In October, we announced Project Direct, YouTube's first film competition for aspiring directors.



The response was overwhelming. We were blown away by the number of exceptional films that were submitted – both from experienced filmmakers and first-timers.
In October, we announced Project Direct, YouTube's first film competition for aspiring directors.



The response was overwhelming. We were blown away by the number of exceptional films that were submitted – both from experienced filmmakers and first-timers.



After reviewing the entries, Jason Reitman, the award-winning director of Thank You For Smoking and the upcoming film Juno, and a panel of industry experts selected 20 finalists.



Now it's up to you to decide which filmmaker is ready for the big time. Check out this video to see exactly what's at stake (well, almost exactly -- our first, second and third place winners also walk away with cash prizes).







We hope you enjoy these entertaining and thought-provoking films as much as we have. And stay tuned to YouTube's Film & Animation category to see spotlights on some of the excellent entries that may not have made the top 20 but certainly deserve your attention.



Happy voting,


Sara P. aka TheStoryBoard


YouTube Film

Fear not, football fans, for while Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Ireland and – say it ain’t so! – England are very much out of Euro 2008, YouTube is on hand to provide you with more than enough 11-a-side action to dull the pain.
Fear not, football fans, for while Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Ireland and – say it ain’t so! – England are very much out of Euro 2008, YouTube is on hand to provide you with more than enough 11-a-side action to dull the pain.


Not only do we have direct lines into clubs like Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, thanks to the likes of The Daily Mirror, The Sun and ITN, you’ll never go short of professional punditry. But this being YouTube, we also have channels that add whole new dimensions to sports talk.


Exhibit A: Zoe The Hot Spur…






Exhibit B: The Gaffer, a football-mad Welshman based in Florida…






On top of all this Videosport offers YouTube UK users the ability watch highlights from the qualifying games of all the teams who actually made it to Euro 2008, so you can revisit your national failure over and over again. Don't say we never give you anything...


Finally, if we've neglected to mention your favourite football channel (or maybe you run one yourself), then send it our way. There’s nothing we enjoy more than hearing a fresh take on the Beautiful Game.


Have fun,

Jamie D. aka Clipsniffer

YouTube UK & Ireland

Just a quick post to update you on some new choices available for "Video Category" and "Tags" on the video uploading and editing pages in your account.



SUGGESTED TAGS



You can choose from a set of new "suggested tags" when you upload or edit a video, in case you need some ideas for how to best represent your content. The more descriptive your tags, the easier it will be for folks interested in your videos to find them.
Just a quick post to update you on some new choices available for "Video Category" and "Tags" on the video uploading and editing pages in your account.



SUGGESTED TAGS



You can choose from a set of new "suggested tags" when you upload or edit a video, in case you need some ideas for how to best represent your content. The more descriptive your tags, the easier it will be for folks interested in your videos to find them.



Just choose the best Category for your video, then click on any of the suggested tags to automatically add them to the "Tags" field.



EDITED CATEGORIES



A few changes made to existing video categories:



- Travel & Events (previously "Travel & Places")

- Howto & Style (was "Howto + DIY")

- Gadgets and Games (now part of "Entertainment")



NEW CATEGORIES



The following new categories are now available when you upload or edit your videos:



- Education

- Nonprofits & Activism

- Science & Technology



Since these categories are brand new, we need your help to populate them by uploading new videos or editing any of your current videos which are relevant to these topics. Once these categories fill up with all of your awesome content they'll be searchable on the Videos tab (a few of the above changes are already reflected on the Videos page).



More categories changes are on the way, so stay tuned!



The YouTube Team

This week marks the launch of a new project aimed at better
understanding the needs and wants of our users. The "YouTube Community
Council" consists of a handful of volunteers (who will rotate every ...
This week marks the launch of a new project aimed at better
understanding the needs and wants of our users. The "YouTube Community
Council" consists of a handful of volunteers (who will rotate every
six months) eager to share their opinions about the site and the
community with us on a consistent basis. They're kicking off their
tenure by visiting us in San Bruno over the next few days, giving
feedback directly to the team that makes it happen behind the scenes.



You can approach any of our councilors with your thoughts, gripes --
anything at all -- over the next six months, and they will fast-track
your feedback to us. Here's a quick video to introduce you to the
team…







…and their channels:



bgirl5

bradofarrell

sarrycrey

tlg847

visiblemode



As with anything new to YouTube, we are open to your feedback on this
endeavor, and don't forget to let us know if you're interested in
being on future editions of the Council.



Best,

The YouTube Team