A large group performs a synchronised, dramatic routine to a recorded song, telling a story through movement and expression.
A large group human video turns a recorded song into a staged piece for a big cast. The track plays, nobody sings, and the lyrics are shown through acting, grouped movement and expression. With seven or more performers on stage, the class is as much about organising people as about acting: the panel is watching a crowd that has to look like one story.
A typical round begins with the cast frozen in an opening picture, often split into clusters. When the music starts the story unfolds in layers. A few leads may carry the central scene at the front, a second cluster might show what is happening around them, and the rest of the cast forms the wider world such as a crowd, a landscape or a mood. Choruses are where the whole cast comes together in a wave of movement, and quiet lines are where the stage clears to a single moment. Wide formations, levels, entrances and exits matter more here than in the solo or small group classes.
On eTalenter the item is carried by three talent templates. A junior template lists it for ages 7 to 12 with a five-minute limit, marked out of 5. An international teen template lists it for ages 13 to 19 as a team item with no time limit printed, scored as a rating labelled out of 10 with a maximum of 5. A Jamaican talent showcase lists it for a youth class aged 13 to 40, marked out of 100 with no time limit printed. All three are open to both genders and run in English. The teen template's source defines a large group in the drama division as 7 or more participants, with small group meaning 2 to 6.
Organisers include it because it lets a whole class, youth group or school house take part in drama in a single item, it needs no scripted dialogue, and it makes a strong closing item on a showcase programme. The practical challenge is stage size and rehearsal, so organisers should state the maximum cast and time limit in their notice.
Where Large Group Human Video is run
On eTalenter this item is carried by three talent templates: a junior talent template, an international teen talent template and a Jamaican talent showcase. Staging a recorded song with a big cast also appears in youth gatherings, school assemblies and community talent programmes in many places, but this page records only the templates that carry the item, so organisers should check their own notice for cast size, time limit, track rules and judging headings.
- Jamaica
- Worldwide
Key facts
- Team item: seven or more performers act out one recorded song, with no live singing
- Group size: the international teen template's source sets large group at 7 or more (small group is 2-6)
- Three templates carry it: junior (7-12), teens (13-19) and a Jamaican showcase youth class (13-40)
- Only the junior template prints a time limit: five minutes
- Scored out of 5 marks (junior), as a rating out of 10 with a maximum of 5 (teen) and out of 100 (Jamaican showcase)
- Open to both genders; English-language programmes in all three templates
- The solo and small group human video classes are separate items
On eTalenter, Large Group Human Video is filed under Drama and typically scored with Marks, Rating out of 10. It appears in 3 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Large Group Human Video is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 5, commonly time-limited to around 5 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Large Group Human Video
What a Large Group Human Video panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Story clarity: a viewer should be able to follow the song's meaning from the movement alone, even with a big cast on stage
- Group coordination: movements, freezes and transitions that happen together across the whole cast, with no stragglers
- Use of the stage: formations, levels and entrances that fill the space on purpose and keep the lead action visible
- Involvement of every performer: each cast member has a role in every section, rather than hiding at the back
- Match to the lyrics: actions that change when the song changes instead of a routine pasted over the music
- Expression and character: faces that carry the feeling and stay in role for the full track
- Discipline and timing: clean entrances and exits, simple props, a final pose on the last beat and a finish inside the organiser's limit
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Large Group Human Video under Scoring Setup, or start from the full drama & skit judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Large Group Human Video
How entrants and their teachers usually get Large Group Human Video right on the day:
- Pick a song with a clear storyline that a big group can divide into scenes, and have everyone write what each verse and chorus means
- Plan the stage as a map: mark where each cluster starts, where they travel and where the lead action sits, so the cast does not bunch up
- Give every performer a named role and a job in every section, then rotate the focus between clusters from verse to chorus
- Rehearse small clusters separately first, then join them, since a full cast is hard to correct all at once
- Practise entering and leaving in order, and decide who holds the opening and closing pictures
- Film a run from the back of the room and check that tall or front performers do not block the main action
- Keep costume and props simple and consistent, and confirm with the organiser how many people are allowed on stage and how the track is played
- Time full runs against the limit and rehearse at the organiser's sound level, including a clean start on the first beat
Frequently asked questions
Is Large Group Human Video judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Team entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
How many people make a large group in a human video?
The international teen template's source defines a large group in the drama division as 7 or more participants, with 2 to 6 counted as a small group. Other organisers may set their own numbers, so check your notice.
Do we sing in a large group human video?
No. The song plays as a recording and the cast acts it out. Singing live would normally be a different kind of item, so follow your organiser's notice.
Is a human video the same as a group dance?
No. A dance is judged mainly on choreography, while a human video is judged on how well the cast tells the story of the song through acting and movement. The templates list them as separate items.
How long can the performance be?
The junior template prints a five-minute limit. The teen and Jamaican showcase templates print no limit, so organisers should publish one and teams should rehearse to it.
Is it judged as a team or individually?
It is a team item, so the whole cast receives one result. The panel still notices whether each performer stays in character and moves in time.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full drama & skit judging criteria guide, or browse every drama competition item.
Try Large Group Human Video in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Large Group Human Video, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
