HIV & Culture - Awareness Commercial

This commercial acts as my final project for my HIV & Culture course here at Vanderbilt University. The video was shot in black in white with an excess of light being allowed into the lens for an added effect. This is supposed to focus the attention entirely on the person being framed (rather than the light allowing some clarity of the background or other aspects around the person), this person being one who was affected by someone they know dying of aids. The very brief focusing on the sign (labeled with the person they knew whose life was taken by part of AIDS) is representative of that person passing, their memory fading away, thus trying to make the image as minimalist yet as powerful as possible. The speeding up towards the end, less attention being on each individual person and their sign, is representative of the growth of HIV infection rates: with more people becoming infected every year, the number of those affected by the disease will continue to increase.

As far as why I chose this method as my awareness project: I chose to shoot a video for a very basic reason, I just got a new camera (Canon 7D w/ 18-135mm Lens for anyone wondering) and was itching to try it out on some video (Yes, I am a beginner, so stop judging my lack of talent as a photographer). I chose this specific concept for a multitude of reasons, the minimalist-esque shooting was because of its presence in artistic society right now (its trendy). I also believe that this minimalist approach puts much needed emphasis on the message at hand, as explained earlier, allowing people to truly focus on those affected by AIDS. Finally, as far as content, I chose to focus on those affected by others who have died of AIDS to illustrate another 'victim' of the disease, this victim being more psychologically affected than anything else. My hope is that this commercial, in theory, would allow people to realize that they aren't only potentially hurting themselves in practicing risky behaviors, but they could also be truly affecting those around them (in more ways than one).

Thanks for reading/watching/listening, I would love to hear what you think! Much Love!

Category:

Education

Tags:

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