Monica Medina | Uptown News
Grab your video cameras, smartphones, iPads and the like. Saturday, April 26 is almost here, and that’s the day every San Diegan will have the opportunity to tell San Diego’s story with its future in mind. It’s all thanks to documentarian Kyle Ruddick’s latest project, “One Day in San Diego.”
Most filmmakers get an idea for a documentary and want to see it to fruition themselves. Not so for Ruddick. He has a vision and wants everyone in San Diego to contribute, giving a new meaning to the saying, “it takes a village.”
“We live in a world now where cumulative creativity, and planning events around the creative process gives us the ability to produce media at a lot of different places at the same time, and that’s super exciting and rewarding,” Ruddick said.
It is this excitement that propels him to use buzz words like “crowd-sourcing,” “community-produced” and “collaboration” when describing his Los Angeles-based “One Day on Earth” series. It’s also what drives his mission to see as many filmmakers as possible — whether or not they are professionals — to pick up their cameras on April 26, the day that designated as “One Day in San Diego.” In other words, it is 24 hours of capturing on video every nook and cranny of America’s Finest City, with an emphasis on the city’s future.
“One Day in San Diego” is part of an 11-city event that also includes such cities as Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. The idea for focusing on the future came from a meeting Ruddick had with one of his funders.
“The question was raised, ‘What can we do to document and inform the sustainability of cities?’” Ruddick explained. “It’s really an amazing jumping-off point. When we’re challenged to think 20 years into the future, there’s something powerful about that. Best of all, we’re living in a time where if enough people feel strongly about their community, and see how to make it better, those things can change.”
According to Ruddick, San Diego was chosen because of its unique position and incredible beauty.
“It is one of the larger border towns in the world,” he said. “To me, I think it’s interesting the dichotomy with Mexico and this thriving city. It’s what makes San Diego unlike any other place in the country or the world.”
The goal for “One Day in San Diego” is for all who participate to upload their footage to a site, where it then might be used in a three-part series to air on public television, including KPBS, later this year.
“There’s no requirement to edit, but two to three minutes of great, edited content is best,” recommended Ruddick. “The videos go into a geotag archive of the city, and each submission will be a dot on a San Diego map, where anyone will be able to see what their fellow San Diegans contributed.”
While the scope of the project is vast, Ruddick stressed that one doesn’t need professional experience to be a part of it.
“Anyone who cares about the future of the city should take part,” he said. “It matters when people work from the heart. There’s something authentic in that. It doesn’t matter what camera they work on. It’s the intention that’s profound. Nearly everyone has had limited access to video through cellphone. It’s really a changing world to think about how we use our media.”
For Ruddick, the vision for creating collaborative content came after attending a world music concert in 2008, when musicians from all over gathered to create what he calls “a fusion of beautiful music.” From this experience sparked his first two films showcasing “One Day on Earth” and featuring the work of videographers from just about every corner of the world.
After completing “One Day on Earth,” Ruddick decided to think more locally. It might sound like he was scaling back, but pulling off an endeavor like this is still a major feat.
“A lot of people think that because people are donating their footage, producing this series is cheap and easy, but it’s neither,” Ruddick said. “We visit each city and build a coalition of stakeholders and we hire a local team. We put together materials and then it’s all about engaging people.
“We think it’s going to be huge for the 11 cities,” he continued. “San Diego has a lot of great stories, creative talent, great non-professional and inspired people, and people who are engaged in their community. I am thrilled by the level of talent and inspiration there.”
For anyone planning to participate, Ruddick recommends first checking out the website.
“We have developed 10 questions, creative prompts,” he noted. “It’s a good jumping-off point. Check out the questions before you film and think about what you plan to film in relation to these questions.”
While a massive, collaborative project like this is rare, Ruddick said it’s a trend he expects to see more of.
“When people get excited and take ownership, it’s just to me artistically, spiritually and morally fulfilling,” Ruddick said. “I’m not filming everything in the traditional model of filmmaking. There’s movement and power behind this. In time, we’ll really be able to galvanize this model for a lot of people.”
For more information, visit onedayinsandiego.org.
