1. The Documentary Category
National History Day 2008

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

3. 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!

4. 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?

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

6. 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.

7. 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!!

8. 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.

9. 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.