Bebo, the global social media network, and global sports lifestyle brand Oakley
today announced bold plans to innovate in the field of feature film making.
During
production of “Conquering Demons”, a
new film documentary about the extreme sport of snowboarding, each day’s rushes
(or raw footage) will be made available exclusively to Bebo’s worldwide
audience of 40 million to view.
The
raw footage will be available from March 6th 2008 at http://ww.bebo.com/conqueringdemons.
“Conquering Demons”, which goes into
production this week, will follow British champion snowboarders and Oakley team
riders Scott McMorris and Tyler Chorlton on a journey of discovery as Italian
filmmaker Carlo Mancini investigates the “psychology of fear” in extreme sports
athletes.
Bebo
users will be transported into the inner circle of professional snowboarding
for the first time through daily broadcasts from the athletes’ training base in
the French alpine resort of Morzine, near Geneva.
The
film will show the unedited reality of life as a pro snowboarder and introduce
two top riders to an alternative style of filming and personal
examination.
The
production will also utilise the tools of social networking to interact with
viewers in other innovative ways. For instance, fans will be able to email the
snowboarders and the filmmakers and interact with other fans during the filming
process.
First-time
filmmaker Mancini will attempt to psychoanalyze the athletes, both pre- and
post-performance. Meantime, all ‘on the slope’ action footage for “Conquering Demons” will be provided
by Tim Warwood and Adam Gendle of Lockdown Projects, snowboarding and
freesports production specialists, based in London.
Bebo’s
move into documentary production follows the success of its foray into scripted
drama. The first series of online drama KateModern attracted 35.6 million
episode views across its run, while series two has had 5 million views to date.
A second online drama, Sofia’s
Diary, premieres on Bebo next month.
-
ends -
For Bebo
Claire
Thom or Verity Williams
Portland
020
7404 5344
bebo@portlandpr.co.uk
For Oakley
Tom Cartmale
Oakley
UK
01462
475477 | 07818 446553
tcartmale@oakley.com
About Bebo
Bebo
(www.bebo.com),
founded in 2005 by Michael and Xochi Birch, is the world’s leading global
Social Media Network. Building on the notion of traditional social networking
websites, Bebo combines community, self-expression and entertainment to enable
its users to consume, create, discover and share professional and
user-generated content through the Bebo website. Bebo has more than 40 million
users worldwide. Bebo also ranks as the UK's most engaging website with the
most page views per usage day amongst the top 100 most popular sites*.
About Oakley
Oakley
is a worldwide leader in performance optics including market-leading premium
sunglasses, goggles, and prescription eyewear. Headquartered in Southern California, the company's optics brand portfolio
includes Dragon, Fox Racing, Mosley Tribes, Oliver Peoples, and Paul Smith
Spectacles. The company also offers an array of Oakley-branded apparel,
footwear, watches and accessories. Additional information is available at www.oakley.com.
*Source:
comScore World Metrix