Film Nation will introduce young people to film, support them in developing social and film making skills, and provide opportunities to discover new and non-mainstream film. Young people across the UK will have the potential to take part in Film Nation: Shorts; a short film competition, through use of cutting edge digital technology. The project will bring together the exciting new film talent which will emerge across the UK with outstanding international film makers.
LOCOG
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is responsible for preparing and staging the 2012 Games. Headed by Sebastian Coe (Chair) and Paul Deighton (Chief Executive), LOCOG oversees the staging of the Games, recruitment and training of volunteers, staging of test events and the running of the Cultural Olympiad and education programmes in the build-up to the Games.
The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad
The Olympic Games and Paralympic Games are about more than sport. London 2012 is also staging a Cultural Olympiad - a series of events to showcase the UK's arts and culture to the rest of the world.
The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad is steered by the Cultural Olympiad Board chaired by Tony Hall, the Cultural Olympiad Director Ruth Mackenzie and Cultural Advisers. All are experts in the cultural world.
The four-year London 2012 Cultural Olympiad started in September 2008, at the end of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. It is the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Games, designed to give everyone in the UK a chance to be part of London 2012. Inspiring creativity across all forms of culture, especially among young people, the aim is to make a real impact. Its legacy will last well beyond 2012.
Millions of people around the UK are already part of the Cultural Olympiad, through the Inspire programme and Open Weekend.
The finale of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad will be a 12-week cultural celebration across the whole of the UK. This once-in-a-lifetime festival will bring together leading artists from all over the world. At the beginning of 2012 a series of special events will create spectacular markers of what is to come.
The festival will then open on 21 June 2012 - Midsummer’s Day. It will run until 9 September 2012 - the last day of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
At the heart of the festival will be a programme of commissions by some of the finest artists in the world in events ranging from pop to film, from visual arts and fashion to theatre, from opera to digital innovation.
The festival programme is currently being developed - more details will be announced in 2011.
Get Set is the official London 2012 education programme for schools and colleges across the UK. It provides free learning resources for 3-19 year olds to find out more about the Games and explore the Olympic Values of excellence, friendship and respect, and the Paralympic Values of determination, inspiration, courage and equality. It also offers access to exciting prizes and opportunities through participation in competitions and partner programmes.
Film Nation: Shorts is part of the Culture and Creativity strand of Get Set +. Although PE and sport are central to the Games, Get Set is not just for PE teachers - through the Get Set + section of the site you can find information about programmes and resources (run by partners, like the School Food Trust) to support learning in Communication, Collaboration and Citizenship, Culture and Creativity, Enterprise, Healthy and Active Lifestyles, Internationalism, PE and School Sport, Practical Learning and Sustainability and Regeneration.
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Panasonic
Panasonic fully supports the ideals of the Olympic Movement and is proud to be the official Audio and Visual Equipment Partner for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Since the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games, Panasonic has been an Official Worldwide Olympic Partner, bringing the passion and performance of top athletes to homes around the world through state-of-the-art audio and visual technology. Under the slogan of "Sharing the Passion," Panasonic contributes to the success of the Olympic Games through its technology. In 2007 Panasonic renewed the partnership with the International Olympic Committee through to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Panasonic is offering all film nation participants special packages on broadcast equipment and camcorders. To view this special offer and learn more about Panasonic's involvement with Film Nation, visit www.panasonic.co.uk/filmnation
First Light
FIRST LIGHT is a unique organisation that provides funding and expertise to enable five to nineteen-year-olds, from all backgrounds throughout the UK, to make their own short digital films and media projects. FIRST LIGHT is supported by the National Lottery, through the UK Film Council and by DCSF. This year, the organisation will distribute £5.3 million. Since launching in 2001, FIRST LIGHT has funded over 30,000 young people to produce more than 1,000 films and media projects. For more information visit www.firstlightonline.co.uk
FIRST LIGHT will be delivering a workshop programme for 11 to 19 year olds as part of Film Nation: Shorts. The workshops will give young people access to equipment and professional support to enable them to learn creative and technical filmmaking skills. FIRST LIGHT will also be moderating competition entries made by under 19 year olds and supporting the judging process for the Awards ceremonies.
Screen WM
Screen WM is the lead agency for film, television, games and digital media in the West Midlands; a region that is driving innovation and excellence in content creation and cross-media collaboration. Our remit is to develop the economic, social and cultural wealth of the region through support for the screen media industries.
Screen WM, in partnership with First Light, are the lead delivery partner for the Film Nation: Shorts competition and workshops programme.
Olympic Lottery Distributor
The Olympic Lottery Distributor is investing National Lottery money to fund the London 2012 Games. It is providing £15.6 million to support the Cultural Olympiad and it is planned that £3million of this will go to Film Nation. It is also providing funding of £2.62 million to fund the network of Big Screens across the UK and will be providing up to £1.8 billion for the infrastructure of the Olympic Park and other Olympic facilities across the UK.
More information about the Olympic Lottery Distributor can be found at www.olympiclotterydistributor.org.uk
AWM
Advantage West Midlands, through Arts Council England, are supporting Film Nation: Shorts in recognition of the lead delivery partners (Screen WM and First Light) being based in the West Midlands region.
Advantage West Midlands is the Regional Development Agency (RDA) for the West Midlands region – one of nine RDAs in England established to transform English regions through sustainable economic development. Advantage West Midlands takes the lead role in setting the strategy and focus for regional economic improvement; building the partnerships needed to achieve the region’s vision; and ensuring that public money is targeted to those activities and projects best placed to make a real difference.
104 Films
104 Films are a Film & TV Production Company with a track record in producing original and distinctive films. The Company specialises in developing projects through creative and improvisational workshops.
104 Films will be delivering the Workshop Programme for the Over 19 year olds as part of Film Nation : Shorts. The workshops will deliver a basic introduction to film making skills and techniques with an informal, fun and hands on approach.
For more information on 104 Films see website at www.104films.com