Deliver a 3-5 Minute Event Film or Mini-Documentary
The capstone project for Movie Editing Made Simple — a free Creative course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.
- Free
- 6 steps
- Pass mark 65%
- Graded within minutes
- Beginner-friendly
The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.
What you will submit
An unlisted YouTube link to your finished 3-5 minute event film or mini-documentary, with a short description explaining your story spine and editing choices.
What to do, step by step
- 1. Gather real footage: film or collect at least 15 minutes of raw clips (20+ clips) from an actual event or subject around you — a family ceremony, church or mosque programme, a friend's small wedding, a market trader's story, your street on a Saturday. Phone footage is fine.
- 2. Organise before you cut: build the course folder structure (01_Footage to 06_Exports), back the footage up in two places, watch everything once, and write a selects list plus a one-sentence story spine.
- 3. Edit in passes: build an assembly, cut it to a rough, then fine-cut to 3-5 minutes. Your cut must include at least one cut on action, one cutaway covering a jump cut, and one J-cut or L-cut.
- 4. Polish sound and picture: level all audio consistently, add a music bed that ducks under any speech (copyright-safe music if the film is public), let real sound breathe in at least one moment, white-balance and exposure-correct your shots so they match, and add an opening title plus at least one correctly spelled lower third.
- 5. Export 1080p H.264 with the settings from lesson 6 and upload to YouTube as UNLISTED (not private). In the video description, write 3-5 sentences explaining your story spine and two editing choices you made on purpose.
- 6. Test your link in an incognito/private browser window to confirm it plays, then submit the unlisted YouTube URL.
Files to work with
Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 6 KBHow it is graded
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Story structure and pacing — clear spine with a beginning, build and ending; a strong moment early; shot lengths vary with the content and every shot earns its screen time | 30% |
| Editing craft — cuts on action, continuity respected, cutaways cover jump cuts, and at least one J-cut or L-cut used correctly | 25% |
| Sound — consistent speech levels, music bed ducks under dialogue, no painful jumps in volume, and at least one real-sound moment allowed to breathe | 20% |
| Colour and titles — shots white-balanced and exposure-corrected so sources match reasonably, faces read clearly, readable opening title and a correctly spelled lower third | 15% |
| Delivery — 3-5 minute length, proper 1080p export, working unlisted YouTube link, and a description that explains the spine and two deliberate editing choices | 10% |
You need 65% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.
Before you submit: make your link public
If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to finish Movie Editing Made Simple before submitting the project?
Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Movie Editing Made Simple is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.
How is the project graded?
An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.
Can I resubmit if I fail?
Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.
What do I actually submit?
A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters) plus a public link to your work — a Google Drive folder, Google Doc, spreadsheet, GitHub repository or video. The link must open without sign-in; a private link cannot be graded. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 6 steps.
Is the certificate real?
Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.
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Ready to earn this certificate?
Movie Editing Made Simple is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.
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