I got the Best Job In the World

"I got the Best Job In The World", I proclaim in my music video application on IslandReefJob.com.

If you haven't heard by now, Tourism Queensleend launched a promotion for a 6 month island caretaker position, paying approximately $100,000 (in US currency), and is accepting applications via video submissions to their site. The job essentially consists of living on one of the islands in the Great Barrier Reef (in a sweet home with a beautiful view), having a blast exploring the area, and writing a weekly video & photo blog to share with the world the wonders of the islands.

They've received over 19,000 applications to date. They'll eventually narrow them down to their top 50, at which point they will open up internet voting for a favorite. That favorite, along with 10 others of their choosing, will be flown to Australia for an interview. Video applications are supposed to explain why that applicant is the best person for the job.

My application was just posted to their site this evening. I spent a lot of time thinking about it and working on it, and despite some parts being tedious, I really had a great time making it.

The video is a music video, and is basically a parody of Coldplay's "The Scientist" (which can currently be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNwQeedQfZE). In the video for "The Scientist", all the video is played in reverse. This means that Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, had to sing the words of the song backwards so that when the video was reversed, it appears as if he is singing the lyrics of the song normally. The effect is enhanced by footage where it is obvious that the video is being played in reverse. This was the idea behind my application video. I used the same tune, using my own words, and all clips in my video have been reversed. It was an interesting and fun project (and technically challenging at times).

So, please check out my video. I hope you like it.
(Edited 6/9/09, providing permanent links. The old one on islandreefjob.com is no longer valid.)
Original application video.
Preferred version without on-screen text.

I don't expect to get the job or to be shortlisted in their top 50, but I really enjoyed making this video, which I hope you enjoy and even smile or laugh at. Among the thousands of other applicant videos, there are some very good ones, both in professionalism and entertainment value of the videos and quality and experience of the applicants.

I plan on sharing in future posts to this blog some additional information about my video, including how I made it and sharing some of the original video clips (with me singing backwards), so check back soon.

Applications are being accepted until sometime on February 22, so if you're reading this before then and you're really quick, you still have a chance, yourself.

Please share your comments. I'd love to hear them - good, bad, or whatever. Also, if you or anyone else has applied, please let me know and share the link to the video for all to see.