Media and Journalism + Photography, Film and Animation
Make a short documentary about a local craft
Film a five-minute documentary on a craftsperson and their work.
- DifficultyIntermediate
- Estimated time2–4 weeks
- Budget₹0
- ClassClass 10 to college
- Team2–4 people
- You needA phone
Prerequisites: None beyond your class work
Original · by TechnifyedDocumentaryFilm ProjectFree to doTwo subjects
Overview
Film a five-minute documentary on a craftsperson and their work.
Skills you will use
Safety and ethics
- This project involves people. Explain what you are doing and get their consent (a parent's or teacher's for children), let anyone stop at any time, collect only what you need, and remove names before you share results.
- This project handles personal data. Collect the minimum, store it safely, get permission, and delete it when the project ends.
Materials and tools
- A phone
- Free editing software
- A craftsperson who agrees to be filmed
Tools and software
Step-by-step roadmap
Start
You will finish with: a subtitled five-minute documentary.
- 1
Prerequisites
Nothing special to know first. Then collect the 3 items in the materials list.
- 2
Learn
Read up on documentaries: craft, documentary, storytelling. Your textbook chapter and one short video are enough.
- 3
Plan
Write the brief in three lines: subject, audience and the feeling you want. Collect references and make a shot list, storyboard or sketch set.
- 4
Build
- Visit and research before filming.
- Plan the story in five beats.
- Film the process, the person and the setting.
- Record an interview with clean sound.
- Edit to five minutes with subtitles.
- 5
Test
Show a draft to three people from your audience and note where they lose interest or get confused.
- 6
Document
Keep the sketches, drafts and rejected versions; they show your process. Report structure
- 7
Present
Show the finished work first, then the process and the choices you made. Presentation structure
- 8
Publish
Put it online as a portfolio piece with a short write-up of the brief and process.
Expected outcome
A subtitled five-minute documentary.
Other versions of this project
Advanced version
Screen it and record the audience's questions.
Portfolio mode
Text marked "You write this" is a prompt for your own work; everything else is specific to this project.
Use this as the outline of your README or case study.
- Problem
- You write thisThe problem in one or two sentences.
- Why it matters
- You write thisWho has this problem and what it costs them.
- What was built
- A subtitled five-minute documentary.
- Technology
- DaVinci Resolve, Phone
- Architecture
- You write thisOne diagram: the parts and how data moves between them.
- Implementation
- You write thisThe 5 build steps in your own words, with one code or design decision you are proud of.
- Challenges
- You write thisThe hardest bug or decision, and how you got past it.
- Results
- You write thisNumbers: accuracy, speed, users, survey answers.
- Demo and code
- You write thisA link to a live demo or a short video, and to the GitHub repository.
- Lessons learned
- You write thisWhat you would do differently next time.
- Future improvements
- Screen it and record the audience's questions.
Working as a team
2–4 people. Suggested roles:
Report and presentation
Report structure
- Title and brief
- Research and references
- Concept
- Process: sketches, drafts, experiments
- Final work
- Tools and techniques
- Reflection: what worked and what did not
- Credits and sources
Presentation structure
- The brief
- References and mood
- Concept
- Process
- Final work
- Details
- Reflection
Viva questions
Prepare your own answers to these before you present.
- What is the aim of your project, in one sentence?
- What is the principle behind it?
- Why did you choose these materials or tools?
- What result did you get, and was it what you expected?
- What went wrong and how did you fix it?
- How could this be improved or used in real life?
Resources
Source and attribution
Original
Written by Technifyed. Free to use for your own school or college project; write the report in your own words. Added 1 Oct 2026.
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