The Documentary Category National History Day 2008

The Documentary Category Presentation Format: Slides Film Videos Computers ***Student Operated at all times

The Big Picture Like the Exhibit category, the Documentary category is very visual Like all categories, historical quality is the most important Don’t get caught up in the glitz and glamour of film making!

The Big Picture, cont… When deciding on categories, consider these points regarding the documentary category: Do I have access to equipment to film and edit my documentary? Do I have time to learn new software? Are visuals (pictures, films, interviews) easily accessible for my topic?

The General Sequence: If you’ve decided to create a documentary, please consider the following order of events when constructing your project:

The General Sequence Create a storyboard of the scenes you will be shooting Include a variety of panning shots, interviews, live action, and still subjects Keep track of scene notes in a notebook to make editing easier Include music where appropriate to enhance the narration.

The Documentary Category Common trappings: Student-operated equipment only Avoid Power points: These are not appropriate for this category Bring in a projector cable for your computer to avoid looking at a small laptop screen Focus on historical quality!!

Rule Requirements May not exceed 10 minutes You are allowed 5 minutes to set up and 5 minutes to remove equipment Time begins when first visual image OR first sound appears and ends with last visual image (including credits). Live narration or comments prior to film are prohibited.

Documentary Rules Only students in this project may appear in documentary. Only participants may operate equipment. Your entry must be an original production. You may integrate primary sources and film clips but must give proper credit within your documentary and your annotated bibliography. You must include credits at the end of your documentary which acknowledge your sources.