I am just planning a short promotional vid for a website a friend has started, justfortheloveofit.org

I want to do it in silent movie style - so what do people think makes the silent look?

Obviously the processing in post is straightforward, i was thinking more of the cinemaphotography.

I was thinking 'procenium arch' type filming.

Mostly med / med long shots. Still camera. No zooms / pans / dollys / some poor continuity maybe / maybe some jerky sudden camera moves. all shot off a tripod.

Anything else ?

maybe its just me, but i always feel that a lot of silent movies seem a bit speeded up. I guess its to do with the way the camera's were back then, being handcranked i guess the framerate wasn't entitely constant.

As I say though may just be me.

Yes the cameras were hand cranked so you may need to speed up the footage or change the framerate. Also there were missing frames and jump cuts and the actors who mainly came from the stage (theatre) over exaggerated their movements and emotions, what with there being no sound. I think close up shots were used, I'm thinking of films like Charlie Chaplins 'The Kid', there are a number of scenes were Chaplin and Jackie Coogan are in shot together and the emotion between the two characters couldn't be shown if they were shot in anything other than close up. Great film by the way and so were the films of Buster Keaton.

Great advice guys- many thanks, should have the results to show everyone in a week or 2.

Is it straight narritive or more arty with quick cutting from one scene to another? I also remember seeing silent movies using a technique were the iris was opened from black and closed to black at the start and end. You could use a circular wipe to black and reverse its direction to get the opposite effect in your NLE.