HippCast

The Hippodrome Silent Film Festival
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HippCast

The Hippodrome Silent Film Festival (HippFest) is Scotland's first and only festival of silent film with live music. This brand new podcast features insights from a variety of HippFest evndeavours: Q&As with performers, interviews with archivists, and plenty of other fascinating conversations about archive cinema. We hope you enjoy tuning in!

  1. 5 HR. AGO

    Jenny Gilbertson: 'A Real Illuminator'

    In today's episode we revisit our 2024 pre-festival programme of illustrated talks to share a rich conversation between Dr Shona Main and Professor Sarah Neely, on the fascinating life and work of Jenny Gilbertson. The original recording was inspired by the HippFest 2024 Opening Night Commission for a new musical accompaniment for Jenny Gilbertson's The Rugged Island: a Shetland Lyric (1933), on March 20th earlier this year. We are delighted that The Rugged Island will be reprised at the ⁠Soundhouse Winter Festival⁠ at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh on Thursday 28th November, complete with the HippFest commissioned music by Shetland-born musicians Inge Thomson and Catriona Macdonald.⁠ You can book your tickets here⁠! If you're new to HippCast, it's worth noting that ⁠Episode 12 ⁠of our output features Inge and Catriona discussing their approach to working together to craft their music for Gilbertson's beautiful film. If you are planning on attending the reprisal at #SoundhouseWinterFest, we recommend you tune in to that episode too. But for now we return to a fascinating discussion about Jenny Gilbertson herself. Enjoy! Relevant links Read a full English transcript of this episode ⁠via the HippFest Blog⁠. Browse ⁠the Soundhouse Winter Festival programme here⁠. ⁠The Rugged Island: A Shetland Lyric (1933) programme notes⁠, written by Dr Shona Main. ⁠Watch the illustrated presentation⁠ featuring a variety of archival images.

    47 min

  2. OCT 30

    Accompanying Nosferatu: in conversation with Hugo Max

    In today's show, we're delighted to hear from Hugo Max, musician, artist and filmmaker, ahead of his HippFest debut as part of our 2024 Taste of Silents season! Amongst various interdisciplinary achievements, Hugo performs live improvised accompaniment to silent films on solo viola, and has played chamber music at prestigious venues including the Barbican, Royal Festival Hall, and St Martin in the Fields. He has been concertmaster of the Oxford University Philharmonic Orchestra and the Oxford Baroque Players and is a lecturer on improvisation and multidisciplinary practice at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Hugo travels to Bo'ness to join us at the Hippodrome on Saturday the 2nd of November to accompany the surreal 1922 cine fable Nosferatu, the first ever screen adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. A quintessential example of German expressionist cinema, and one of the most famous of all silent movies, F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu continues to haunt audiences today with the indisputable power of its images. Digital Content Manager Christina Webber chats to Hugo about his silent film journey, his process when accompanying silent cinema, and the magic of surviving 1910s cinema spaces. Relevant links: A full transcript of this episode is available via the HippFest Blog. More about Hugo Max. More info about the upcoming Nosferatu (1922) screening.

    43 min

  3. SEP 27

    What can film students today learn from early cinema?

    As September comes to a close, students across the UK return to schools or higher education. To mark the start of a new academic year, we spoke to Dr. Paul Sellors, Lecturer in Film Theory, History and Criticism at Edinburgh Napier University and Programme Leader of the Film BA (Hons). HippCast Episode 18 considers what film students today can learn from early cinema: stylistically, contextually, and as a way to reconsider contemporary questions. The conversation touches on the various lenses through which we watch, study and try to understand early film including the intersection between early films and politics, public utilities and consumer behaviours; considers ideas of film ownership and authorship; compares early film viewing with scrolling TikTok feeds; and tackles perhaps the biggest and most challenging question of them all: naming a favourite silent film. We hope you enjoy this 'Back to School' episode and share it with any students you know heading off to start their journey in film education. As always, you can find a full transcript and a number of links to relevant publications cited throughout the episode via the HippFest blog. Happy listening!

    48 min

  4. AUG 31

    Keith Stata 'the movie man' and the Highlands Cinemas

    In today's show we hear about a very special cinema loved by its local community, Highlands Cinemas - not to be confused with the Highland Cinema in the Highlands of Scotland on Fort William High Street - this picture palace is in the Halliburton Highlands in Ontario, Canada. Digital Content Manager Christina Webber chats to the cinema's owner Keith Stata during the height of their busiest season. Our cinemas are three and a half thousand miles apart, but both celebrate that hallowed feeling invoked by a beautiful cinema space, the tangibility and materiality of our first cinema experiences, the curtains sweeping majestically in front of the screen, the carpets, the lights, the buttery smell of popcorn... All of these sensations are bound up with the time we first fell in love with the movies. Keith set about building the Highland Cinema in his backyard in 1975, and since then it has grown and grown, now housing five theatres and a museum featuring cinema related photographs, memorabilia, and an impressive vintage projector collection. They may not show silent movies, but Laurel and Hardy do make a cameo on the cinema signage! (See above). Earlier this year, Keith featured as the subject of a feature length documentary reflecting on his life's work, The Movie Man. Keith talks about his time in front of the camera, and paints an evocative picture of cinema going in the forests of Ontario - cats and bear included. What did a trip to the movies look like during his childhood? How to make the perfect iced cappuccino? And what does he think the future of cinema-going looks like? All will be discussed, and more. Relevant links: A full English transcript of this show can be found here: https://hippfest.wordpress.com/2024/08/31/hippcast-episode-17/ More info about Highlands Cinemas: https://www.highlandscinemas.com/ The Cinemas' 58 resident cats: https://www.highlandscinemas.com/cats/ THE MOVIE MAN (2024): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21916284/

    41 min

  5. JUL 31

    Celebrating the 40th anniversary edition of Bonn International Silent Film Festival

    In today's episode, Digital Content Manager Christina Webber talks to Eva Hielscher and Oliver Hanley, Artistic Co-Directors of Bonn Stummfilmtage, with the 40th anniversary edition just a couple of weeks away! Eva Hielscher and Oliver Hanley have been working in research, archiving and curatorial mediation of audiovisual cultural heritage at home and abroad since 2008. Their different but complementary experiences span a diverse spectrum, ranging from film restoration and the publication of DVD or online editions to curating film-related exhibitions and film series for museums, cinemas and international film festivals. This will be their fourth year as Artistic Co-Directors. The discussion in this month's release paints a vivid picture of the 1000-strong open air silent film 'concerts' that fill eleven warm August nights. Conversation meanders from the audience to favourite moments and challenges thus far, to the upcoming 2024 programme, international reach of online presentation and dreams for the future. We hope, like us, that this fuels your interest in the Bonn International Silent Film Festival, and hope to one day see you there. If you can't make it along this year in person, the 2024 programme features many titles available to watch on demand for 48 hours, beginning 48 hours after the film's live presentation. A copy of the streaming schedule is included alongside the full show transcript on the HippFest blog. Further relevant Festival links: The Internationale Bonner Stummfilmtage website Stream the 2024 programme here Follow on Facebook Follow on Instagram

    51 min

  6. JUN 27

    An architectural audio tour of Bo'ness with Geoff Bailey

    Episode 15 celebrates an important June date in the Bo'ness calendar, the Bo'ness Fair. Visitors to HippFest will remember that the Bo'ness Fair Queen, who is crowned each year at the fair has joined us on several occasions at our HippFest Closing Night Gala to award prizes. The Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival, to give it its official name, was founded in 1897 and continues to be a major cultural event in Scotland, beloved by Bonessians at home, and further afield. Louis Dixon, the original proprietor of the Hippodrome, produced local topicals for the cinema, making films documenting the fair from as early as 1912 right through to his death in 1960. To get in the spirit of the fair, and of Louis Dixon himself, We thought it would be fitting to share with you an adapted version of the walking tour led by local historian and archaeologist Geoff Bailey about the Hippodrome architect Matthew Steele. Architect of the Hippodrome (1911), Matthew Steele has a lasting legacy in the streets of Bo’ness. His practice lasted from 1905-37 and in that time he created many private homes and public buildings in the town, in the Arts and Crafts, and later art deco moderne style. Born in Bo’ness and trained in Edinburgh and Glasgow, Steele worked mainly in Bo’ness throughout his life and his designs are often very recognisable. Adapted from our online video tour released as part of HippFest 2021, this audio production hosted by Geoff Bailey will guide youthrough Bo’ness to discover the buildings created by this influential architect. So spend the afternoon in Bo'ness strolling from one building to the other as you listen along; or if you're tuning in from overseas and are curious about a building, you can do the exact same using Google Maps. Happy Fair Day to all who celebrate! Learn more about Bo'ness Children's Fair Festival: https://www.thefairday.com/ A full English transcript of this episode is available to read if preferred here: https://hippfest.wordpress.com/2024/06/28/hippcast-episode-15/ See the approximate locations of each point of the tour below: 00:03:57 | Hippodrome Cinema (10 Hope Street Bo'ness EH51 0AA) 00:08:07 | South Street (11 South St, Bo'ness EH51 0EA) 00:09:41 | Corvi's and the old Station Hotel (5-7 Seaview Place, Bo'ness EH51 0AJ) 00:12:37 | The Star Cinema (17 Corbiehall, Bo'ness, EH51 0AW) 00:16:00 | 'Coffin Close' (63 Corbiehall, Bo'ness EH51 0AX) 00:17:59 | 'St Mary's Buildings' (195 Corbiehall, Bo'ness EH51 OAX) 00:19:26 | Seaforth (43 Linlithgow Road, Bo'ness, EH51 0DW) 00:21:28 | Matt Steele's cottages (Dean Road, Bo'ness, EH51 9BH) 00:22:42 | The 'Venetian Houses' (Cadzow Cres, Bo'ness EH51 9AY) 00:23:45 | Duchess Nina Nurses' Home (Where Cadzow Crescent and Cadzow Lane connect, Bo'ness, EH51 9AY) 00:25:29 | Matt Steele's bungalows (Cadzow Crescent, Bo'ness, EH51 9AZ) 00:26:11 | Masonic Hall (Stewart Avenue, Bo'ness, EH51 9NJ) 00:28:03 | Commission Street flats (Main St, Bo'ness EH51 9NG) 00:29:29 | Matty Steele Building (South St, Bo'ness EH51 9NF)

    32 min

  7. APR 30

    Reflecting on HippFest 2024

    In Episode 14, Digital Content Manager Christina Webber speaks to three first-time HippFest attendees about their experience at Scotland's first and only Festival of silent cinema and live music. Hear a collection of insights on this year's programme from Festival Supporter Pass Holder Uliana Ischenko-Iten, and our two Young Scot Reward Pass Holders Alanna Steele and Eve Jeffreys. All three share a surprise that the screenings were so busy, an appreciation of our Platform Reels screening of The Flying Scotsman on the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway, plus mentions of The Organist at St. Vitus Cathedral, and our closing night feature The Wind. Opinions on the post-screening entertainment at our Friday Night Gala differ, and a warm appreciation for Hippodrome Cinema shines through from everyone reflecting on their time in Bo'ness. Save the date! HippFest will return next year from the 19-23 March 2025. We hope to see you then. You can access a full transcript of this episode here.

    35 min

  8. MAR 12

    2024 programme picks from the HippFest team

    It's the annual 'programme picks' episode - a listener favourite! - and with only one week to go, what better time to have another look over the line-up? We hear from Festival Director Alison Strauss who urges audiences to check out The Rugged Island: A Shetland Lyric (1933) either in-person or via live-stream, plus squeezes in every Frances Marion title under the guise of one: Just Around the Corner (1921), available to view either in-person or via live-stream; Natalie Allison (Festival Producer) who is proud to present a Friday Night Gala screening of Mantrap (1926), and recommends audiences check out New Found Sound; Nell Cardozo (HippFest Development & Engagement Officer) who was blown away by the contemporary resonance of The Norrtull Gang (1923), and points audiences towards the free Pen-to-Picture exhibition at Bo'ness Library; Paul Eames (Falkirk Council Team Leader for Cultural Services) who is looking forward to re-living a memorable first viewing of The Wind (1928), seconds a need for audiences to see New Found Sound, and also recommends Queen of Sports (1934); Lesley O'Hare (Falkirk Council Cultural Services Manager) who jointly anticipates the exploits of mischievous children in both Adventures of Half a Ruble (1929) and Oliver Twist (1922); and finally Marketing Manager Abbie Dobson, whose first choice is Jenny Hammerton's Cooking with Joan Crawford workshop, followed by the gothic architecture and cinematography of The Organist at St Vitus Cathedral (1929). You can check out the full programme and everything else you need to know ahead of HippFest 2024 here: https://www.hippodromecinema.co.uk/silent-film-festival/

    59 min
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About

The Hippodrome Silent Film Festival (HippFest) is Scotland's first and only festival of silent film with live music. This brand new podcast features insights from a variety of HippFest evndeavours: Q&As with performers, interviews with archivists, and plenty of other fascinating conversations about archive cinema. We hope you enjoy tuning in!

Information

  • Creator
    The Hippodrome Silent Film Festival
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2024
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Hippodrome Silent Film Festival
  • Show Website
    HippCast

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