YouTube's Life in a Day: a user-created film

Edited by Kevin Macdonald, produced by Ridley Scott, and directed by you, film to launch at Sundance

Ever wanted to direct a film that would premiere at Sundance? Would you settle for directing just a small portion of it?

Google's YouTube announced last night an experimental film project called 'Life in a Day,' which will be composed entirely of footage shot on July 24 and submitted by YouTube users around the world.

Edited and compiled by Kevin Macdonald (directed One Day in September, The Last King of Scotland, and Touching the Void) and executive produced by Ridley Scott (directed Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Thelma & Louise, Blade Runner, and Robin Hood), the film will then launch at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival in January 2011.

Now, picture yourself sitting in a fancy leather chair as a big-league film producer and listen to YouTube Product Marketing Manager Tim Partridge pitch the concept for this crazy new film:

"Every day, 6.7 billion people view the world through their own unique lens. Imagine if there was a way to collect all of these perspectives, to aggregate and mold them into the cohesive story of a single day on earth."

"You can film the ordinary -- a sunrise, the commute to work, a neighborhood soccer match, or the extraordinary -- a baby’s first steps, your reaction to the passing of a loved one, or even a marriage."

Anyone interested in participating need only capture some footage on July 24 and, before July 31, upload the footage to YouTube's specially created 'Life in the Day' channel.

In order to diversify the type of video content submitted for the project, Ridley Scott’s production company Scott Free is distributing 400 to 500 cameras globally.

"I’m excited by the lack of control,” says Macdonald. "I’m laying out the ground rules [for the project] as much as possible, but am just going to have to wait and see… Everything depends on how much people will contribute. I don’t know if I’m more afraid of getting too much content or too little."

The 2011 Sundance Film Festival is set to take place January 20-30.

Head over to the announcement page to see the trailer for the film.