Silence is Golden

...or, one man's silent Super 8 odyssey.

“I will never shoot a silent film of mine on video, never ever!” – Cohen Phillips

Whilst the growing popularity and use of Super 8 gathers pace month by month and technology in terms of film stocks and telecine continually improve, there are few using the medium in more traditional ways.

Cohen Phillips is an avid Super 8 user, he makes clever and witty short films and he edits them digitally for online distribution – so, what’s different about Cohen from the rest of us? Well, he makes silent movies – yes, silent, deconstructed, back to the dawn of cinema, story led, silent films.

There’s something magical about early cinema – the excitement and innovation in those pioneering motion pictures is truly palpable when you watch them, defining much of what has come since. If it weren’t for the efforts of those early filmmakers, working tirelessly to tell stories with the most simple of equipment and pushing boundaries on a daily basis, cinema today would be in a very different shape.

Cohen Philips (right) in Swindling Charade

Intrigued after seeing a number of Cohen’s films online (Lip-Stick is currently showing on the onsuper8.org podcast), we caught up with him to ask about his love of silent film and his particular approach to short filmmaking.


Where does your obvious love for silent film come from and why is it important to you?
I'm not only a film maker but a film collector so I've seen various Chaplin, Keaton and other silent films through the short 200ft digest that my father and I have collected over the years, I'm sure it started there. More recently I've been hit hard with silent films thanks to Turner Classic Movies and the recent DVDs of silent film stars becoming available.

Silent films are still important as they can still 'speak' to us and still regularly play to cinema audiences. I had a premiere of Lip-Stick and Swindling Charade (my other Super 8 silent short) back in April and the audience reacted just great to these films! It didn't matter if it was black and white or with sound... they laughed and enjoyed them.

Poster for Cohen's latest - 'Lip-Stick'

Do you think that those early pioneers can teach us anything?
Oh yes, I think they can teach us a lot today. They teach us that a good basic story is the most important thing to have, they didn't have all the technology we have so they couldn't fall back on that to fill in time. Filmmakers had to use their brains to come up with clever stuff!

Is your choice of Super 8 film crucial to the look and feel of your films and why?
I will never shoot a silent film of mine on video, never ever! You can never duplicate the look of the silent film era on video and if I could I'd know I was cheating. The reason why these films look 'period' is we're in tune using the same stuff they did. Sure, the film stocks have changed but we're originating on the same basis as the classic silent films did. I like film, period - as if you haven't guessed that by now! I like the look and feel that Super 8 gave me, but I did use some 16mm on Lip-Stick as well.

How do you go about developing your stories?
I just start with a very basic idea and let it grow from there. I really like to get everyone's input (both in front of and behind the camera) into the story, the film is just as much theirs as it is mine and if I didn't have their support to make the movie it wouldn't get made.

On Lip-Stick Damian Blake and Charla Phillips came up with some good gags on the spot. Filmmaking is a team sport and if one person thinks they're not part of something great then they won't put their best into it. So, with these silent films we have a basic idea of where the story will go but some stuff is improvised on set.

We have no script per-se, just like when they shot silent movies back in the 20's, some of them didn't have scripts either.

How do you plan and execute your shoots?
I plan them out the best I can before shooting happens, but things come up like with any project, you just have to go with it. I remember that before we shot Lip-Stick it was suppose to rain all that weekend but it held off and we were able to shoot!

Do you have a favorite film stock and why?
I like everything that's out right now but I prefer reversal to negative stocks though - costs come into play there. Generally all the stocks I've tired out have their own pros and cons and are fun to use. We're very lucky to have some of the best film stocks on the market today at our fingertips and they are coming up with new great stuff all the time!

Describe your equipment set up.
I have several Super 8 cameras (including the Sankyo XL-620 I used on Lip-Stick), two 16mm cameras, a Goko Editor for Super 8 and a 16mm editor as well plus lights, stands, mics etc. I’ve got just a little bit of everything it takes to make a motion picture!

What telecine and editing process have you adopted?
I haven't had any of my films telecined at a professional company yet, I just do it all at home. Most of the time I'll get all the footage on the computer and edit it there and that serves as my 'work print' for when I edit the 'real' film together.

So how do you telecine at home, is it 'off the wall?'
I guess you could say that but I have my own little transfer unit I use!

How have your silent films been received?
They’ve been received very well so far, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but the responses have been positive. It proves to me that silent film is still alive and well in today's world! People will still sit down and watch a silent film if it draws their attention - you do that by good storytelling, acting and writing.

Do you think there's a role for the silent film in today's digital age?
Yes I believe so, I know of a few other people making silent films and if they have a good story then they’ll draw people in too. I believe 'silents' still have a place today and we’re the next generation that's going to be keeping this form of filmmaking alive.

What's in the PhillipsFilms pipeline?
We have a few projects we're thinking about doing next. I know for sure that we'll be doing another silent film - hopefully this summer and I’m working on the story at the moment with another writer, it's coming along well. I also make colour ‘talking’ pictures too and we have a few ideas for those as well. Plus, the rest of the films that that were shown at the premiere back in April will be available online soon.


The use of small film to make silent movies is a fascinating blend of the old and the new, and whilst techno-purists may scoff at the simple execution there’s no denying that there's a definite appeal to a return to a more visual style of comedic storytelling. Whilst the focus in filmmaking is usually on technological advancement, there’s really no substitute for a good story and a well constructed visual gag.

For more on Cohen’s work, see Lip-Stick on the onsuper8.org podcast (to go directly to the film click here) and then check out the PhilipsFilms website at phillipsfilms.mrolaf.com