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Vote These Videos Viral!

Which of these Tyee reader-made videos of the REEL, ahem, 'real' British Columbia gets your vote?

Shannon Smart 14 Nov 2011TheTyee.ca

Shannon Smart is a freelance writer in Vancouver, BC, and was the Tyee's Community Manager from 2010 to 2012.

Shannon’s work has been published by The Tyee, Granville Online, Sad Mag, Vancouver magazine, Western Living magazine, the Magazine Association of BC, and others. Before settling into her current, undeniably opulent role as a writer and advocate of independent media, Shannon completed a BA in English literature at McGill University and an MA in publishing at Simon Fraser.

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Which REEL BC entries do you think deserve to win The Tyee's highest video honour, The Oscarp?

Last month, we asked Tyee readers to get out their video cameras and show us what British Columbia looks like to them. The contest, called the REEL BC Video Project, resulted in a deluge of creative, diverse and some truly unusual films submitted by readers from all over the province.

We've watched them all and compiled a shortlist of our favourites. Now we'd like to know which video you like best. Yes, you.

So have a look at the 12 videos below and VOTE for your top pick.

Why do we want you to vote?

You, dear readers, are what make us different from any other media organization out there. You don't just read our site: you engage with the news we publish, leaving us thoughtful comments on stories, sending our work to your friends, messaging your ideas to @TheTyee on Twitter and sharing your beautiful photographs in our Flickr pool.

Sure, we could get the Tyee staffers together in a room, watch all the shortlisted videos, and choose the ones that we like best. And actually, we will: one film will be awarded "Tyee's Choice." First place, however, will be decided by you.

Our community of readers defines The Tyee, and so we'd like you to choose who wins the top prize in our REEL BC video contest: an Apple iPad provided by Simply.ca.

An invitation

The REEL BC Project began with crowd-sourced videos and, as we've said, the winners will be decided with crowd-sourced voting. We're continuing the collaborative trend with our wrap-up screening event.

On Dec. 1, we're holding a screening and discussion of viral film and video journalism at W2 Woodwards in Gastown. The conversation will feature some of B.C.'s brightest video-making minds, including:

Kai Nagata: Video-journalist, former CTV News Bureau Chief (Quebec City), viral blogger and current Tyee writer in residence.

Sean Devlin: Creator of ShitHarperDid.ca, comedian and videographer extraordinaire.

Tara Mahoney: Co-founder of Gen Why Media Project and documentary filmmaker who holds a Master of Media Production from Ryerson University.

Andrew Struthers: Tofino-based filmmaker and writer, creator of viral video sensations "Americanface" and "Spiders on Crack."

We hope you'll join us. Tickets are just $12 (including food!) and can be purchased here.

The videos

Please watch these videos and choose your favourite, then vote here.

Occupy Vancouver | 10.15.2011, by Ruben Timmerman.

From Ruben's entry: "Vancouver is a city that has truly developed an identity over the last few years and has grown immensely in terms of culture, and art, and beauty. On the first day of Occupy Vancouver there was a dimension of serious protest in response to unemployment, poverty, concern for the enviroment, etc. However, there was certainly also a dimension of celebration. A celebration of our democratic rights and freedoms and of the coming together of artists and orginals who found a sense of purpose and belonging that they hadn't before. The intention of this short film is to capture elements of both the serious and the celebration that took place." Ruben is a full-time student. Filmed in Vancouver, B.C.

Winter Reel, by Kalum Ko.

From Kalum's entry: "I had a ton of fun this winter, and these are some of the shots I gathered throughout the season." Kalum is a 16-year-old filmmaker, from Kimberley, B.C. This video was shot there.

Eagle Among the Swarm, by Mike McKinlay.

From Mike's entry: "Every year, British Columbia is privy to one of the most spectacular natural events in the world. Up to 20,000 western sandpipers swarm in unison..." all while avoiding birds of prey. Mike is a professional filmmaker. Filmed in Boundary Bay, B.C.

What Vancouver Means to Me, by Lewis Bennett and Mark Boucher.

From Lewis and Mark's entry: In this video, "Josh tries to give us a tour of Vancouver but gets sidetracked by his narcissism and emotional immaturity... I think some people mistakenly see the film as being somewhat anti-Vancouver but we love the city and just thought this would be a funny angle to take." Filmed in Vancouver, B.C. NOTE: This video contains mature content. Viewer discretion is advised.

Altitude Adventures, by Michael Goergens.

From Michael's entry: "Your first flight will be the best one you ever had." Michael recently quit his job to become a filmmaker. Shot in the Rocky Mountains at Mount 7 in Golden, B.C.

Dream Green: A LipDub, by students at David Thompson Secondary School.

Students at DTSS showcase their efforts at sustainability. This video was made possible by a grant from the Vancouver Foundation's Generation Green Awards. Filmed in Vancouver, B.C.

Wefi Surfboards, by Mark Wyatt.

From Mark's entry: This video showcases the creation of "hollow western red cedar surfboards, shaped by Randy Weflen." Mark is a filmmaker on Vancouver Island. Filmed in Lantzville, B.C.

The Clearcut, by Aaron Larocque.

From Aaron's entry: "We disappeared off the radar for nine days to shoot this. The idea was to create something from nothing. A scarred landscape transformed into the ultimate mountain bike playground." Aaron is a 24-year-old filmmaker from Victoria. Shot on Vancouver Island, B.C.

Nuu-chah-nulth Canoe Steaming, by Jacqueline Windh.

From Jacqueline's entry: "Carl and Joe Martin are Nuu-chah-nulth canoe carvers how have managed to keep alive their people's traditional knowledge of how to carve a seaworthy dugout canoe. This film shows how they steam the canoe -- and, by so doing, are able to craft a canoe that is even wider than the original cedar log that it is made from." Jacqueline is a freelance writer. Filmed in Tofino, B.C.

Heritage Preservation, Vancouver Style, by Michael Cox.

From Michael's entry: "A house is demolished in a five-minute timelapse... An unsophisticated, unedited video, which I am submitting because the chomping away of the house fascinates me, and I feel this expresses, in a direct and unmediated way, the prevailing ethos in Vancouver, which is one of rampant destruction/construction in a rush to maximize profits." Michael is a filmmaker and independent scholar. Filmed in Vancouver, B.C.

Above the Dust, by Leo Zuckerman.

From Leo's entry: "Above The Dust is a short mountain biking video of my brothers, Jonah and Eli, riding through the beautiful B.C outdoors." Leo is a student. Filmed in Whistler, B.C.

The Greatest Lesson, by Jenni Rempel and Trini Nguyen-Don.

From Jenni's entry: "What is the greatest lesson you have learned? This short documentary combines the collective wisdom of a diverse spattering of British Columbians. A big community answers a big question." Jenni is a student at Simon Fraser University. Filmed in Vancouver, B.C.

The prizes

We have some truly excellent prizes to award to the winners of the REEL BC contest. As we've mentioned, the maker of the video that receives the most votes will take home an Apple iPad from our screening event on Dec. 1.

For second and third place, we have a fantastic assortment of some of the latest and greatest Canadian-made films, provided by the National Film Board.

Finally, for all three winners and for the "Tyee's Pick," we have three-month memberships to Salt Spring Coffee's Subscription Program.

Help us choose the winners. VOTE NOW.

Thanks to our sponsors

This contest and event, while highly reliant on Tyee readers and British Columbian video geeks, would not be possible without the support of our sponsors and media partners.

Many thanks to:
Simply.ca
Salt Spring Coffee
SFU Woodwards
Langara Film Arts
The BC Teachers Federation
The National Film Board
The Canadian Media Guild

And to our supporters in the local media scene:
VancouverIsAwesome.com
OpenMedia.ca
Gen Why Media Project
Fresh Media
W2 Woodwards
Media Democracy Day

And just in case you missed the many links further up, you can also click here to VOTE NOW in the REEL BC Video contest. Thanks for taking part!  [Tyee]

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