Selecting Your Project Type

Do you enjoy working with computers and creating audio-visuals? Do you love movies? A documentary might be the project for you!

Documentaries are perhaps one of the most technically difficult projects since they rely on the user knowing or learning how to use editing software. However, these projects can also be very creative as they rely heavily on primary sources for photographs or videos. Because you will be providing visual aids to go with your script, it is helpful to begin by writing your script based on your research. Once you have written the script, then you can do more research to look for photos and videos to accompany your script.

Organization

While you have the flexibility to arrange your documentary any way you would like, make sure your organization makes sense to a viewer. One helpful method of combining your script and your media is to storyboard your project! As you’re finding media to add to your script, remember to pace your documentary so that the audience has time to absorb the information.

One sample organization pattern is:

• 1 minute for your introduction and thesis statement
• 2 minutes for background information
• 3 minutes for the main event
• 3 minutes for the impact
• 1 minute for the conclusion and credits screen

Rules

Your documentary must be able to completely run in 10 minutes or less. Timing begins at the first sound or image and ends at the last sound or image.

Before beginning your documentary, you must state the title of the documentary and the names of the participants. No other live interaction is allowed during the showing of the documentary.

You must include a credit screen at the end of the documentary that gives brief credit for each image and visual or audio clip used in the documentary.

Remember that different equipment may behave differently and technology does not always work. Make sure to bring multiple copies of your documentary in case the first copy fails.

Be sure to carefully review all of the rules in the NHD Rulebook.

Thinking of doing a documentary?

Be sure to check out past examples of documentaries to gain some inspiration!

Use our free Documentary Storyboard Worksheet to start assembling your documentary!

Are you artistic and love creating interesting visual designs? An exhibit project can draw upon both of those skills!

Exhibits allow you to use three dimensions to bring your topic to life! These can be as simple or elaborate as you like. You can use color schemes, pictures and physical objects to best tell the story of your topic. Whether you are using a traditional tri-fold board or a rotating display, you have plenty of room for creativity but make sure that your exhibit also clearly conveys the background, important information and impact of your topic.

Organization

No matter the type of board you are using, you will want the title board of your project to come first and the rest of your information to follow in a logical manner. For any exhibit, it is important that the reader know where to start reading. As you create your project, consider how to best show the distinction in sections. You may label them or use a different color for different sections. Also, consider how your project will look finished.

• Are there too many pictures in one section and almost none in another?
• Are there big blocks of text that are hard to read?
• Are your title and thesis clearly shown?
• Is everything presented on your board there for a reason? Is it all contributing to your thesis?

Rules

Your exhibit may not contain more than 500 student-composed words, which include titles, subtitles, captions, graphs, and timelines. The only exception is brief factual credit of sources and quotes.

All quotes and pictures must be cited on your exhibit board as well as in your annotated bibliography.

If you add any media to your exhibit through a media device, it may not play for more than 2 minutes.

Exhibits must not exceed size guidelines – 40 inches wide, 30 inches deep, and 6 feet high. If you choose a rotating display, it cannot be more than 30 inches in diameter.

Be sure to carefully review all of the rules in the NHD Rulebook.

Thinking of doing an exhibit?

Be sure to check out past examples of exhibits to gain some inspiration!

Use our free Exhibit Worksheet to start layout out some ideas for your exhibit board!

Do you enjoy researching but prefer to work alone? Would you like a project that is a little more traditional? A paper is the perfect category for you!

Are you interested in graphic design or working with computers? Designing a website may be the perfect category for you!

This category allows you to create an interactive project using primary and secondary sources and present them in multimedia formats. Building your project begins with a thesis. You can determine a few main sections that support your thesis statement. These sections can be your other pages. If you want your audience to read your website in a certain way or order, make that clear. By considering page placement and linking pages together, you can help your audience understand your website.

Organization