A revolution in the way shops and small firms advertise themselves means every business in the UK can now be the star of its own movie - with a potential audience of millions.

ShopView Videos (http://video.yell.com), launched this week by Yell, are short films viewed online that let potential customers see first-hand what local businesses and their bosses and staff are really like.

The videos can be uploaded for free to the Yell.com website, the online version of the Yellow Pages directory.

Said Matthew Bottomley, who heads up innovations at Yell.com: "Every High Street can now become a local film festival of dramas, documentaries, rom-coms, musicals, thrillers, chillers and soap operas.

"Like the early days of Hollywood, ShopView will give the unsung stars of the nation's shops and businesses the chance to become stars of the screen.

"If it's clever or funny enough, it would be easy for one of these films to go viral and even get a global audience.

"It's all part of Yell's mission to perfectly match up Britain's businesses with their local customers, so everyone gets just what they need."

The revolutionary ShopView videos mean potential customers can now go right through the front door of thousands of shops and businesses - ‘virtually'.

Once inside, they can take a look around and even meet the people who work there.

ShopView videos are the most exciting new way for local businesses to show off their wares and their people to their potential customers.

Businesses can either ask Yell to make a video for them or make their own short videos and upload them for free on http://video.yell.com.

The videos can be as home-made or as polished as each company wants. You could even shoot one on your phone.

Anyone can click through from the business's listing information on the Yell.com website to see the films.

The initial 5,000 videos already made are mainly of businesses in central London with more videos from across the UK coming shortly.

Yell's top 10 ShopView video titles for small businesses
1. Avatart (bakers)
2. Silence of the Lambs (butchers)
3. Brief Encounter (lawyers)
4. The Codfather (fish and chips)
5. The Thief, The Cook, His Wife and Her Plumber (plumbers)
6. Four Weddings and a Funeral Parlour (funeral parlour)
7. Dirty Harry's (dry cleaners)
8. It's A Wonderful Knife (cookware shop)
9. The Tummy Returns (gym)
10. Big Trouble in Little Chinese (takeaway)

Quotes
Said Yell’s Matthew Bottomley: “ShopView is going to be massive for small businesses.

“In these tough times, the staff of Britain’s small businesses are desperate to play their part in making their firms a success and promoting them to local people.

“ShopView means local businesses can make the most of all their hidden talents.

“It’s time for Britain’s pirouetting plumbers or singing secretaries to step forward and take centre stage.

“This is a brilliant way for the whole workforce – from the CEO to the cleaner - to show off its talents and help make the company a success.

“Britain’s small businesses owners can now play movie maker and decide whether to make their company into a drama, thriller, chiller, rom-com or reality show.”

This social media news release and more content is available at: - http://release.yell.com/?ReleaseID=19216