Us Now

SYNOPSIS

In his student flat in Colchester, Jack Howe is staring intently into

his computer screen. He is picking the team for Ebbsfleet United's FA

Trophy Semi-Final match against Aldershot . Around the world 35,000

other fans are doing the same thing, because together, they own and

manage the football club.  If distributed networks of people can run

complex organisations such as football clubs, what else can they do?

Us Now takes a look at how this type of participation could transform

the way that countries are governed.  It tells the stories of the

online networks whose radical self-organising structures threaten to

change the fabric of government forever.

Us Now follows the fate of Ebbsfleet United, a football club owned and

run by its fans;  Zopa, a bank in which everyone is the manager; and

Couch Surfing, a vast online network whose members share their homes

with strangers.

The founding principles of these projects -- transparency,

self-selection, open participation -- are coming closer and closer to

the mainstream of our social and political lives.  Us Now describes

this transition and confronts politicians George Osborne and Ed

Milliband with the possibilities for participative government as

described by Don Tapscott and Clay Shirky amongst others.

CONTRIBUTORS

Saul Albert

Giles Andrews

Lee Bryant

Alan Cox

Liam Daish

David Courtier-Dutton

Becky Hogge

William Heath

Shane Kelly

Ed Miliband

Paul Miller

George Osborne

Sophia Parker

MT Rainey

Clay Shirky

Tom Steinberg

Matthew Taylor

Don Tapscott

Mikey Weinkove

Production notes:

Us Now is directed by Ivo Gormley and produced by Banyak films in

association with the RSA.

About this website:

This website will feature all of the material generated during the making of the film. 

 

We intend to licence all of the footage with a Creative Commons licence.

Rushes are the unedited footage recorded during the making of the film.  They are being uploaded in MP4 format.

Transcripts are the transcripts of the interviews recorded for the film. They were created to use during the editing process and cannot be guaranteed to be completely accurate. 

 

Your Videos are related internet content not made by us. If you tag youtube videos "usnowfilm" they will be imported onto this page.

 

Watch the film (at the very top of the page) allows you to watch he full edited film in your browser.

 

 

Buy the film (at the very top of the page).  If you'd like to support the ongoing publicity and distribution of the film, or you'd just like a DVD, you can buy a copy of the film from this link to the Banyak website.

 

What is being said (at the very top of the page) scrapes Twitter for the latest content with the #usnow tag; see what people are saying about the film in real time.

 

Explore the Film (at the very top of the page) is a project by Jaggeree that will allow you watch the film themeatically, or to find out more about particular aspects of it in more depth.  At the moment this aspect of the sie is still under contsruction.

 

Buy the DVD here

Watch the film online here

 

This website was designed and built by Ian Drysdale.

 

 

Press and screenings:

 

For information about hosting an Us Now event/screening and media enquiries please contact us on:

usnowfilm@banyak.co.uk

 

Download the press pack here.

 

Buy the DVD for non-commercial screenings here

 

Credits:

 

Director
Ivo Gormley

Producer
Hugh Hartford

Editor
Mark Atkins

Camera
Robin Fox

Music
Orlando Roberton

Sound
Daniel Owen

Additional Camera
Stein Stie
Anson Hartford
Jake Corbett

Researchers
Matan Rochlitz
Geoffroy Noel

Runners
Harry Dwyer
Olivia King

Edit Assistant
Alexis Hatto

Online
Ross Birkbeck

Soundmix
Marco Martini

 

Aerial Footage

Optimistic Productions

 

Timelapse photography
Guy Gormley

Additional Music Composition
Dan Harle

Transcription
Adam Moon

Music:
Richard Wagner 'Ride of the Valkyries '
Pete and the Pirates "I Won't Lie to You"
Walk Don't Walk - "Bus Driver"
Fugi  -"Don't Quit"
Oystar - "I Fought The Lloyds"

With Thanks to:
Anna Brooks-Gallerani
Ian Drysdale
Bryn from Plane Stupid
Molly Webb

Eliot Fineberg