Resourcefulness as a Basic Skill

As I explore language for describing 21st century skills, I frequently come up with the word resourceful. This is one of the coolest stories I’ve read in a long time and an amazing example of resourcefulness. Brought to my attention by Tim Holt at Intended Consequences, an unsighned band, from Manchester England, wanted to make a music video for one of their original songs. However, as is common among groups trying to break into the big-time, Get Out Clause, couldn’t affort to hire a film crew.

Picture from CCTV Music VideoSo, they resourcefully solved the problem by performing their song on the streets of London, home to more security surveillance cameras than any other city in the world. ((Rotenberg, Marc. Limit Camera Surveillance.” USA TODAY 1 Aug 2005: Editorials. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-08-01-oppose_x.htm>)) The group set up its equipment and performed in 80 locations (including on a bus) in front of the ubiquitous CCTV cameras. After they’d finished, they petitioned the organizations who owned the cameras for the footage, under the UK Data Protection Act, Britain’s equivalent of the Freedom of Information Act.

According to the band, about a quarter of the companies complied, most saying that the tapes had been deleted. However, they retrieved enough footage to assemble the music video, using a consumer video editing program. ((Chivers, Tom. The Get Out Clause, Manchester Stars of CCTV.” Telegraph.co.uk May 8 2008 <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/1938076/The-Get-Out-Clause%2C-Manchester%27 s-stars-of-CCTV-cameras.html>
))

You can watch the video on YouTube.

3 thoughts on “Resourcefulness as a Basic Skill”

  1. Apparently it was a PR stunt, the footage wasn’t real: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1048686_band_in_the_frame
    http://463.blogs.com/the_463/2008/05/band-uses-cctv.html
    But after the M.E.N. spotted some telltale signs that the footage was not all that it seemed, the band admitted that the idea of a CCTV video was a PR stunt.

    The unusually clear images show them performing in a variety of Mancunian locations including on a tram, in the back of a taxi and at Castlefield.

    CCTV footage showing the band playing in the back of a taxi that apparently belongs to Clayton cab firm Mantax also features in the four minute long video.

    When we contacted the city centre firm they denied all knowledge of it.

    Spokeswoman Bernadette Tabner said: “I don’t think any of our drivers actually have CCTV footage yet. And even if they did it would not say Mantax on it. I’m the manager and if any request like this came in I would know about it and I don’t!

    Further clips show the band playing on a tram. Footage bears the label `GMPTE CAR 4′. But when we contacted Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, they too denied that it was genuine CCTV film.

    Requests
    A spokesman said: “We do not hand over CCTV for requests like this. And our footage bears the label Stagecoach – not GMPTE. I don’t know where `CAR 4′ comes from either.”

    We also spoke to Manchester city council who said they had received no requests under Freedom of Information laws for CCTV footage taken in Manchester.

    A spokesman for the band admitted that not all the videos used were genuine CCTV images and said the group had been looking for a “fresh idea” to promote their single.

    And PR experts agree that regardless of their use of faked CCTV footage, the band have played a masterstroke in media promotion.

    Rick Guttridge, Managing Director at Brazen PR – no stranger to publicity stunts themselves – hailed the launch as a `great success’.

    He said: “When there are thousands of bands out there trying to get noticed this has made people sit up and listen. They’ve appeared on Sky and whether their music is good or not people will hear it. It’s got people talking about them which is what I guess they meant to do.”

  2. That’s amazingly resourceful, but they probably could have just rented a video camera for the amount of money they probably spent trekking around to the various locations with a camera. The publicity they might have drummed up for themselves, while performing in such public places, however, was probably priceless.

    On a much smaller scale, but still an example of resourcefulness, a friend of my son’s invited a girl to a prom by playing a song on YouTube, and then, at the end of the song, flipping over his guitar, where the invitation was printed on a sign taped to the guitar. As his comment indicates – she said yes. Quite clever, IMHO. The video is here, but the song is pretty long and it’s mostly the ending that is neat.
    I love the resourcefulness that is emerging, and find that as barriers are broken, people piggyback on ideas, and innovation blossoms. What a great time to be alive!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_6_6DOv2gU

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