EVERYONE in Scotland is to being invited to become a film star, in an ambitious new project to create a documentary about the country.
Titled Northern Lights, the project is asking for Scots to send in their own videos about their lives and their hopes for the future.
To encourage contributions, £10,000 of awards is being offered to those who make the worthiest videos for the documentary.
The finished film will tour later this year, and submissions can be anything from a brief mobile phone video clip to lengthy monologues.
The film’s director, Edinburgh University lecturer Nick Higgins, 40, says the film aims to let Scots tell the story of the nation in their own words.
He has already received 70 submissions in two weeks, which will go towards making the country’s first ever mass participation documentary.
He said: “We knew at the beginning that there would be a rush of already prepared films but we are now actually receiving original clips filmed with just this project in mind.
“We want a range of perspectives on a host of themes and ideas, this isn’t just for those who are already into film.
“We need people from all walks of life to get involved.
“Each submission, no matter how modest, will help to build this epic self-portrait of Scotland in 2012 and we want everyone to be a part of it.
“This is a film about Scotland, so who better to create its content than the people of Scotland themselves?”
Nick was inspired by Oscar-winning film Life in a Day, which featured 80,000 clips from all over the world.
Nick continued: “Life in a Day was a bold project. We hope to go one better , though, by really offering some depth behind the stories.
“It’s quite a brave thing for a director to put his film in the hands of the public, you cede control but you also don’t know what you will get and for me that’s very exciting.
“Our aim is to create a truly original representations of Scotland, taking in everything for the extraordinary to the everyday.”
The project is part of the Year of Creative Scotland.
Iain Munro, director of creative development at Creative Scotland, said: “Northern Lights is a terrific example of a project that anyone can get involved in, by showcasing their own creativity through on film and sharing it with thousands of others vie the website.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing the final film.”
The deadline for contributions is June 21, and under14s are not allowed to make submissions.
Clips can be uploaded on www.wearenorthernlights.com.
