IB Film collaborative film project (HL): structure and steps
The collaborative film project is an externally assessed Film task for HL students. It is a completed film of at most 7 minutes with a project report of at most 2,000 words plus a list of sources, marked on 3 criteria for 24 marks. This structure covers the report in 4 sections.
At a glance
| Task | Collaborative film project (HL) |
|---|---|
| Guide | Film guide, second edition, first assessment 2023 |
| Sessions | May 2027, November 2027 and May 2028 |
| Levels | HL |
| Assessment | External |
| Weighting | 35% at HL |
| Limit | A project report of at most 2,000 words plus a list of sources, with a completed film of at most 7 minutes (moderators stop watching at 7). |
| Criteria | A Demonstration of skills in one chosen film production role (8), B Justification of creative work in one chosen film production role (8), C Reflection on collaboration in the core production team (8): 24 marks. |
| What is changing | No new Film course is announced; this second edition assesses the project externally, where the first edition assessed it internally. |
The structure, section by section
1. Table of contents with word count
Required by the IB · Outside the word count
Headings, pages and the report's word count.
- Generate it from the 2 headings.
- Insert the word count from the counter.
2. Creative work in my one film production role
Required by the IB (the film mainly evidences criterion A, by inference) · Criterion: Justification of creative work in one chosen film production role
The student's creative work in the chosen role and its justification.
- Name your role.
- Explain the creative decisions you made and why.
- Point to moments in the film by timecode.
- Use labelled screen-grabs and diagrams.
3. Collaboration with my core production team
Required by the IB · Criterion: Reflection on collaboration in the core production team
A reflection on how the core team worked together.
- Pick moments where collaboration shaped the film.
- Reflect on your own part in them.
- Describe problems as process issues and leave blame out.
4. List of sources
Required by the IB · Outside the word count
Every source used.
- Log each source when you first use it.
What counts toward the limit
The report text counts, in-text citations included, and so does any label that carries commentary; the table of contents, the list of sources and plain labels do not. A label of more than 10 words is treated as commentary.
The limit: A project report of at most 2,000 words plus a list of sources, with a completed film of at most 7 minutes (moderators stop watching at 7).
Graphs and visuals
- Screen-grabs Image, common
Recommended in the report. Use minimal labels with timecode and source; a label counts toward the word limit only when it carries commentary. - Storyboards, floor plans, diagrams Drawn, common
Used in the report. Label and reference each one. - Own production photos Image, occasional
Flag them as your own work.
The frequencies are our estimates, from what the IB guide expects and what teachers advise. We did not count them in marked work.
Citations
The IB prescribes no style and your school chooses; MLA 9 is common in film studies. The list of sources sits outside the word count.
The workspace keeps your sources and writes the bibliography in MLA 9th to start with. You can switch to APA 7th, Chicago author-date, Chicago notes (footnotes) or Harvard at any point.
Pitfalls
- Submitting without the IB cover sheet: the work is not marked without it.
- Team intentions worded differently on each member's cover sheet.
- Blaming team members in the collaboration section: describe problems as process issues.
- Labels on screen-grabs that carry commentary: they count toward the 2,000 words.
- Treating the 2 report headings unequally: they carry equal weight.
Write it in the workspace
These sections in order with their steps, a word counter that counts the way this page says, your sources and a bibliography, and graphs from your own data. Export to Word or PDF.
The workspace is free with an account, and it never writes or rewrites your text. What we will and will not do with your coursework →
Sources
- IB, Film guide, second edition, first assessment 2023 (published April 2021; PDF last modified June 2022)
- IB, Film guide, first assessment 2019 (first edition, published Feb 2017)
- IB, "Read curriculum updates" (page last updated 24 March 2026)
The IB documents behind this page, checked 29 October 2026. The linked ones are on ibo.org; the others are IB documents we read in copies hosted elsewhere, so we name them without a link. Everything above is in our own words: the official wording is in your subject guide, which your coordinator can give you. LimeAdmissions is independent of the International Baccalaureate Organization, which has not endorsed this page. Every coursework structure →