Artistic outlet fights addiction
Smoking leads to new habits; trying to get people to quit is one of them.
KUs Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) developed a commercial that will be entered into the third annual college anti-tobacco commercial competition for the first time.
“I took the script and got a feel for what they were looking for,” said Zach DeWever, a graduate student of Media Communications and Technology from East Stroudsburg University, who shot and edited the commercial.
“For the most part, it was a straightforward shoot,” stated DeWever. He noted that it only took about an hour to shoot the whole project, obviously after much planning.
DeWever said that it was a good concept, and he thought that the idea was different. The commercial, which will not be aired to the public for a least a couple more weeks, features different chemicals being poured into a bucket and in the end, someone reaches into the bucket and pulls out a cigarette. Cigarettes are dangerous with all the chemicals that go into each, noted DeWever.
Celeen Miller works for The Wellness Connection, which is a service provider for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Tobacco Control Project. Miller is the coordinator of the commercial competition. In an e-mail interview, she stated that this project is supported by the Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania and is also funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH).
“Once the commercials are approved for public distribution, I am responsible for creating the Web site and the voting links. Once a winner is determined, I am responsible to air the winning video on television,” stated Miller.
This year, according to Miller, six colleges submitted videos for the competition. “The reward will be for the winning commercial to be broadcast on MTV or another appropriate station…All submitted videos will be seen by many people across the country and even around the world.”
Last year, Penn State University won and, in 2007, Montgomery County Community College took the prize.
The winner is chosen when students go to www.wannaquit.org and vote on their favorite video. However, Miller stated that this year’s entries will not be posted on the Web site until each is approved by the PADOH.
Frances C. Cortez Funk, Director of Health Promotion Services and advisor of the club, stated that SWAT exists to “inform students of the challenges of smoking and addiction.”
In October of 2006, Funk got involved in the organization. “I am a former smoker. It’s cool that I could be empathetic. People have to understand the addiction, and not judge people,” said Funk.
Over the next couple of weeks, the club will be campaigning to get students to go to the Web site and vote, according to Funk.
“People engage in prevention messages,” stated Funk, “it’s something they take for a lifetime. If it reaches one person, then it’s done its message.”
The club, which currently has five members, has also participated in the annual Great American Smoke Out and in St. Patty’s Day on the Hill.
The aim is to encourage people to stop smoking, but all of the people involved in the competition each take something away from it.
DeWever stated before he did the commercial that, “I wasn’t aware. I don’t smoke. But, it’s something you can add to your arsenal when someone’s thinking about quitting.”
“We hope that college students who participate in the competition learn important facts about tobacco and promote a healthy lifestyle for the campus community. We also look forward to the commercials being distributed to many people and we hope that all of the commercials inspire people to stop using tobacco or never start,” stated Miller.
Miller also mentioned that the commercials should be online over the next few weeks. To vote for the six different commercials, one can go to www.wannaquit.org.
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