Techno Chaplin | Academy Events Calendar

Visual effects supervisor Craig Barron and silent film author John Bengtson will examine the filmmaking techniques and Hollywood landmarks hidden in one of Charlie Chaplin’s greatest films, MODERN TIMES (1936). The virtuoso work, written, produced and directed by Chaplin, marks the Little Tramp’s final film appearance and arguably the culmination of the silent film era.

In MODERN TIMES Chaplin made significant use of technical effects such as matte shots, process shots, miniatures and rear projection to complement real-life industrial settings. Barron and Bengtson’s presentation will include a multimedia tour of 1930s Los Angeles, offering a visual treasure hunt of the evolving city that served as a backdrop for Chaplin’s art. Rare behind-the-scenes photos will reveal how the film’s many special effects were created.

The evening’s special screening of a high-definition digitally restored 35mm print of MODERN TIMES is courtesy of Kino International.

Cast Charles Chaplin (A Factory Worker), Paulette Goddard (A Gamin), Henry Bergman (A Café Proprietor), Stanley Sandford (Burglar/Big Bill), Chester Conklin (A Mechanic), Hank Mann (Burglar).

Written, directed and produced by Charles Chaplin. Assistant Directors Carter De Haven, Henry Bergman. Cinematography Rollie Totheroh, Ira Morgan. Art Direction Charles D. Hall, Russell Spencer. Film Editing Chaplin. Sound Paul Neal, Frank Maher. Music Chaplin. Musical Director Alfred Newman. Musical Arrangement Edward Powell, David Raksin. Process Photography Bud Thackeray. Makeup Elizabeth Arden. Charles Chaplin Film Corp. United Artists. 1936. 35mm. 87 minutes.

Program Hosts:

Craig Barron has been an innovator in the cinematic technique of matte painting for the last two decades and has played a key role in visual effects on over a hundred films, from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) to THE GOLDEN COMPASS (2007). A veteran of George Lucas’s Industrial Light & Magic, Barron now heads his own visual effects company, Matte World Digital. He earned an Oscar® nomination for his work on BATMAN RETURNS (1992) and co-authored, with Mark Cotta Vaz, The Invisible Art: The Legends of Movie Matte Painting. He is currently creating visual effects for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, scheduled to be released later this year. Barron serves on the Academy’s Board of Governors, representing the Visual Effects Branch.

John Bengtson is a business lawyer and film historian who discovered the magic of silent comedy at an early age. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Silent Traces: Discovering Early Hollywood through the Films of Charlie Chaplin and its Buster Keaton counterpart, Silent Echoes. Bengtson has presented his work on Chaplin and Keaton as keynote speaker at numerous film venues and has provided commentary and interactive materials to the “Keaton Plus” DVD as part of the “Art of Buster Keaton” box set. He is a featured columnist of the Keaton Chronicle newsletter, and lives in the San Francisco Bay area with his two daughters. Bengtson is working on a third volume about the films of Harold Lloyd, tentatively titled Silent Portals.

Behind the Scenes: The industrial exteriors appearing in MODERN TIMES were real-life coal-gas plants standing a few blocks east of City Hall. When one mothballed plant was called back into action during World War II to produce synthetic rubber, it caused L.A.’s first reported smog attack.

Please note that this event is SOLD OUT. Since we anticipate additional tickets to become available at the last minute due to "no-shows" or cancellations, there will be a STAND-BY line at the door on the night of the event. Numbers will be handed out at approximately 6:30 p.m. in a first come first serve order. We will not be able to determine how many STAND-BY tickets can be sold until just before showtime.

Tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. The Linwood Dunn Theater is located at the Academy's Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study, 1313 Vine Street, Hollywood. Doors open at 7 p.m. All seating is unreserved. For additional information, please call the Academy at (310) 247-3600.