FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 12, 2010

Add your scenes to 'Life in a Day' documentary -- new YouTube project

Journalists also present everyday events in varied communities, or individual stories that show what regular people say and do. Look for an example.

How many types of user-generated content, written or visual, can you find in the print or online edition?

What makes videos on the newspaper site different from typical YouTube clips?

An Oscar-winning movie director and well-known producer are using YouTube to turn a camera on the world -- and they invite you to participate. The Hollywood pair will collect videos shot July 24 by anyone 13 or older for a documentary showing the global community on that Saturday.
"This is a unique experiment in social filmmaking ," says director Kevin McDonald, who's working with Ridley Scott. "We're looking for pure moments, and whether what we get is beautiful or ugly, we will follow it where it goes."

Ten multi-lingual assistant editors will review submissions. To avoid getting clips only from people who can afford HD cameras and broadband connections, the team is distributing more than 400 video cameras to charities in 20 counties and areas "on the wrong side of the digital divide" so that diverse views can be representated.
The full-length film will premiere next January at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. YouTube will fly 20 contributors to the premiere in Park City, Utah. All entries will be shown on a "Life in a Day" channel at youtube.com. "Be part of history," the company says in promotions released last week, such as the video below.

A "crowdsourced" 24-hour project isn't new -- though this will be the first film polished by big name pros. The photo sharing site Flickr amassed user submissions from around the world on May 5, 2007 and put selections into a book. Last spring, The New York Times' photo blog organized a similar project and published the results online as "A Timely Global Mosaic, Created By All Of Us."

Director says: "I'm paranoid, absolutely terrified that we will get no responses or that we will get too many -- that we'll have absolutely nothing or more than we can handle. " -- Kevin McDonald

YouTube blogger says: "You have 24 hours to capture a snapshot of your life on camera. You can film the ordinary - a sunrise, the commute to work, a neighborhood soccer match, or the extraordinary - a baby's first steps, your reaction to the passing of a loved one, or even a marriage.." -- Tim Partridge, product marketing manager

Suggested themes: In addition to shooting activities, the director invites submitters to answer one or more of these questions: "What do you love? What do you fear? What makes you laugh? What's in your pocket?"

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