2007 Anti-Tobacco Contest...I need ideas!

[Crimson]

Every year my high school sponsors an anti-tobacco media contest, and last year I won, with this forum's help (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=35885). The contest is pretty simple, film a 1-4 minute piece on not smoking and living a healthy lifestyle, etc.

As of now, I'm the only one with an entry form submitted, so theoretically I could just film a cig for 3 minutes with an red x over it, but I have a reputation around campus for being talented and I'd like to not disappoint my friends (the winning video is broadcast throughout the school, along with $200).

Usually I just take an idea and add on to it over a week or so, but I have absolutely no foundation right now, unlike last year. The Jan 22th deadline is fast approaching, and I have to film it soon, or else it will be lost in a mess of finals studying. So if any of you creative dvxusers have any ideas at all, I'd love to hear them. Thanks!

[Kholi]

Do this:

Film SCORPION or SMOKE from Mortal Kombat going to the doctor because of a really bad cough... and the doctor informs him that he's got really black lungs from smoking.

Then, get really pretentious, and have them throw away a pack of cigarettes out of their Kombat Uniform when they leave the doctor's office.

[bosindy]

The Museum of Science in Boston, has an exhibit called "Body Worlds 2: The Anatomical Exhibit of Human bodies" and it is just that, actual human remains processed to display the body and its organs. (don't eat a full meal before going) So I was there last week with my girlfriend, who is an oncology nurse at Mass General and has scene it all, but there was on section that got both of us (maybe bc we have an occasional smoke when out for a drink). It was human lungs encased in glass that had been ravaged by lung cancer and blackened due to smoke.

At the end of this section of the exhibit, a looping video tape of Yul Brenner ("The King and I" and "the magnificent seven) is playing. He died of lung cancer and he is lamenting his decision to have been a smoker. Underneath the video display is a glass case to deposit your pack of cigarettes if you are a smoker. It was filed to the brim. (as an aside, all the bodies are bald and a kid who had no idea who Yul Brener was was trying to convince his friend that Yul Brenner was one of the exhibits in the stomach section- high comedy)

Recently Peter Jennings and Warren Zevon have died from lung cancer. You may want to do a search for as many celebs that have died from it as you can and then do a retrospective. People we idolize have been taken down by smoking and it is a powerful message.

[Kholi]

I think people will relate to my idea a lot easier. I mean, most of us walk around in Ninja Costumes all day, fighting our way to the top of the tournament mountain... Metaphorically speaking.

[Cynic821]

i just quit smoking :P

tough though, im still finding myself sneaking 2 or 3 a day. :(

[Kholi]

i just quit smoking :P

tough though, im still finding myself sneaking 2 or 3 a day. :(

Don't make me freeze the ground under your feet and uppercut you onto the rooftop.

[jake_carpenter]

I like the ideas so far, here's my take:

To a lot of us, smoking is obviously suicidal, though some ignore that fact. My idea would be to do a peice where people are doing something the is unignorably stupid and suicidal (eg: Juggling Chainsaws, Chewing Razorblades, Working the helpdesk, etc.) as if it were normal, to reinforce the stupidity of continuing a habit you KNOW will kill you.

[Kholi]

I like the ideas so far, here's my take:

To a lot of us, smoking is obviously suicidal, though some ignore that fact. My idea would be to do a peice where people are doing something the is unignorably stupid and suicidal (eg: Juggling Chainsaws, Chewing Razorblades, Working the helpdesk, etc.) as if it were normal, to reinforce the stupidity of continuing a habit you KNOW will kill you.

Have you seen that SLOMMING commercial? That was probably the best "don't do drugs or smoke" advertisement I've ever seen.

[Mark Harris]

i just quit smoking :P

tough though, im still finding myself sneaking 2 or 3 a day. :(

It's hard. But in all reality 2-3 a day is nothing and will never really harm you. It's keeping that 2-3 from creeping its way to a pack a day, that's the hard part.

[jake_carpenter]

Have you seen that SLOMMING commercial? That was probably the best "don't do drugs or smoke" advertisement I've ever seen.

I think my favorite anti-smoking commercial is the one for "Splode Cola" that kills one in three drinkers through a violent explosion. :laugh:

[Kholi]

I think my favorite anti-smoking commercial is the one for "Splode Cola" that kills one in three drinkers through a violent explosion. :laugh:

I wanna see that one. Does anyone actually die?

[Cynic821]

It's hard. But in all reality 2-3 a day is nothing and will never really harm you. It's keeping that 2-3 from creeping its way to a pack a day, that's the hard part.

LIES! thats not gunna help me.


lol , i was at about 10 a day, and more when i drink. ive cut smoking out when im at home completly, that was easy, its the time at work thats hard. WE ARE SO SLOW here that ive nothing to do but type on the interweb all day. thats when i sneak out.

[jake_carpenter]

I wanna see that one. Does anyone actually die?

It's definitely a Mountain Dew rip-off, but still funny. for your viewing pleasure... (http://media.putfile.com/SPLODE)

[Kholi]

LIES! thats not gunna help me.


lol , i was at about 10 a day, and more when i drink. ive cut smoking out when im at home completly, that was easy, its the time at work thats hard. WE ARE SO SLOW here that ive nothing to do but type on the interweb all day. thats when i sneak out.

I feel ya. I used to smoke when I was four. I found that listening to Explosions in the Sky sedated my Nicotine cravings more-so than anything else. I've been dry ever since.

[Kholi]

It's definitely a Mountain Dew rip-off, but still funny. for your viewing pleasure... (http://media.putfile.com/SPLODE)

Oh wow. I remember that commercial. That's crazy old TRUTH style.

[Crimson]

Thanks for the ideas so far guys, keep them coming please :)



To a lot of us, smoking is obviously suicidal, though some ignore that fact. My idea would be to do a peice where people are doing something the is unignorably stupid and suicidal (eg: Juggling Chainsaws, Chewing Razorblades, Working the helpdesk, etc.) as if it were normal, to reinforce the stupidity of continuing a habit you KNOW will kill you.

This reminds me of an earlier idea I had for this, to set up a scene with Jigsaw and a victim from the Saw movies (which would be fun for me in itself to try to recreate the feel of the movies) which somehow shows how smokers "torture" themselves and don't appreciate life fully. I scrapped it though because I knew that most likely the judges of the contest hadn't seen any SAWs, so they might be thrown off by the torture environment and etc.

[Sad Max]

Maybe something along the lines of...

Bunch of cool, hip high-school girls sitting out in front of a mall. They are smiling and chatting and obviously having a great time. One raises a revolver to her head, smiles, and pulls the trigger.

Bunch of cool, hip high-school guys, speeding along in a lovingly restored muscle car, sticking heads out the windows, having a roaring great time. The driver, grinning, purposely steers the car into a telephone pole.

Bunch of cool, hip, high-school guys and girls hanging out, flirting, enjoying themselves and each other. One raises a cigarette to her lips, and strikes her lighter. Freeze frame.

Title/Voice-Over:

It's the same thing. Only slower.

[Jason Ramsey]

In the background, an old man is sitting in a chair in a living room with an oxygen tank next to him, smoking a cigarette.

In the foreground below, is a child sitting on the floor playing with toys. Smoke passes infront of her.

The man in the background coughs, changes channels, whatever, etc.

Jason

[Jay Rodriguez]

you can interview john hudson :)

[Kholi]

I thought we all decided on Mortal Kombat?

[Kirk Gillock]

What if you compared smoking with that of a fire situation? Similar to a 1950's educational film. Have a serious gentleman giving advice on what to do when you smell smoke. Have a lot of smoke coming from under a door. The victim is being overly dramatic, hudled in the corner. Then the serious voiceover says, "First thing to do is to calm down. [pause] Ok. Good. Now go get some wet towels and place them under the door. [she goes and does it] Good. Now quickly crawl and find the nearest exit." Then have the camera show whats on the other side of the door and its a man smoking in the bathroom. The end graphic would say, "Only you can prevent smoking." LOL Or something like that. I don't know.

Or maybe show the various products that have been removed from shelves because they caused injury, health problems, or death. (Remember lawn darts? and Alestra (or whatever it was). Then show cigarrettes sitting on the shelf, still being sold. And ask the question, "Why?"

Or maybe, since it's the new years season, you could have some people spouting out New Year's Resolutions. Have various people say things like, "I'm going to exercise more." "I'm going to quit smoking." "I'm going to study harder." Another person saying, "I'm going to quit smoking." "I'm going to travel more." And then end with "I'm going to take up smoking." And have a record scratch sound, then replay it, "I'm going to take up smoking." Then have some text that says, "Nobody ever decided smoking was a way to improve their life." and then "If you never start... [pause] you'll never have to stop."

[Geoff_R]

I thought we all decided on Mortal Kombat?


http://www.crazyape.com/creatives/mortal5.gif

Agreed, i think Mortal Kombat is the way!

[J.R. Hudson]

i just quit smoking :P

tough though, im still finding myself sneaking 2 or 3 a day. :(

Sigh

Come one

I quit after 22 years

Cold Effin Turkey

Have not had a drag in 1 1/2 years

Period

be a man

[Alex DePew]

I'm for Mortal Kombat. Did a quick search and saw this.
http://www.notobacco.org/photos/large/photo05.jpg

[GenJerDan]

Recently Peter Jennings and Warren Zevon have died from lung cancer. You may want to do a search for as many celebs that have died from it as you can and then do a retrospective. People we idolize have been taken down by smoking and it is a powerful message.

Zevon smoked asbestos? That's what the cancer was from...

[Geoff_R]

I'm going to dig my old Genesis out of the basement and play some original Mortal Kombat tomorrow.

[Kirk Gillock]

i just quit smoking :P

tough though, im still finding myself sneaking 2 or 3 a day. :( 2 or 3 a day? That's not quitting. :)

Come on, buddy. Fight it! Fight it!!! Get that monkey off your back!

And when the monkey is off your back, please give him to me. I always wanted a monkey.

[David Jimerson]

I hate cigarettes. I hate being around them. Nobody smokes in my car or in my house. I've never smoked, never will, and have encouraged many to quit.

But I haaaaaaaaaaaaate those "TRUTH" commercials.

(Now, if they were called "Insidious Goebbels-esue Propaganda" I'd have no problem with them.)

[Sad Max]

Well, truth is what you make of it, nicht wahr?

[David Jimerson]

That could justify a lot of sins.

[GenJerDan]

And does.

[Sad Max]

That could justify a lot of sins.

That's how the principle is usually employed.

[Cynic821]

im keeping the monkey for sure.

[griffin]

A friend of mine had to do a anti smoking campaign for school and I suggested making a video of a little kid sitting at a bus stop next to a smoker. Every day, he is sitting there and the other person is smoking. After a few days the kid asks the guy if he could not smoke around him for the all the bad things that it does(i told him to list them) and the guy said no. So a few more days go by and the kid asks again and the guy laughs at the kid and says no. The kid pulls out a gun and shoots the guy then says 'see, i told you smoking kills'

He never ended up doing it

[AllAroundFilmLV]

OOOOOOOO, you should do that one. Its a good one.

[Rick Meyer]

Assuming you don't have a lot of time to complete this, so your production values have got to be way low you should probably keep it way simple.

Why not a quick edited montage of very close up images of the disgusting aspects of cigarettes. I'm not talking about photos. I am talking about a video montage of discussing cigarettes in action...

A close up of a persons mouth sucking on one, a close up of an ash tray or a cigarette being put on in a ash tray, accentuating the dispersing smoke consuming the tips of fingers...I'm sure you can come up with many other image ideas.

Then, as a tag line, after all that disgusting imagery, "Why does anyone start?"