In the world of ELT, a mini-documentary is a short three to five minute video which features a topic and visually describes its main elements with an accompanying narrative appropriate for that particular language level. ELT ImageMakers’ owner, Anna Whitcher, and fellow script writer, Nora Hennick, wrote and developed the video content for seven levels of the English language secondary course, Prepare, for Cambridge Assessment. You can see an example of the videos here.
The work involved aligning the topic with the course syllabus, writing the voice over from scratch, carefully selecting all of the images, timing them all with the narrative, and applying appropriate music tracks. It’s a lot of work but very satisfying when you achieve the final product.
If this kind of task interests you, ELT ImageMakers will be launching some online discussions this spring with teachers and others in the ELT industry to explore how these videos are made and how you can get involved.