Documentary as Art
In this activity, students will create a short nonfiction video with a unique aesthetic approach or experimental form.
FILM LESSON 1: FILM/VIDEO
2 class periods (90-120 min) + video assignment
- Art and Culture
Medium > Visual Arts
Subject Matter > Art History
- History and Social Studies
Themes > Culture
World > The Modern World
- Literature and Language Arts
Genre > Biography
World > The Modern World
- Analysis
- Critical thinking
- Cultural analysis
- Discussion
- Expository writing
- Film editing
- Gathering, classifying, and interpreting written, oral, and visual information
- Interpretation
- Interview/survey skills
- Making inferences and drawing conclusions
- Media analysis
- Report writing
- Representing ideas and information orally, graphically, and in writing
- Synthesis
- Technology
- Visual analysis
- Visual art analysis
- Visual art skills
- Visual presentation skills
- ELA Reading: 5-7
- ELA Writing: 2
- ELA Speaking & Listening: 1-2, 5
- HSS Reading: 7, 9
- HSS Writing: 2, 7
- Allow additional time for peer review, fine cutting, and critique of the videos.
- Assign a longer response paper to accompany the video, asking students to reflect on their choice of subject or theme, the video’s aesthetic/formal approach, and the impact of their finished work.
- Post videos to a class vlog or web gallery, or arrange a coordinated school or public screening of the
documentaries, highlighting a shared class interest or theme (see our Code of Ethics for Student Activities).