To make a civics video about how your government works, build it around one diagram, a power map, and fill it in by answering four questions in order: who makes the laws, who carries them out, who settles disputes about them, and where citizens fit in through elections and rights. Add the levels of government (national, regional, local) as a second layer, then follow one law through the map to show the parts working together. Write 600 to 900 words, check every number against your constitution's actual text, and keep the narration neutral. Three to six minutes is enough for any country's basic structure.

The four questions

Every government in the world, however it is organised, answers the same four questions. A civics video that answers them clearly, in this order, has covered the basics of any system.

The first three are often called the separation of powers. The fourth is what turns a structure diagram into civics: it says where ordinary people sit in the picture.

After the four questions, add the second layer: how power is split between levels. Federal countries, such as the United States, India, Germany and Nepal, divide power between a national government and states or provinces. Unitary countries, such as France or Japan, keep most power at the centre and delegate some to local bodies. One scene saying which kind your country is, and why, does a lot of work.

Draw one power map, not twenty slides

The mistake most civics videos make is a new picture for every fact: a parliament building, then a flag, then a gavel, then a ballot box. The viewer ends with a pile of images and no structure.

Use one diagram instead and build it across the video:

• Three boxes in a row for legislature, executive and judiciary, added one at a time as each is explained.
• Arrows between them for the checks: who appoints whom, who can remove whom, who can strike down what.
• The people at the bottom, with arrows up to whatever they elect.
• Levels stacked behind, national at the front, regional and local behind it, for a federal system.

By the end, the viewer can see the whole government at once. That final frame is also the best thumbnail and the best last slide if you present it in class.

Worked example: Nepal's 2015 constitution

Nepal is a useful example because its system is recent, clearly written down, and combines several features students meet separately: a federal structure, two houses of parliament, a ceremonial president, and a mixed electoral system.

Background, one scene. Nepal's constitution was promulgated on 20 September 2015 by the Second Constituent Assembly, after the monarchy was abolished in 2008 and the first assembly failed to agree a text. It has 35 parts, 308 articles and 9 schedules, and it declares Nepal a federal democratic republic.

The script, the four questions:

Laws are made by the Federal Parliament, which has two houses. The House of Representatives has 275 members. 165 are elected in single-member constituencies, where the candidate with the most votes wins. The other 110 are elected by proportional representation, where seats are shared according to each party's national vote.

The second house, the National Assembly, has 59 members. 56 are elected by an electoral college in the seven provinces, eight from each. The other three are nominated by the President on the government's recommendation.

The executive power belongs to the Council of Ministers, led by the Prime Minister, who must command a majority in the House of Representatives. The President is head of state, elected by members of the Federal Parliament and the provincial assemblies. The role is largely ceremonial: the President acts on the government's advice.

Disputes are settled by the courts, with the Supreme Court at the top. It can interpret the constitution and strike down laws that conflict with it.

Citizens come in through elections at every level, and through the fundamental rights listed in Part 3 of the constitution, which the courts can enforce.

The levels, one scene: three layers, federal, provincial and local. Seven provinces, each with its own assembly and government, and 753 local levels: metropolitan cities, sub-metropolitan cities, municipalities and rural municipalities.

Follow one law, one or two scenes. A bill can start in either house, except money bills, which must start in the House of Representatives. It passes both houses, then goes to the President to be authenticated. The President can send most bills back once for reconsideration, but if Parliament passes it again, the President must authenticate it. That one journey shows the legislature, the executive and the check between them in about 45 seconds.

Adapt it to your country

Copy this table into your notes and fill in the right-hand column from your own constitution or an official government source. Every row becomes a scene or part of one.

If your country has an uncodified constitution, as the United Kingdom does, say so in the first scene and explain where the rules come from instead: statutes, court judgments and conventions. That is a fact worth a scene of its own.

Stay neutral

A civics video explains how the system works, not which party should run it. Teachers mark down partisan framing even when they agree with it.

• Describe roles, not people. "The Prime Minister" rather than the current prime minister's name, unless the assignment asks about current events.
• Attribute opinions. If the system is debated, as Nepal's provincial boundaries were in 2015, say "critics argued" and "supporters argued", and give both.
• Use the constitution's own words for powers and numbers, and cite the article if you can.

If your assignment is about a political or social controversy rather than the structure, how to make a video explaining a social issue for school covers how to present both sides fairly.

Make it

1. 1

   Answer the four questions in writing

   Who makes laws, who carries them out, who settles disputes, where citizens come in. One paragraph each, from your constitution or an official government source.

2. 2

   Add the levels and one law's journey

   One paragraph on federal or unitary, and one or two following a single bill from introduction to law.

3. 3

   Draft it in openCanviz

   Paste the script, choose Keep my wording so every number stays exactly as you checked it, and pick whiteboard or poster style, which keep a structure diagram clean.

4. 4

   Keep one power map across every scene

   Each scene should add to the same diagram rather than start a new picture. Edit any scene where the boxes move or change.

5. 5

   Check every number and title

   Seat counts, terms of office, article numbers and official names. Drafted text can mix up details between countries, so check each against the source.

6. 6

   Read it once for neutrality

   Remove any sentence that praises or blames a party or a person, unless it is attributed to someone.

Common questions

How long should a civics video project be? Three to six minutes covers the four questions, the levels and one law's journey. That is 450 to 900 words of script at 150 words a minute.

Can I make it in my own language? Yes, the narration can be generated in other languages, including Hindi and Spanish. For Nepali, the generated voice may not sound natural, so record your own narration over the drafted scenes or keep on-screen words few and check each one. How to make a school project video in Nepali goes into this.

What sources should I use? The constitution itself first, then official parliament and government websites. Encyclopedias are fine for background but not for seat counts or article numbers, which change after amendments.

My teacher wants a timeline of how the constitution came about. Then the structure is a timeline, not a power map. How to make a timeline video for history class covers that format.