We're liberating the film in our archives. Instead of leaving it to gather dust, we want you to give it new life.

You bring your imagination – and maybe material that you've made for yourself on your phone, or camcorder. We bring professionally shot footage. Match it, Mash it, Mix it and then share the results.

How you use the footage is, pretty much, up to you. You could just download the videos and watch them on your PC.

But that's just the start.

The Creative Archive Licence gives you the right to edit, remix, chop and generally take the footage and make something new.

Create a moving illustration for an essay. Spice up a presentation with something eyecatching and memorable. Make a unique video ringtone for your mobile. Put together a screensaver unlike any other.

Got some holiday film you've shot in Florence? Why not add some of our pictures from the same place and send a video postcard?

The film we're offering you was made for our TV programmes and courses and covers all sorts of subjects – have a look and see.

Obviously, because of copyright laws, and because we're a publicly-funded organisation, we have to make a few rules about what you can and can't do with what you make.

You can't use the film to make money or to support a campaign, for example. And it's only fair that if you make something with our stuff and share it with other people, you have to allow other people to use your finished product as a starting point for their creativity in the same way. Share and share alike, in other words.

Why are the Open University excited to be involved in this project?

We've got a lot of content that would otherwise be locked in our storecupboard; we can't think of a better way to use it than letting you take it, add to it, and remake it. We're committed to helping people of all ages on their learning journey, and using our educational content in new contexts is a great way of touching people who might not come across Open University programmes in the traditional way.

Plus, it's a great way to help you to learn a new set of skills, and a new way of communicating - in a modern, moving, visual way.

We're not the only people who are offering a chance to root about in our archives – the BBC, Teachers TV and the bfi are offering material from their archives; Channel 4 and other partners will be joining as the trial progresses.

Why not see what you can learn if you bring together silent movies and people working in an office? Or shots of polar bears and glaciers? Or polar bears and office workers? It really is up to you.