Tips for Documentaries

How important is a "high tech" documentary?
There are a lot of great computer programs out now; Macintosh’s Imovie, Microsoft’s Media Blitz not to mention the now old Power Point. Some of these programs even have supplemental programs that make them even more flashier. And yes, some of these flashy documentaries are doing very well. But, at least three national champions since 1998 were traditional carousel slide presentations with a taped cassette narration. Judges are looking for good historic research, interpretation and narrative.  "Simple" can be effective.

How effective are Power Point presentations?
The biggest mistake students make with Power Point is to display their narrative as text on the slides. Judges do not want to "read" the narrative, they want to "hear" the narrative. You can add sound to Power Point. If this is something your computer is not capable of doing, then consider recording your oral narrative on a cassette tape player and synchronizing it with the Power Point slides. You should find that Power Point is just as effective as other media when it has a recorded narrative.

How important is a thesis statement in a documentary?
As in all categories, your central idea is very important. I can’t stress enough the idea of "proving" or "arguing" the main point. In a documentary, you have a similar problem as with a performance: judges can not go back to double check your thesis. State it two or three times. Effective documentaries work the theme words directly into the script a number of times, especially in the introduction and in the conclusion. Work these theme words into your thesis statement.

How important is my process paper and bibliography compared to my documentary?
The process paper and the bibliography are key components of your documentary. Be aware that most judges will read your bibliography and process paper before they watch your documentary. This gives you an excellent opportunity to create a good first impression. Yes, you still must have a strong and effective documentary. However, in a weak group of documentaries, a fair documentary with the good bibliography may be preferred.

Is it important that I record my narration?
The recorded narration is very important. It serves a variety of purposes. First, it is the narrative thread. It tells the story: beginning, middle, and end. Secondly, it interprets what the judges are seeing. The images, themselves, are not the interpretation. Your own words give meaning to the documentary. Thirdly, your narrative states the thesis and the conclusion. If you leave it to the judges to draw the conclusion from the images alone, the only conclusion they will draw is that you do not have a conclusion and thus you did not prove your thesis statement.