Here is the long version where it came from:
http://youtu.be/cOM1n22XyHA

In some ways, I like the commercial better.

A couple of things about those two films.

A lot of it was filmed at the one and only Gilwell Park. Gilwell is a little corner of paradise for kids. It's geography is extraordinary. While the streets around it are quite wealthy and middle class it is still only a stones throw from some of London's most deprived areas. The scene where they are sat round a fire is at a field called The Quick which is at the top of a hill facing west from where you can see Tottenham, where all last year's riots started.

Similarly the street scenes were filmed in east London, very close to the Olympic stadium that I am sure many of you are seeing on the tv even as I type. the imagery from the film is accurate. Parts of it have a massive gang problem with gun and knife crime rife. It's an area where I believe scouting could make a massive difference if it finds the volunteers. I doubt that scouting if it took hold would look like the traditional system of scouting but I would love to see it given a chance.

The moment where they pulled neckers out their pockets made me smile. In the late 90s the scout association did a big survey of scouts, both young people and adults to see what changes they wanted. They suggested dropping the necker from the uniform and there was near insurrection! I don't know what the situation is in the USA but here each group in a district has its own colours for its necker and the kids get very tribal over it. And those who ever get to wear the red white and blue UK necker are always very proud of it indeed (I have one and I treasurer it!)

The two films were used for different purposes. The 30 second one has been used on tv and is used as a very overt scouting advert.

The 6 minute version was used in a more interesting way. Various adverts were placed across the internet with pictures of very stereotypical looking inner city kids who frankly looked a bit intimidating with the phrase "what do you expect?" and it led to this website http://www.scouts.org.uk/expectmore/#.UBLrcrR8BLc which unless you look at the actual URL or scroll down is not obviously anything to do with scouting. You watch the film and half way through you twigged. The ideas was to challenge perceptions of scouting, both by adults and kids.

I hope we see more if it, it's certainly the first time anything like this has been tried here.