Celebrating Scotland the world over

5th December 2011

People around the world will collaborate this winter to produce a social media movie and celebrate Scotland's global reach.

Launched by Cabinet Secretary for Education Michael Russell, 'Scotland The World Over' invites everyone to take part and photograph a Saltire wherever they may be.

As part of the project, Scots and Scots at heart will start to build a film, one frame at a time, by simply uploading pictures with a Saltire centred in the frame. What surrounds the Saltire in the rest of the image is entirely up to the participant. The finished film will then be premiered worldwide on Burns Night 2012 (January 25).

The initiative is hosted by BAFTA Award-winning online community Blipfoto - which shares over 1.5 million images from over 170 countries, each representing a single day in someone's life - in partnership with the Scottish Government.

Mr Russell said:"Scotland The World Over" is a great idea and will provide a fantastic showcase to celebrate Scotland both home and abroad. As a nation, we've always enjoyed a strong International profile and this wonderfully exciting project can only build on that.

"I'd encourage as many people as possible to get involved, whether they're here at home or abroad. We welcome anyone across the world with an interest in Scotland to take part. I'm now looking forward to Burns Night with even more excitement and to seeing the wide variety of iconic images we're no doubt set to capture.''

Joe Tree, founder and CEO of Blipfoto, said: " Blipfoto is a truly global community, but we're very proud of our Scottish roots. There's an obvious parallel between the way Blipfoto reaches out and touches people's lives around the world and the positive global influence Scotland has long enjoyed.

"We share a real outward-looking spirit, so we're delighted to launch such an exciting event and I'm really looking forward to the big reveal on Burns night next year."

The initiative is not just for Scots or those living in Scotland. People from as many different countries and cultures are encouraged to have a go.

Photographs can be uploaded via the official website direct via the dedicated free iPhone App or by using a webcam.

Scotland The World Over concept builds on the massive success of 'life.turns', a film created from 1,205 pictures, from 21 countries taken in over 40 days.

The name for Scotland The World Over was inspired but the final line of the Robert Burns poem A Man's a Man for A' That: "That Man to Man, the world o'er, Shall brothers be for a' that."

The Scotland The World Over iPhone App is now available to download for free on the Apple App Store. Just search for "the world over".