This Saturday 12th November everyone across the UK has got a chance to be part of a BBC documentary!
As we prepare to step into the spotlight of the world’s media in the year of the London Olympics, the BBC is inviting people from all corners of the country to contribute to ‘Britain in a Day’ the definitive self-portrait of Britain today by turning the camera on themselves.
The result will create a time capsule of Britain as well as a feature-length documentary to be screened next year (2012) on BBC Two.
If you live on the Isle of Wight and participate in’ Britain in a Day’ please share your video footage with Island Pulse too!
Inspired by Scott Free London’s Life in a Day – a 2011 user-generated feature film that corralled a day’s experiences around the globe into a 95 minute narrative – Britain in a Day will work on a number of levels.
Britain in a Day will be a unique portrait of twenty-four hours in the life of the UK, filmed by you. Whether it’s an ordinary or an extraordinary day, BBC Documentaries would love you to share it with them.
All you have to do is pick up a camera and record your thoughts, hopes and aspirations, then upload your film to the Britain in a Day channel on YouTube. You’ll be helping to create an amazing archive and your film could be included in an historic BBC documentary in 2012.
In tandem with Ridley Scott’s Scott Free London production company, BBC Documentaries wants people across the country to turn the lens on themselves during that 24 hour period, upload the footage onto YouTube www.youtube.com/britaininaday and so become part of an ambitious project to capture the essence of contemporary Britain.
Award-winning director Morgan Matthews will use the rich trove of material submitted to craft a feature-length documentary film that captures the variety and vibrancy of life in Britain today. He will work alongside executive producer Kevin Macdonald, who directed Life In A Day, and Scott Free producer Liza Marshall. Charlotte Moore, BBC Commissioning Editor for Documentaries, is spearheading the project.
Charlotte Moore says: “The Cultural Olympiad feels like an ideal opportunity to take a mirror to ourselves and capture something of the kaleidoscope of life that thrives in Britain today.
I hope that the fresh approach we are bringing to the production process will allow us to preserve a moment in time in a compelling and truly inclusive way. This is a bold project, hugely ambitious in scope and scale, and the BBC is in a unique position to deliver it with real impact.”
Ridley Scott says: “Filmmaking has always been about just picking up a camera, getting out there and doing it. Our aim for this new project is to get everyone behind the lens and give us a window onto one day in Britain.”
BBC Learning is providing funding for the project, ensuring Britain In A Day reflects the diversity of the UK and inspires anyone and everyone to take part.
A dedicated team will run filmmaking workshops with people in different communities and produce a series of “how-to” films and guides aimed at teaching anyone to use phones or cameras to record their day. Learning is putting together an inspirational film featuring more than 20 high-profile figures from BBC television and radio, encouraging people to take part on 12 November. BBC Learning will also work with film schools, societies and charities to generate a broad range of revealing films.
Saul Nassé, Controller, BBC Learning, says: “Inspiration is at the heart of the BBC’s vision for learning and this project will inspire thousands of people to learn new skills to record their lives. It will also create an extraordinary archive and record of what it means to be alive in Britain, an inspiration and resource for learning in the future.”
Britain In A Day will be shown on BBC Two next year ahead of the Olympic Games. It was commissioned by BBC Two controller Janice Hadlow and Commissioning Editor for Documentaries, Charlotte Moore.
Britain In A Day is part of the BBC’s Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival programming.
This article has been read 78 times!
