The aim of this interdisciplinary conference is to bring together researchers from widely divergent fields to share perspectives on the sonic practices associated with early film exhibition, particularly in Britain. The first decades of film exhibition in the UK were characterized by flux and experimentation. Musical and sonic practices were often improvisatory, but always contingent upon the resources available, their stage of technological development, and the exhibition venue itself, which might have been a music hall, fairground, theatre, or purpose-built venue. Elements of performativity and contingency continued well into the sound era; live musical performance long remained a key part of film exhibition in many cinemas. This conference is the first of four events organised by the AHRC-Funded Beyond Text Network “The Sounds of Early Cinema in Britain” to enable, encourage, and consolidate research and practical activity in this field, and is particularly concerned with the nature, limitations and potentialities of the sources available for studying these practices.
Linked film screenings at Barbican Centre, London:
· Sunday 7th June, 3pm: Way Down East (D. W. Griffith, 1920), accompanied by the original Wm. F. Peters/Louis Silvers score conducted live by Gillian Anderson.
· Monday 8th June, 8pm: The Flag Lieutenant (Maurice Elvey, 1926), with Albert Cazabon’s original score arranged and performed by Philip Carli at piano, with Gunter Buchwald on violin and Paul Clarvis on percussion.
This event is also preceded at the Barbican by the 12th Annual British Silent Film Festival, 4-6 June 2009. To book for these films, visit the Barbican Cinema Silent Film Festival website.
Programme Committee:
Dr Julie Brown (Royal Holloway, University of London)
Dr Annette Davison (University of Edinburgh)
Professor Ian Christie (Birkbeck College, London)
Bryony Dixon (British Film Institute)
Dr Sarah Hibberd (Nottingham University)
Donald MacKenzie (Cinema Organist, Odeon Leicester Square)
