Trio seek contributions for docu-reality

YouTube, Ridley Scott and Kevin Macdonald (“State of Play”) are seeking filmed contributions for “Life in a Day,” which is being touted as the first user-generated feature-length documentary feature shot in one day—Saturday, July 24.

Scott Free Prods. will produce and Macdonald will direct with Scott exec producing. “Life in a Day” will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January and on YouTube at no charge.

‘Life in a Day’ is a time capsule that will tell future generations what it was like to be alive on the 24th of July 2010,” Macdonald said. “It is a unique experiment in social filmmaking, and what better way to gather a limitless array of footage than to engage the world’s online community.”

Macdonald and Scott will select the most “compelling” footage for “Life in a Day.”

The pic—which is also supported by LG Electronics—won’t be sold to a studio, and individuals whose footage is used won’t be paid but will receive credit as co-directors. Twenty of those individuals will be flown to Sundance for the premiere.

The project, announced Tuesday night, asks people to capture a “snapshot” of their lives on camera and to upload that footage to the “Life in a Day” YouTube channel. The initiative will include an effort by Against All Odds Prods. to distribute cameras to individuals in remote regions of the world to ensure that the film is as inclusive and representative as possible.

The only rules are that shooting takes place during July 24; that shooters be at least 13 years old and have a YouTube account; and that the videos respect YouTube’s Community Guidelines. “We encourage users to film their world however they see it,” the announcement said.

Residents of nations restricted by U.S. export and sanctions—Iran, Syria, Cuba, Sudan, North Korea and Myanmar—aren’t allowed to participate.

The announcement said “Life in a Day” is in line with efforts by YouTube to support projects that combine online video with traditional arts such as YouTube Symphony Orchestra and its recently announced YouTube Play partnership with the Guggenheim.

“Over the past five years, YouTube has changed the way media is created and consumed,” said Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, YouTube’s parent company. “We’re thrilled to give our community the opportunity to work with Kevin Macdonald and Ridley Scott and are grateful to our long-term partner, the Sundance Institute, for their support of this global initiative.”

Scott most recently directed “Robin Hood.” Macdonald’s first feature “One Day in September” was supported by the Sundance Institute Documentary Program and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2000.

—Source: Michigan Film Office