Britain in a Day

Today’s technology is changing at a breathtaking pace, enhancing our lives almost on a monthly basis. Along with the internet, the digital age has allowed us to be much more creative, to explore new ways of expressing ourselves and recording the world around us. We now have video cameras on our phones, we have editing equipment on our computers and we have online video channels with which to share our lives with others.

On the 24th July last year thousands of people around the world were asked to pick up their cameras and record their days. The footage was sent via YouTube to Directors Ridley Scott and Kevin MacDonnald who used the footage to produce “Life in a Day”, a visually stunning film that served as a time capsule to show future generations what it was like to be alive on that day.

This month the two Directors are teaming up again to produce a similar film, this time for the British Cultural Olympiad. “Britain in a Day” is a chance for us to record moments from our days, both ordinary and extraordinary, in an attempt to capture the essence of contemporary Britain. So on Saturday November 12th, from midnight until 12pm Sunday carry your camera around with you and record snippits of your day. Then upload your footage to the Britain In a Day YouTube website for it to be considered and edited for the final film.

The learned scholar Ferris Bueller once said “Life moves pretty fast – if you don’t stop and look around once in a while you could miss it. All too frequently we fall into the trap of wasting our days, letting unique moments and new experiences pass us by. Perhaps by making a conscious effort to record our days it will inspre us to make the most of them.