This information sheet may be used with students as they consider the essential elements of historical documentaries.

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Creating Historical Documentaries – Essentials and Tips
Developed by Deborah Granger, Ed.D. using resources from National History Day
ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF DOCUMENTARIES
Content: “…live video (if available for your topic), photographs, live interviews, graphics
(documents, maps, and so on), as well as words crafted into a script to tell your story” (National
History Day, 2006, p. 3).
A Story: The story will contain a beginning, middle, and end. It should capture the viewer’s
interest, highlight key points the documentary maker wishes to emphasize, and include
“dramatic incidents using colorful quotations, vivid images, and facts that bring the past alive”
(p. 4). It may be organized chronologically or thematically – organization is essential to telling a
story well.
Exploration of Change Over Time: In addition to pointing out WHAT happened at different
periods of time, it is essential to explain WHY. What led to an event? Why did a given event
take place at its time and location? For example, why did civil rights activists march on
Washington; and, why did they do it when they did?
Historical Perspective: Consider school integration in the South following the U.S. Supreme
Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education. In September, 1957, nine black students arrived
at Little Rock Central High School as part of the school district’s unanimously approved plan to
integrate its previously all-white schools. This event held different meaning depending on
whom the person was and where he/she was. Orval Fabus, the governor of Arkansas, who
deployed the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the “Little Rock Nine” from entering the
building, viewed the situation very differently than the school board members who approved
the plan. The Little Rock Nine themselves had a perspective on the situation and its meaning
for their lives. Teens and parents in other parts of the country as well as President Eisenhower
and even the deployed National Guardsmen each viewed this case of school integration from a
unique viewpoint. Multiple perspectives, to the extent possible should be woven into the story.
Context: Location, location, location. Time, time, time. Where and when one lives has an
overwhelming influence on individuals and societies. A documentary should not be a judgment
on places and times, but rather help the viewer to understand them. Images of news headlines
from the Civil Rights Era, a timeline of key events, narrated journal entries from the period,
photos indicating everyday life, and background music from the place and time all help create
context. The documentary should answer why the event took place where and when it did.
(e.g., Why did the Civil Rights Movement begin in the South? Why did it gain such strength in
the 1950s and ‘60s?)
Well-Crafted Questions: National History Day reminds us that the quality of the story told in a
documentary directly reflects the quality of the questions the film maker asks. Questions spark

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research and lead to new questions. When viewing The Barber of Birmingham, a documentary
about James Armstrong, a “foot soldier” in the Civil Rights Movement, the viewer learns that
Mr. Armstrong repeatedly went to jail and sent his children to previously all-white schools.
Below is a sampling of the many questions arising that beg further research:
 How did people like “the barber” reconcile their commitment to equal rights with
parental urges to protect children from emotional and physical harm?
 What were their sources of strength?
 How many people were following suit in sending their children to previously all-white
schools?
 How close to the vision for Civil Rights has the United States come?
Questions like these support additional research using historical sources such as biographies,
speeches, historical and current documents, etc.
Conclusions: The film maker should offer an evidence-supported conclusion. In The Barber of
Birmingham, Robin Fryday views James Armstrong as an unsung hero of the Civil Rights
Movement, and concludes that the Movement could not have succeeded without their ongoing
contributions. She highlights evidence of Armstrong’s lifelong commitment by showing his
modest lifestyle (e.g., his modest car, home, and barber shop) as well as his treasures (e.g., the
flag he carried in every march, news articles posted throughout his barber shop).
Foundation of Facts: Begin with the basics: who, what, when, where, why, and how. Then
move on to “who else,” “what else,” etc. To tell a rich, well developed story, the film maker
needs to collect as many details as possible. Accuracy depends on evidence. Never make up
information. If you absolutely cannot find it, don’t address that component of the possible
story. Check to see if you can identify the basics as well as some deeper facts from The Barber
of Birmingham.
Topic Selection Considerations:
 What primary and secondary sources that lend themselves well to a film are available
(e.g., images, audio, video footage)?
 Are there sources that provide different perspectives on the topic? What are the
different perspectives you have found?
 What makes the topic captivating? Is it controversial? – if yes, how? Does it somehow
connect to the present day? – if yes, how?
Source: National History Day (2006). How to Create a Historical Documentary.