. Pivac asks whether or not he has rehearsed for the films he has come to play for at the NZ festival (Hitchcock’s ‘Blackmail’ and the films by E.A Du Pont: Vairety, Moulin Rouge and Piccadilly).
Brand discusses the narratives and his method of playing for each individual film. Discusses the film’s communication to the audience and his aversion to bringing in music from outside the film. Gives example of an old woman pianist in England. Talks in depth about successfully using the music from ‘Vertigo’ in another of Hitchcock’s early films ‘The Lodger’. Backtracks to talk in depth about ‘Steamboat Bill Junior’, its element of comedy and how he accommodates this within his live scores.
Discusses the ability to make a living through playing for silent film in England, and other score work that he undertakes to subsidise his income. Talks about his desire to write the score for a contemporary feature film and his book ‘Dramatic Notes’ which deals with 12 composers that create dramatic scores for film.
Talks about his preferred film genres. Pivac asks Brand about the audience for silent film in Britain, Brand gives credit to the pioneering work of Kevin Brownlow and David Gill and the Thames Silents for keeping silent film. Pivac and Brand discuss the perceptions of silent film, Brand then explains the difficulties of screening silent films in Britain. Brand states ‘Wings’ by William Wellman staring Clara Bow as being his favourite silent film. Discusses how he brings the silents into the 90’s to make a connection with a modern audience. Phil Carli is mentioned with regard to researching original scores, also mentions other silent pianists Gabriel Thibaudeau and Antonio Coppola, and The Pianist’s Choice where Brand played Hitchcock’s ‘The Farmers Wife’ and ‘Sunrise’. They discuss sound effects and the merits and disadvantages of exploring these while performing. Explains accompanying a disjointed tinting copy at Pordenone. Mentions accompanying “White Australia’. Talks about varying film duration and being caught out.
Brand tells some stories and anecdotes about particular performances.
Recorded 21/07/1996.