We Are BC

Whether you are new to the province or born and raised - if you live in BC, you’re part of our economy.  Working, studying, volunteering, running your own business, raising a family or retired, we want to see your perspective. How does the current state of the BC economy affect you? How do you impact the economy in the choices you make everyday? How do you feel about how you generate income and how your tax dollars are spent? Share your story with us!

Using your video submissions, we will build We Are BC - a provincial home movie of BC’s economic life. The film will be a collage of your stories, documenting the realities of our provincial economy from the perspective of the very people who drive it. We’re looking for authentic voices, so no professional filmmaking skills are required.

If selected, your video will be included in the We Are BC film, and you will have a chance to win one of three $500 People’s Choice Awards.

We Are BC will have it’s World Premier screening on October 3 at Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver, BC as part of the SFU Public Square 2013 Community Summit. The video will kick-off a talk by Nobel Prize winning economist Dr. Joseph Stiglitz. The event and the video premier will be live webcast.

Even if your submission is not selected for the final film, all eligible video submissions we receive will be showcased on a We Are BC legacy website.

Submit your video by 11:59 pm, Thursday, August 15, 2013.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible, you need to submit a 30-second, unedited video featuring BC residents, and film it in BC between July 17 and ­August 15, 2013. You have to be 19 years old or over to comply with our Terms and Conditions. If you are a youth under the age of 19, you will need a parent or legal guardian (or an adult aged 19 years or over who has permission from your parent or legal guardian) to complete the online Submission Form on your behalf.

No Video Experience Required. You don’t need to be a filmmaker to get involved. We’re looking for a diversity of authentic voices. We will consider videos shot on everything from Smartphone cameras, iPads and laptop webcams to camcorders and professional video cameras. That said, we can only use videos of an acceptable sound and picture quality so please refer to the Submission Rules and the How to Make Great Videos Handbook on our website for guidance.

AWARDS

Contributors^[1] have a chance to win one of three awards in the amount of $500 each for: 1) An individual adult (19+); 2) A team^[2] (adults and/or youth^[3]); 3) An individual youth (under 19). Viewers, themselves, will vote for the awards based on the impact of the video’s message (either in-house or online) at the October 3, 2013 Orpheum screening. If your video is selected for inclusion in the final film, your name will appear in the film credits as a co-director.

THE AUDIENCE

SFU Public Square will feature the We Are BC film in a premiere screening at the Orpheum theatre on October 3, 2013 to kick-off a talk by Nobel Prize economist Joseph Stiglitz. This event is part of SFU Public Square’s 2013 Community Summit, Charting BC’s Economic Future. The event is free and open to the public, and will also be webcast live by The Vancouver Sun. We will publish the film to the SFU Public Square and Vancity websites and SFU YouTube channel after the event. We may also submit to film festivals and TV broadcasters internationally, and feature the film on other websites and at other events and activities that SFU Public Square deem appropriate.

WHAT TO FILM

SUBMIT A 30-SECOND VIDEO CLIP ^[4](as an individual or team of colleagues) that reflects on one or more of the following concepts:

1. How do you generate an income? What does this look like? How do you feel about this?
2. How do you feel the current state of our economy affects you, your loved ones, residents of BC? Are you satisfied with how your tax dollars are spent?
3. How do the choices you make in your life impact the economy?
4. What are your dreams or fears for the future of BC’s economy? Or for your own life as it relates to work and money?

Show-and-don’t-tell. Show us your story through images. Try to explain your point of view with pictures and keep the talking to a minimum. A picture says 1,000 words in far less video time than 1,000 spoken words, which means more of your videos will make it in the final film.

You can include text on signs, which can be made of any material but be imaginative! Your face can appear in the video (either by filming yourself, or asking a friend or colleague to film you). If you would prefer to not show your face and remain anonymous, your video can be from your point-of-view and rather than showing yourself, show us what you see. 

No matter what you do, where you live, or how you make your living, your voice matters! Share your unique and invaluable stories and perspectives with us on camera! We Are BC!

HOW TO SUBMIT A VIDEO

Submitting your video is simple and free. Complete the online Submission Form in the Submit section of our website. Once you have completed this form, you will receive an email with a confirmation number. You can then upload your video file to WeTransfer www.wetransfer.com (a free online file-sharing service). Review the WeTransfer Terms and Conditions and click “I agree” to move to the upload window. Click on “Add files.” Enter your email address under “your email.” Write your confirmation number in the “Message” box. Enter wearebc@sfu.ca in the “Friend’s email” and clicking on “Transfer.” Videos sent without a confirmation number may be automatically disqualified from the project. You can submit as many videos as you like—just be sure to complete the online Submission Form for each video you submit.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS
AUGUST 15, 2013 at 23:59.

WHO WE ARE

We Are BC is a production of SFU Public Square. Sarah Van Borek will direct and edit the final film.

SFU Public Square, a signature initiative designed to spark, nurture and restore community connections, establishes Simon Fraser University as the go-to convener of serious and productive conversations about issues of public concern. More than a single place or program, SFU Public Square assembles the hearts, minds, and talents of diverse communities to promote inclusive, intelligent, and inspiring dialogue.

Sarah Van Borek, is an award-winning film director and educator dedicated to global citizenship. Sarah has been providing dynamic media and community outreach services to SFU for over three years, including the signature SFU Public Square ONE VOICE Music Project.

[1] Only individuals physically located in British Columbia are eligible for one of the three awards.

[2] A team contribution consists of two or more contributors and is meant to encourage colleagues to submit together. One individual aged 19 years or older must submit the video on behalf of the team.

[3] “Youth” refers to any person(s) under the age of 19 years. Any youth interested in submitting a video must have a parent or legal guardian (or adult aged 19 years or older with permission from that youth’s parent or legal guardian) complete our online Submission Form on their behalf in order to comply with our Terms and Conditions.

[4] Contributions longer than 30 seconds may be excluded from consideration due to time constraints of reviewing contributions.