By MCN Editor editor@moviecitynews.com

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS WITH SCOTT FREE UK AND YOUTUBE FOR THE NEXT PHASE IN THE LIFE OF KEVIN MACDONALD’S ‘LIFE IN A DAY’

Posted Monday, January 24th, 2011 - Comments Off on NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS WITH SCOTT FREE UK AND YOUTUBE FOR THE NEXT PHASE IN THE LIFE OF KEVIN MACDONALD’S ‘LIFE IN A DAY’
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Nat Geo will release film domestically in partnership with YouTube

World Premiere Thursday, Jan. 27, as Part of Premiere Section of Sundance Film Festival

PARK CITY, Utah (Jan. 24, 2011) – National Geographic has acquired the U.S. rights to the global film project “Life in a Day,” executive produced by Ridley Scott, through his Scott Free UK banner, and directed by Academy Award© winner Kevin Macdonald.  The pair, via YouTube, asked people around the world to capture their life in a day on July 24, 2010.  Worldwide YouTube users responded with over 80,000 submissions from 192 countries, totaling over 4,500 hours of footage.  Submissions were cut down to create one 90-minute documentary featuring over 1000 clips from YouTube users around the globe.

The film will premiere Thursday, Jan. 27, at the Sundance Film Festival, with director Kevin MacDonald, editor Joe Walker and over 20 invited contributors in attendance.  Audiences around the world will be invited to join the premiere by watching it stream live here as a special one-time event. Macdonald, Walker and the invited contributors will participate in an interactive Q&A following the screening, moderated by Sundance Executive Director John Cooper.
Of the film and the partnership, President of National Geographic Films Daniel Battsek said, “‘Life in a Day’ is unique, contemporary and exciting, but what surprised me about the film is how emotional, powerful and involving it is. For that, the credit goes to all the amateur filmmakers who contributed and, of course, to Ridley Scott and Kevin Macdonald, who managed to create such an innovative and powerful cinematic experience.”

The deal was negotiated by Kattie Evans from National Geographic with Tim Haslam of HanWay on behalf of Scott Free UK. National Geographic will launch the film theatrically July 24, 2011, day-and-date with YouTube, to mark the first anniversary of the creation of the project. “Life in a Day” producer Liza Marshall, head of Film and TV at Scott Free UK, said, “Kevin and I are delighted that National Geographic is on board to help us reach new audiences.  They are the perfect distributors for our film and completely understand its potential.”

National Geographic has a strong presence already on YouTube with its own channel logging over 250 million views in 2010.  National Geographic will look to continue the strong collaboration with YouTube throughout the life of the project. “What started as an innovative idea has grown into an incredible film,” states YouTube’s Director of Marketing, Anna Bateson.  “National Geographic’s support will create additional avenues for audiences across the US to see ‘Life in a Day.’”

“Life in a Day” is a user-generated feature-length documentary film, shot on a single day, July 24, 2010.  Supported by YouTube, it enlisted the global community to capture a moment of their lives on camera. “Life in a Day” brings together the most compelling footage into a 90-minute film, crafted by Macdonald, Executive Producer Ridley Scott and their team, to offer a unique experience that shows, in beautiful and, at moments, harrowing honesty, what it is like to be alive on Earth today.

The film is supported in part by LG Electronics 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. To learn more, please visit the “Life in a Day” YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/lifeinaday) and corresponding press site at https://sites.google.com/site/liadpressinformation/home.

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About National Geographic
National Geographic Entertainment is part of National Geographic Global Media and combines into a single operating group National Geographic Films, National Geographic Cinema Ventures, Kids Entertainment and  Music & Radio. National Geographic Global Media brings together all of the National Geographic’s editorial platforms to streamline collaboration and support the Society’s mission.  Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” National Geographic works to inspire people to care about the planet.  It reaches more than 375 million people worldwide each month through magazines, books, digital media, television, radio, music, film and live events. It funds more than 250 research scientific research, exploration and conservation projects each year and supports an education program promoting geography literacy.  For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

About YouTube
YouTube is the world’s most popular online video community, allowing millions of people to discover, watch and share original videos.  YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small. YouTube, LLC is based in San Bruno, Calif., and is a subsidiary of Google Inc.

About Scott Free UK

Scott Free has offices in London and Los Angeles and has a number of feature films and television programmes in development and production including recently completed, “Cracks,” directed by Jordan Scott, starring Eva Green; “Welcome to the Rileys,” directed by Jake Scott, starring James Gandolfini and Kristen Stewart; and “Cyrus” for Fox Searchlight, directed by Mark and Jay Duplass, starring John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill.

Recent productions include “Unstoppable,” directed by Tony Scott for Twentieth Century Fox and starring Chris Pine and Denzel Washington; “Robin Hood,” directed by Ridley Scott for Universal, starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett; and “The A-Team,” directed by RSA Films director, Joe Carnahan and starring Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper.

The company is also producing top-quality TV projects such as “Numb3rs”, currently in its sixth season, and “The Good Wife” set for a second season, both for CBS, and big-budget, independently financed mini-series “The Pillars of the Earth,” based on the best-selling novel by Ken Follett, which was shot in Hungary and is currently in post production. Most recently, Scott Free’s film “Into the Storm” for HBO and BBC was nominated for 14 Emmys. Scott Free works closely with RSA Films, the commercials company started by Ridley Scott more than 40 years ago. RSA Films represents many established and up-and-coming filmmakers and one of Scott Free’s roles is to assist these directors in their feature film and television projects.

About LG Electronics Inc.
LG Electronics Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, mobile communications and home appliances, employing more than 80,000 people working in over 115 operations around the world. With 2009 global sales of 55.5 trillion Korean Won (43.4 billion US Dollars), LG comprises of five business units – Home Entertainment, Mobile Communications, Home Appliance, Air Conditioning and Business Solutions. LG is one of the world’s leading producers of flat panel TVs, audio and video products, mobile handsets, air conditioners and washing machines. LG has signed a long-term agreement to become both a Global Partner of Formula 1™ and a Technology Partner of Formula 1™. As part of this top-level association, LG acquires exclusive designations and marketing rights as the official consumer electronics, mobile phone and data processor of this global sporting event. For more information, please visit www.lg.com.

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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?

So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.

And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.

There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.

I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.

So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.

But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”

My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher

“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.

~ David Simon