Media Release: BT throws down challenge to young Scottish moviemakers

YOUNG people across Scotland are being offered the chance to come up with an idea for an inspirational short film that answers two questions – ‘If you could change one thing in your neighbourhood, what would it be? And what could you do to change it?’

The BT initiative – Big Voice – is part of the ‘communication, collaboration and citizenship’ strand of Get Set, the official London 2012 education programme.

BT is looking for innovative yet practical ideas on diversity and inclusion in the UK. How could your community become a better place for all the people who live and work and go to school in it? And can you come up with an idea for an inspirational short film to communicate your message?

To enter, teams of young people aged 11 to 19 need to submit a written film treatment proposal that tackles their ideas on diversity and inclusion in their community by May 27th.

The three winning proposals from Scotland, chosen by a panel of judges, will get £1,000 and support from a team of film students from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama or Aberdeen College to produce their film next autumn.

They will also qualify for up to £5,000 and support from UnLtd, a charity which supports social entrepreneurs, to turn their ideas into a community project.

The winning films will be screened on giant London 2012 Live Site screens all over the UK during spring 2012, with the Scottish winner being announced at a Live Site event in Edinburgh.

The final stage of the competition is a ceremony to announce the UK winners just before the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games begin.

Brendan Dick, BT director for Scotland, said: “BT’s Big Voice is a great opportunity for young people to learn how to work together, consider the big issues, and get a chance to express themselves.

“I’m particularly excited that they will be considering issues of diversity and how we make our communities better for everyone.”

The project supports many aspects of the Curriculum for Excellence including interdisciplinary learning, personal achievement and subject areas like the expressive arts and social studies.

The deadline for the first stage of the competition is 27 May 2011.

Full details at www.bt.com/bigvoice

For more information please contact Mitch Reid or Anna Steven at the BT Scotland Press Office on our free, 24-hour number 0800 085 0660

For more information on BT’s Big Voice contact Tom Osborn on 020 8960 6069 or btbigvoice@dialogics.com

Notes to editors:

Big Voice comes with a set of five video based resources that introduce the project, teach the skills of group discussion, creative problem solving, turning ideas into a film, and how to develop a film proposal to enter the competition.

  1. Students will have the unique chance to incorporate stock footage from the BBC archive as part of their final film. This could include aerial photography, crowd scenes, or other video or audio material relevant to their script that would otherwise be impossible to film in the time and budget available.
  2. BT’s Big Voice is one of three education programmes that BT is running as a London 2012 sustainability partner – the other two are Coaching for Life and Communication Triathlon. Please visit www.bt.com/2012education for more information.
  3. Get Set is the official London 2012 education programme for schools and colleges across the UK. It provides a host of free resources for 3-19 year olds which can be used by teachers to explore the Olympic Values of friendship, respect and excellence, and the Paralympic Values of courage, determination, equality and inspiration with students, and to use the power and excitement of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games as a hook for learning.
  4. Taking part in Big Voice qualifies your school for membership of the Get Set network, giving you access to exclusive rewards such as tours of the Olympic Park and use of the London 2012 education logo. You’ll also be first in line for tickets to the Games through the London 2012 Ticketshare initiative. To apply, visit www.london2012.com/getset.

About BT

BT is one of the world’s leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in more than 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to our customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.

In the year ended 31 March 2010, BT Group’s revenue was £20,911 million.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group.  BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.

For more information, visit www.bt.com/aboutbt.

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Contact: Mitch Reid
Phone: 0800 085 0660
Email: mitchell.reid@bt.com
Website: http://www.btplc.com/News