Dubbed Twittamentary, a new documentary about Twitter by Singapore filmmaker Tan Siok Siok, is setting up to take the term “social media” to a whole new level.The DIY film-and-social experiment will enlist fellow Twitter users to submit Twitter-related stories, rich media and videos to be included in the film. Siok Siok explained: “I want to make a film that peels away the hype and explores how lives connect and intersect, and then are affected and changed as result of encounters on Twitter.”
An experienced filmmaker who recently finished a stint as a visiting lecturer at the Beijing Film Academy, Siok Siok’s credits also include being an executive producer for Discovery Channel programming as well as directing Boomtown Beijing, a fantastic documentary that followed the lives of four common Chinese during the leadup to the 2008 Olympics (see my interview with Siok Siok from last year).
Much like Boomtown Beijing, Twittamentary wont be focusing on its subject directly, but rather intends to break the topic down to its fundamental human elements. In a recent interview with WebProNews, Siok Siok explained: “The film explores the idea that Twitter accelerates serendipity. When lives intersect at an ever-increasing speed, great stories happen at an astonishing rate. We want to tell these wonderful stories. All the rest of it, the themes and the topics are just part of the great backdrop.”
The documentary’s Web site has issued a general call for submissions (whether written, videoed, recorded or otherwise) that tell “the most fascinating thing that happened to you because of Twitter”. The gathering of submissions will culminate in a 24-hour global event this September in which all Twitter users can submit new stories, as well as vote and comment on those Twitter stories (twories?) contributed by others. The best submissions will be weaved into the fabric of the film.
Though no official release date has been set for the film, it is expected to be available, online (and with a Creative Commons license), in the first half of 2010. Be sure to check out Twittamentary.com for the latest information. You can also follow Siok Siok on Twitter @sioksiok
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