This is a very cool idea from Google and YouTube in partnership with Ridley Scott, Kevin McDonald, and LG Electronics. It is basically crowd-sourced social filmmaking. I know what I will be doing on July 24th. What will you do? 

Life in a Day

Every day, 6.7 billion people view the world through their own unique lens. Imagine if there was a way to collect all of these perspectives, to aggregate and mold them into the cohesive story of a single day on earth.

Today, we’re excited to announce the launch of “Life in a Day,” a historic cinematic experiment that will attempt to do just that: document one day, as seen through the eyes of people around the world. On July 24, 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.Kevin Macdonald, the Oscar-winning director of films such as The Last King of Scotland, Touching the Void and One Day in September, will then edit the most compelling footage into a feature documentary film, to be executive-produced by Ridley Scott, the director behind films like Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Thelma & Louise, Blade Runner and Robin Hood. LG Electronics is supporting “Life in a Day” as a key part of its long-standing “Life’s Good” campaign and to support the creation of quality online content that can be shared and enjoyed by all.

The film will premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and if your footage makes it into the final cut, you’ll be credited as a co-director and may be one of 20 contributors selected to attend the premiere.

The rules are explained on the YouTube channel which can be found here. Watch Ridley Scott discuss the project below.

@99GR81

It is mind-boggling in terms of size. The destruction yet to be wrought is unfathomable and the full extent will not bee known for generations. It is truly a disaster of epic proportions.

@99GR81

Interesting juxtaposition of salary vs. GDP per-capita.

@99GR81

Having watched my brother make his first movie I have a deep appreciation and respect for filmmakers. Making movies is not an easy thing to do - if you want to do it well - and it requires vision, focus, drive, and determination along with incredible organizational skills.

Yesterday, my colleague Ted shared a video with me that is simply extraordinary. It is a film that was made using still photography and a technique called time-lapse tilt-shift photography. This technique is often used to simulate the miniaturization of a scene. Sam O’Hare, a director at Aero Film uses this method to produce a short film called “The Sandpit” which presents us with a day in the life of New York City - in miniature.

The film is aesthetically beautiful, it is visually engaging, and it is a delightful depiction of a day in New York. What makes this incredible to me is that it is made by sandwiching together 35,000 - yes, I said 35,000 - still photographs to provide the motion. I cannot imagine the attention to detail required to make this film a reality.

To learn more about the making of this film, please visit Aero Film here.

Enjoy!

@99GR81

This is a very interesting study done by students at IIT for Boeing. It gives great insight into the concept of in-flight entertainment as well as into all of the other factors that influence both casual and business travelers.

@99GR81

This seems a bit far-fetched. The article is dated 1st July but perhaps it was meant for 1st April.

@99GR81

This is an incredible idea - especially because it involves real buried treasure, cool videos, and Muppet-like puppets (one of whom is a Ninja!)

The treasure hunt is real. Somewhere in the five boroughs of New York City a chest containing $10,000 one dollar coins has been buried. No purpose has been disclosed but one can surmise it is a promo for a movie or other event of some sort. Pretty cool way to get viral participation at what is ultimately a very low cost - just $10,000 plus video production and event management - which is undoubtedly less than a full-blown media campaign.

According to the site:

“welostourgold.com is a treasure map. There is a wooden chest buried somewhere within the five boroughs of New York City, and it is filled with $10,000 in U.S. currency. If you want it, you can decode the videos presented on this website. If you find it, it’s all yours.

Also, it was buried by pirates…who happen to be puppets…one of which is a ninja.

If you’re confused, you’d better shake it off and start concentrating. We’ve made eight videos. Hidden throughout all of the videos are clues you’ll need to find the location of the “Pirates’ Gold”. The videos will be unlocked one by one, starting August 1st, 2010.

This is not a contest. We don’t want your e-mail address. There’s no purchase necessary—no list to sign up for. The sole purpose of this website is to exist only as a map to ten thousand dollars.

There is a real buried treasure under New York City. Good hunting, enjoy the videos—and by the way…this is for real.

Oh, and PLEASE don’t just start digging all over NYC. We love this city, and don’t want unnecessary holes popping up everywhere. When you’ve found the treasure, you’ll know it.”

Check it out! I know I will be playing starting August 1.

@99GR81

Simply the best.

@99GR81