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The Making Of 'Cyber Seniors' Spurs Competitive Videos

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Let's use some of these terms and try to get them right. A couple years ago, a team filming a documentary called "Cyber-Seniors" followed a program in Toronto where teenagers teach older people how to use computers.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY CYBER-SENIORS)

GREENE: Now, during the course of the filming, director Saffron Cassaday says the story took an unexpected twist.

SAFFRON CASSADAY: One of the characters in the film, Shura, gets really into watching YouTube videos, and specifically YouTube cooking tutorials, and she decided to make her own.

SHURA: Oh, hi, everybody, on YouTube. I'm here to show you how I have my lunch quite often.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Shura demonstrates how to make a grilled cheese sandwich using an iron.

SHURA: Which is the hottest polyester, nylon cotton. Come on, cheese, start melting.

MONTAGNE: Well, before you know it, Shura's video was getting thousands of hits on YouTube. Soon, other seniors in the program started making their own videos with their teen tutors, and a friendly competition emerged.

GREENE: One woman recorded a rap video about being 93 and still having all her teeth.

(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO)

MONTAGNE: Another man made a video on how he fixed a broken dock after a storm.

(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO)

GREENE: Other seniors made videos on golf, exercise and how to pick out a fresh fish.

MONTAGNE: Now, we're not going to spoil the ending - that is, who wins the competition. "Cyber-Seniors" is currently on tour throughout North America. You can see it. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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