Nokia and Spike Lee to Create Social Film

Nokia has tapped director Spike Lee to assemble the "world's first social film" from original content captured on mobile devices.

Nokia has announced a partnership with Oscar-nominated director Spike Lee to create what it’s calling the “world’s first social film.” Cantered on the theme of how music “tells the story of humanity,” the film will be assembled through original content captured on mobile devices and submitted to the Nokia Productions site via the Internet.

“The future of filmmaking is changing and mobile-generated art is fast becoming the next medium for film,” said Spike Lee, in a statement. “In five years, I believe we will be watching films in movie theaters that have been shot on a mobile phone. [..] With a simple mobile phone, almost anyone can now become a filmmaker.”

The film will have three acts, each of which will be active on the film’s Nokia Productions site (currently hosted by Yahoo’s JumpCut) for four weeks and have an “assignment” for participants announced by Spike Lee. Lee will also direct the entire collaboration digitally from the Web site, guiding and critiquing submissions along with online “assistant directors” who will help participants refine entries. After each four week period, Nokia will choose the top 25 submissions for each act; site visitors will then vote to narrow things down to the top 10 selections, than Spike Lee will make the final selection for inclusion in the film.

Five randomly selected contestants from each act will receive a Nokia N95 and a trip to the film’s Los Angeles premiere a soon-to-be-opened Club Nokia; the production will also offer weekly giveaways including a new Nokia device and music download cards.

Participants can submit their original content with any combination of text, music, images, and video beginning today; the three-act process runs through August 21.