Creating a Historical Documentary
Imagine that you’re a filmmaker who wants to direct a documentary about Europe in the early Middle Ages. You’ll choose one person or event that you studied in this unit to be the focus of your film. Then you’ll write a movie pitch to convince a movie studio to produce your film.
Part A
Choose one of the listed people or events from the unit to be the focus of your documentary. You can choose a person or event that’s not listed here as long as the content is something you studied in this unit.

the sack of Rome
the riots at the Hippodrome
Attila the Hun
Justinian I
Empress Theodora
the Great Schism
the Yellow Turban rebellions
Charlemagne
St. Thomas Aquinas
the Crusades
the signing of the Magna Carta
In the space provided, write about the event or person you’ve chosen. If you’ve chosen an event, write a summary that includes when and where the event took place. If you’ve chosen a person, write a short biography on that person. Be sure to include the historical significance of the event or person you’ve chosen. Your response should be about 75 to 100 words long. You can use facts from the lessons and from outside research, but be sure to list any sources you use.


Part B
Now think of how you could “sell” your documentary to a movie studio. Write a short sales pitch that includes a brief write-up describing what would be included in your film and why it would be important for viewers to see it. The pitch should include visuals, such as photographs, paintings, and illustrations, to make your sales pitch more appealing to a potential customer. Be sure to use good-quality pictures. They shouldn’t look fuzzy or grainy. They should be visually appealing. Your movie pitch should be 150 to 200 words long. It should include these elements:

a short summary of the film’s topic
descriptive wording that highlights the events of the film and their significance
fun and engaging writing that grabs the audience’s attention and will persuade someone to make the film
a good argument with logical reasoning and solid evidence that will convince people to see the film
interesting images of people, places, and artifacts that are relevant to your film

Part C
Share your movie sales pitch with a friend, classmate, or family member. Ask for some feedback. Tell your reviewer to focus on how well the writing fits the task you were given (to make a good argument about why the film should be made and why someone would want to view it). Ask the reviewer to note how well the writing is suited to the target audience: the owners of a movie studio.

After you get feedback on your pitch, write a short, reflective piece about the feedback, including details from your reviewer. Make note of what was good about your pitch, areas that might need improvement, and how you would rework your pitch based on the feedback.