Turn your neighbours into actors and tell the story of your street. Make a short film about local life before, during and after The Big Lunch. That’s the brief, staring you in the face, with a big fat juicy £1000 carrot if you win. If you are not already involved in a Big Lunch, you can join another lunch taking place in your local area. To find your nearest Big Lunch, check out our interactive map at www.thebiglunch.com and make contact with the organiser to see if you can go along on the day with your camera.

Need help with the plot? Ask yourself: How neighbourly is my hood? Who knows who? Who feels alone? Who holds the fabric of our street together? What magic lurks untapped? Who can play the ukelele? Who grows smutty veg? Who has seen war in the flesh? What are the tough issues? How big is my cast? Am I in it? Who might make a fascinating study? Will they trust me and open up as the best films do?

Film (like smoked salmon) is cheap now. Still, it costs, so stay lo-fi if you can. Content over style please. Make your film about people, knowing your neighbours, and how they gel on epic days like The Big Lunch. If you’re broke, plea for funds.

Here are the specifics:

• Open to: 16-25 yr olds (but it can star any age, the wider the better)
• Length: 6 mins max
• Format: DVD in one of these: MP4 (ipod/psp), MPEG, FLV (adobe flash), MOV (mac), AVI (windows), SWF (shockwave flash), MKV (h.264)
• Deadline: September 1st 2009
• Music: Be smart – this might end up on C4, so don’t abuse copyright. Get a pal to mash up a mix, or try open source music at: creativecommons.org, magnatune.com, royaltyfreemusic.com
• Judges: They know their onions. They’ve made movies. They’re looking for talent. No pressure, but aim high and make the biggest, boldest, best short film you can.
• Prize: £1000 for the winner (go on; split it with your neighbour). £150 cash to most loved by Joe Public on Big Lunch TV.
• Screening: Winner on C4 with luck. “Best Of” screenings in central London – let you know the venue nearer the time.

For further info, to read the briefing and for Terms and Conditions visit The Big Lunch website.

Just last week our finalists met with the team at Junction49.co.uk, a website designed for 16-25 year olds to share their ideas and campaigns to get support and followers. Terrific resources so check it out! www.junction49.co.uk

The CHANGEit team also met Battlefront Campaigner Tom, who’s working on a Random Acts of Kindness campaign and formed ‘The Do-Gooder Army’.  Tom and other Battlefront campaigners will be featured in a new Channel 4 show…but they’re looking for more campaigners!  So get on line and ‘Muck In‘ with Battlefront to see if you can share your campaign on TV. Even if you don’t have a campaign…you can still vote for your favourites!

The deadline for CHANGEit nominations for the 2008/09 award period is fast approaching so nominate them for a CHANGEit award today!

CHANGEit will award prizes of up to £750 in three categories:

Innovation – for young people who have ideas to improve their community, but need training or support to get their campaign off the ground
Performance – to celebrate the achievements of young campaigners who have already made a difference in their local areas.
Photography– photos taken by young people that show campaigning in action or the change happening around them

The closing date is 12 January 2009 – so nominate today! Nominations can be submitted for individuals or groups. Every young person nominated will receive a certificate of recognition. Winners will be announced at an award ceremony in spring 2009.

Nominate now!