A small group acts out the story of a recorded song together through synchronised movement, gesture and facial expression, without singing live.
A small group human video is a recorded song brought to life on stage by a handful of performers. The music plays, nobody sings, and the meaning of the lyrics is carried by acting, shared movement and facial expression. Where the solo class asks one person to be every character, the small group class lets the story be divided: one performer can be the central figure, another the opposing force, and the rest the crowd, the setting or the changing mood.
A round usually opens with the team holding a frozen picture until the track starts. From there the group follows the song: a verse might be a small scene played by two or three performers, a chorus a bigger, more open shape using everyone, and a quiet bridge a moment of stillness or a turning point. The panel watches whether the group moves as one team, whether the movement says what the words say, and whether each performer stays in character for the whole track instead of waiting for their turn.
On eTalenter the item is carried by three talent templates. A junior template lists it for a group aged 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. It is a team item open to both genders, in English, in all three. The international teen template's source defines a small group in the drama division as 2 to 6 participants, with large group meaning 7 or more.
Organisers run it because it gives shy performers a way into drama without lines to learn, it needs only a sound system and a clear stage, and the same recorded track can produce very different staging from one team to the next.
Where Small 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. Acting out a recorded song as a team also turns up in youth ministry, school assembly and community talent programmes elsewhere, but this page records only the templates that carry the item, so organisers should check their own notice for team size, time limit, track rules and judging headings.
- Jamaica
- Worldwide
Key facts
- Team item: a small group performs to one recorded song, with no live singing
- Group size: the international teen template's source sets small group at 2-6 performers (large group is 7 or more)
- 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
- Marked out of 5 (junior), as a rating 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 large group human video classes are separate items
On eTalenter, Small 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, Small 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 Small Group Human Video
What a Small Group Human Video panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Meaning: movement and expression that clearly tell what the song is about, so a viewer could follow the story with the words turned down
- Team unity: gestures, entrances and changes that happen together and look rehearsed, not a row of individuals doing their own thing
- Match to the lyrics: scenes and actions that fit each line and shift when the song shifts, rather than a fixed routine laid over the top
- Use of the whole group: every performer has a purpose in each section, with no one left standing idle or hidden behind others
- Facial expression and character: faces that carry the feeling of the verse and chorus and stay in character for the full track
- Staging and space: groupings, levels and stillness used on purpose, with clean formations that never block the main action
- Timing and discipline: starts, changes and the final pose landing on the music, props kept simple, and the piece finishing inside the organiser's time
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Small Group Human Video under Scoring Setup, or start from the full drama & skit judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Small Group Human Video
How entrants and their teachers usually get Small Group Human Video right on the day:
- Choose a song with a clear story and listen together until every performer can name the idea of each verse and chorus
- Break the track into sections and assign each one a picture, a lead performer and a supporting shape, so the roles rotate and no one is left out
- Rehearse with the actual recording at the organiser's volume and practise starting cleanly together on the first beat
- Agree one signal for the opening picture and one for the final pose so the whole group moves in and out of stillness at the same moment
- Film a rehearsal from the audience's side and check that formations read clearly and no performer is hidden
- Act the meaning, not every word: pick the key lines to show and let quieter lines breathe with stillness or a look
- Keep props and costume simple, confirm them with the organiser, and rehearse picking up and putting down anything carried
- Time every run against the limit, plan how the group will walk on and off, and confirm how the track will be supplied before the day
Frequently asked questions
Is Small 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 small group in a human video?
The international teen template's source defines a small group in the drama division as 2 to 6 participants, with 7 or more counted as a large group. Other organisers may set their own numbers, so check your notice.
Do we sing in a small group human video?
No. The song plays as a recording and the team acts it out. Singing live along with the track would normally be treated as a different kind of item, so follow your organiser's notice.
Is it the same as a mime or a skit?
They are close cousins but separate items. A mime is silent storytelling not tied to one recorded song, and a skit uses spoken lines. A human video is built around the words and mood of a recorded song, and the templates list them separately.
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 group receives one result. The panel still notices whether every performer is working in character and in time with the others.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full drama & skit judging criteria guide, or browse every drama competition item.
Try Small Group Human Video in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Small Group Human Video, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
