This journal examines the importance of creative decision making in various aspects of documentary production, examines whether such decisions help make the film an engaging piece of cinema, and explores the influences that might have on society, cinema and the topic, in relation to my experience in producing a 15-minute documentary film Hackney Pirates, and my understanding of the relevant practices of contemporary cinema. IntroductionFilms about raising children in critical situations have been seen in cinemas since the 1990s. For example, Zhang Yimou's 1999 film Not One Less tells the story of a teenager Wei Minzhi who volunteers to teach in a one-room elementary school and her relationships with the pupils. And more recently, Monsieur Lazhar, a 2011 French-Canadian film about Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant hired to replace a teacher who committed suicide in his classroom at a Montreal public school, helps his students cope with their grief. Last but not least, Être et avoir, a documentary made in 2002, portrays a one-room school in rural France where students (aged 4 to 11) follow a single teacher. Likewise, the subject of the documentary --Hackney Pirates--is a charitable organization created by three experienced teachers for children aged 9 to 12 from disadvantaged social backgrounds, with the aim of improving their literacy and creativity through one-on-one tutoring with adult volunteers. structure and approach to itDuring the development of the narrative structure, the director is strongly inspired by Être et avoir in which we follow the children to their home and learn how they cope with their homework and the role of their parents during the course -maki... ...middle of the paper......production, the crew managed to establish and maintain a good working relationship with each other, and there was good communication between me and the director, the director and the DP , the director and the editor. I truly appreciate being part of the production team and our mutual efforts to make the film an engaging work. It was also a significant learning experience for me and I am sure that I will be more confident and assertive in handling similar production issues involved in future projects. Finally, I wish we could introduce the film to a wider audience with parental permission, which I hope in return would attract more volunteers to contribute to Hackney Pirates, spark filmmakers' interest in similar topics related to children's education and, finally, it would improve the current situation of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.