Bruce McDonald has launched a unique marketing campaign for The Tracey Fragments — putting hundreds of hours of raw footage on its website (www.thetraceyfragments.com), along with the script and the soundtrack by indie rockers Broken Social Scene, for anyone to download and re-edit for free.

The site’s Re-Fragmented section has some 20 gigabytes of material up for grabs. The experimental film uses split screens and other technical flourishes to tell the story of a teen girl (Ellen Page), as she searches for her missing little brother. It arrived on three screens on Friday, one each in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, via Odeon Films.

McDonald says he wants people to get creative and turn the material into a project of their own — a new film, rock video, trailer or ‘personal manifesto’ — and to post their creations on YouTube.

McDonald and his editors will pick a winner, who will get an Apple Final Cut Studio 2 software package and other prizes, including a framed still from the original and a copy of the source novel by Maureen Medved. The winner will also appear in the bonus features of the DVD release.

Judging will begin in February. The initiative was developed with Toronto-based Smiley Guy Studios.

From Media in Canada