Bugs, sex, and Isabella Rossellini. That’s ‘Green Porno‘, a series of enthralling 1′ videos meant for mobile use, acted and directed by Isabella. The P word did get my attention and guaranteed the magical one click. Once in, Isabella’s voice, humor, and clever acting kept me there. One minute is the perfect length, enough time to tell a story, but not too long to lose me. The story itself is very simple, and makes me curious enough – how do they do it? -, that I want to hear the end. Perfect for these moments stuck on the train, when I am looking for easy entertainment.
This is what we should be thinking about, when developing a climate fight campaign.
Faith Salie – the interviewer – used to be in this great show called “Significant Others.” Too bad that show isn’t on anymore – she’s really funny. The idea of “Green Porno” is interesting…even if it is only bugs. It conjured up ideas of all the green products out there these days – esp since all the recent posts on “Green” Valentine’s. I’m sure HBO is already in the works to have a Real Sex segment on “eco-friendly” sex.
Mobile is finally catching on here in the States. What I mean by that is mobile advertising and mobile video, etc. Things that have been big in Japan for years is finally getting more popular here – thanks in part to the iPhone.
I definitely agree that a short seriess like this would be great for the train and the ability to “text” the mobile link to friends to watch, etc. I’m sure there will be a pre-roll advertisement for something, too. Marketers win. We win for getting to see the content, etc.
Anyway – be well.
-Jason
http://www.screamtobegreen.com
Yes, the phone people are really smart to have enlisted Isabella. Plus, Green Porno, how can you lose?
When she talks about the trilogy, it reminds me of the first film I saw her in – Bleu, from Rouge, Blanc, Bleu.
I couldn’t find the full clips on the Sundance site. Do you happen to have them?
Lynn
http://www.organicmania.com
Short Fun and Wisdom
As usual, that was a great post Marguerite.
The notion of using shorts to engage, inform, and entertain is super.
In fact, I think the entire substance of global warming, sustainability, etc. can be conveyed in shorts, one principle or fun “aha” at a time, in ways that are visual, engaging, fun, and in most cases, surprising. It just takes a combination of someone (or a group) that understands the essence of the principles to be conveyed along with creative people who can convey them in ways that engage and amaze.
Just as illustrative examples (which could easily be improved upon, or polished), here are two ideas for shorts that convey individual parts of the picture:
“Basketball Science” – In this one, we first see some pro or college basketball players doing some fancy tricks with a basketball. A child, or a younger player, approaches the pro/college players doing tricks. He holds the ball and asks, “Hey guys, if Earth were the size of this basketball, can you guess how thick its atmosphere would be?” The camera focuses in on the basketball as a few of the players try to guess, holding their fingers at various distances from the basketball’s surface. Finally, it takes the younger player to show them how thin the atmosphere really is, holding his fingers very, very close to the ball’s surface (approximately 0.3 mm). The visual point, of course: The physical thickness of the Earth’s atmosphere is far less than most people imagine. Although this description may sound a bit dry, the spot could be done in very fun fashion.
“Who Am I?” – On each half of a split screen, we see a (different) car pull into a corresponding gas station. Out of each car, its driver steps. Each driver goes to her respective gas pump. One driver sees that the price of gas is $3 per gallon, lifts her nose, complains, shows frustration, and perhaps even gives a kick to the pump. The other sees that the price of gas (at her pump) is, say, $6 per gallon (just to pick an illustrative example for current purposes). But, she calmly approaches the pump, no complaints, fills her car, and drives off. As both drivers drive off, the camera gives us a close-up of their rear license plates. One plate is from the US, and the other is from a European country. The point is not, of course, that people in Europe are different from people elsewhere. Rather, it’s that our price for gas in the US (which we often get frustrated about) is considerably less than it is in other places. We are, in a sense, spoiled when we complain about our price of gasoline, or when we resist price-oriented means to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, given the current global warming situation.
Anyhow, if someone were to get the right two or three scientists together along with a few advertising (or film) creative folks, they could come up with some very fun and informative ways to convey the essences of the matter. But, those two skill sets need to be brought together, preferably over some wine or beer. Often (but not always), purely scientific folks understand the principles but aren’t interested in conveying them in fun ways. And, purely creative folks may not be aware of some of the principles at first. (How many people know, in a visualize-able way, that the Earth’s atmosphere is so darn thin? After all, it looks pretty big from down here.)
Regarding Isabella Rossellini, one of my favorite films is the Hallmark production of (Homer’s) “The Odyssey”, with Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi, Isabella Rossellini, Vanessa Williams, and others. It contains some great performances and, best of all, conveys some key essences of Homer’s “The Odyssey” very well. Indeed, the story and film are very relevant to the issue of global warming in many ways. I recommend it highly.
Cheers.
Lynn, the full clips are not available yet. But there is mention on the Sundance Channel of an upcoming website for Green Porno. Let’s stay tuned!
Thanks Jeff, for your creative ideas. As you know, I am working on putting together a creative strategy document for climate fight messaging. When ready, I will share on this blog and will start involving a team of people from the science, political, and advertising field. The Ad Council comes to mind for the ad part.
OK, I can’t resist mentioning one more title that might help inspire a fun and informative “short” about one aspect of global warming.
It’s called . . .
“The Hummingbird and the Hummer”
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