Make a script for a silent movie. Although a homemade silent movie doesn’t necessarily need a formal script, following the standard screenplay format is a good practice. Such a tried-and-tested format can better expose you to the filmmaking industry standards, while also taking advantage of its effective presentation when making and reading the script and shooting with it.
Plan your shots based on the script you made. Although some people simply create a shot list to guide them when shooting, you can draw a storyboard that actually works as a visual type of shot list. In a storyboard, each scene in the film gets broken down into specific shots complete with the shot number and shot descriptions or notes to help you when shooting.
Choose your cast and crew. An amateur project typically needs less people, when compared to a professional production. Yet, it is almost impossible to work as a one-person team for your own movie, except in rare circumstances that your script can allow you to become the cameraman, actor, director, among many other production roles for your movie at the same time.
Choose your locations and make props and sets the movie needs prior to the shoot.
Shoot the movie based on your script and shot list or storyboard. If necessary, give instructions to your actors and crew while filming. The advantage of shooting a silent movie is that you don’t need any live sound for it.
Edit the footage you shot using a video-editing program. Another advantage of making a silent movie is that its style is based on “old school filmmaking,” a time when film technology was just starting. As a result, your movie doesn’t require producing very challenging visual effects or even movie transitions, which are visual elements that were never available during the times of silent movies. You simply need to cut and splice together shots to tell your story.
Insert full frames with text versions of characters' dialogue in between scenes with spoken, but unheard lines. You can make these frames, along with the movie’s title card and opening and closing credits featuring the names and designations of people, using your video-editing program or a separate image-editing program Or, shoot an actual piece of paper or cardboard with the written texts on them.
Color correct and add old movie effects to your edited movie. If you shot the film in color, this is the time to turn it into a black-and-white video. Although the exact button used varies per editing program, the basic step in any of them primarily involves choosing a feature where you choose a video effect, filter or plugin to desaturate the video and also add film scratches, dirt and specks to make the movie look very old and dated.
Add music to your edited silent movie. Incorporate royalty-free music for the entire movie or change the music at different parts of the movie. Generally, music used in silent movies is classical or orchestral music. Others also use jazz or even a combination of different music genres.
Export the final edited movie in your preferred movie file format so you can upload it to a video-sharing site or social networking site. Play it in any media-playing software or device or burn it in DVD or Blu-ray format.