Every school has a different interpretation of depth studies. This is allowed. In theory, depth studies are supposed to be very diverse, and offer scope for students to pursue a topic of their own choosing, and present it in any way that is effective and scientifically valid. It is also allowed under the NESA rules for students to collaborate on their depth studies. Unfortunately, in practice every school has rejected this vision and instead they insist that all students must do the same task individually in the same way. I fully understand the reason why they do this, to make the marking fair and to ensure that students don't "bite off more than they can chew". The risks are great because it's Stage 6. I remember thinking back in 2016, when I saw depth studies in the draft syllabus, I thought this was utopian. Great in theory, but impossible to mark in practice.
With regard to presentation, originally the plan was for students to express their creativity in their presentation. A movie, a poster, a book review or a live demonstration were all considered to be valid modes. I remember sitting in a seminar discussing the "new" Physics syllabus and somebody suggested as a suitable depth study a movie review of the movie "Gravity" (2013) starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock.
[/TEX]