Spike Lee to collaborate with filmmakers for Nokia project

Spike Lee will direct a film comprised entirely of footage, text and music submitted by everyday people, Reuters reports.

The latest Lee joint will focus on the way music tells the story of humanity, and will be constructed in three acts. Lee is helming the as-yet-untitled film for Nokia Productions as a collaborative effort that may push the boundaries of user-generated content past YouTube territory into uncharted waters.

Lee and Nokia are asking aspiring filmmakers around the world to shoot the entire film, as well as compose its music, capture its images and write its text. Each month, an “assignment” outlining one of the film’s acts will be announced on NokiaProductions.com, and artists will then have four weeks to produce and submit material for consideration.

Nokia will choose 25 submissions each month from which the site’s visitors can vote for their favorites. The voters’ top 10 favorites will then be turned over to Lee, who will choose the winning submission for each act. The final film will feature the winning acts and other user-submitted content, and will premiere later this year in Los Angeles.

Academy Award-nominated director Lee said that today’s technology is evening the playing field for amateur filmmakers struggling to break into the movie industry. “You are seeing firsthand the democratization of film,” he announced in a statement. “Aspiring filmmakers no longer have to go to film school to make great work. With a simple mobile phone, almost anyone can now become a filmmaker.”

The assignment for Act 1, “Birth,” is currently available on the Nokia Productions website. The online portion of the film’s production will officially end August 21.

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