Performers called benshi in Japan provided what service to film-goers particularly in the days of silent cinema?
Benshi some have adopted the term "Neo-Benshi", other performers have chosen to adopt the title "movieteller" as an alternative. They believe it emphasizes the multicultural past and future(s) of the form, while inviting further experimentation with the medium, such as a live narration of one's own films, the implementation of instruments as narrative devices, or any instance where a human contingent mediates between an audience and an image. Taiwanese Benshi Benshi During silent films, the "benshi" stood to the side of the screen and introduced and related the story to the audience. In theatrical style, "benshi" often spoke for the characters
Cinema of Japan in Japan hired benshi, storytellers who sat next to the screen and narrated silent movies. They were descendants of kabuki jōruri, kōdan storytellers, theater barkers and other forms of oral storytelling. Benshi could be accompanied by music like silent films from cinema of the West. With the advent of sound in the early 1930s, the benshi gradually declined. In 1908, Shōzō Makino, considered the pioneering director of Japanese film, began his influential career with "Honnōji gassen" (本能寺合戦), produced for Yokota Shōkai. Shōzō recruited Matsunosuke Onoe, a former kabuki actor, to star in his productions. Onoe became Japan's first film star,