PSA : Candies

I remember when I was a young teenager watching the “Candies Foundation”public service announcements on television leaving me with an unsettling feeling in my stomach. The Candies Foundation is an organization that aims to educate both female and male teenagers on the harsh reality of teenage pregnancy. The public service announcements have featured both male and female celebrities such as, Hillary Duff, Jenny Mccarthy, Usher and Teddy Geiger. The slogan for the Candies foundation is “pause before you play”; implying teenagers should pause in the heat of the moment to put on a condom and really think about the consequences of failing to practice safe sex.

One particular Candies Foundation public service announcement that stuck with me until this day was aired in 2008, features Teddy Geiger, a young male singer song writer as the celebrity spokesperson. The ad begins with a couple of teenagers making out in the drivers seat. The dance music playing in the background is very similar to techno club music. In the heat of the moment the teenage girl disappears. The wheels of the boys car then break off, he jumps out alarmed as he watches his hot little convertible break apart and fold into a baby carriage before his eyes. The haunting sound of a baby's cry and a slow distorted lullaby plays in the background. Teddy Geiger then walks onto the scene, and says, “ not how you imagined your first set of wheels, huh? Pause before you play.” Teddy Geiger then walks onto the scene, and says, “ not how you imagined your first set of wheels, huh? Pause before you play".

This Candies Foundation PSA is shot entirely in black and white with sharp shadows, much like in a film noir movie. I feel that the goal of the PSA to evoke the feeling of a being in a nightmare is carried through nicely by using film noir style. The lack of color in this PSA represents the loss of childhood and a future.

I particularly like this Candies Foundation PSA for it features a teenage male, when a majority of the ads are centered around the consequences teenage females will face. The use of the phrase , "not how you pictured your first set of wheels", makes the targeted audience of the announcement to be geared to both genders for the majority teenagers look forward to driving the most.

Here is the link to the video. It may take you to the main video page but it is video #4

http://www.candiesfoundation.org/videos.html

http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/4179784

200 Words With: Ian Donovan

200 Words With:
Ian Donovan

Ian, a 21 year old college student was dressed in red and black during our photo shoot (as you can see in the side photo) which I assumed was in support for the Blazers game that was happening later that day. After talking with Ian he disclosed that he is not only a Basketball fan, he also works at Rose Quarter during the Portland Trail Blazers games as a team attendant to the visiting team. Ian brings food and anything else the players may need during game time. Ian's job is not only important it also has allowed for him to meet some all star players such as, Lebron James and Kobe Bryant.

When Ian takes time out from meeting basketball stars along the court side, he's studying at Portland State University working on a degree in Communications Studies. When Ian has some free time he enjoys playing video games, being outdoors and traveling. Since Portland is frequently under a cloud of rain, the 21 year old loves to get out of town to go on vacations to places like the Bahamas, and Hawaii or anywhere he can Snowboard. Although Ian enjoys his vacation time and other leisure activities he loves nothing more than spending time with his family.

Media Literacy Blog Post # 1

The Perks Of Being a High School Outcast

In my life I have held many, movies, television shows and books close to my heart; usually this is so because the plot or the characters are relatable in some way. Although I tend to find myself identifying with many forms of media in one way or another, nothing can compare to my near idolization of Stephen Chbosky main character, Charlie, in the book, Perks of Being a Wallflower. Charlie is a shy, awkward teenager who meets a group of older students who show him a world of partying, music and guide him into a new way of thinking and viewing the world around him.

The reason why I hold this book so close to my heart is that I read this at a time in my life where I was also an awkward adolescent who was unpopular. After finishing this book I then passed it on to my own circle of outcast friends. By reading Perks of Being a Wallflower not only did my group of friends feel a sense of community among each other, we felt empowered by having a character to relate to.

The love my friendship group had for this book manifested in a form of vandalism when we were driving around a few nights before our high school graduation talking about what seemed to be everyone's favorite scene in the book. One quote from the scene my friend shouted out was, “ In that moment I swore we were infinite” (Chbosky, p. 39). Another one of my friends randomly suggested we spray paint, "we are infinite- love the class of 2007's outcasts" on the driveway of our high school parking lotto, “leave our mark”. After we all agreed to this act of vandalism we headed back to my house only to find some old sidewalk chalk, although we knew it would wash away we proceeded with our mission. The next day when I got to school it had rained and only a few letters were visible; even though no one would see our “statement” it is a night I will never forget.

Through the character Charlie, Chbosky captures the utter reality of a tumultuous adolescence and the quest for personal identity that comes in that stage in life. Since this novel was published by MTV books, it is no surprise that this book is geared towards teens. I feel that the search for a personal identity is high in this age range many teens may be looking for fictional characters to mirror their own lives after in some way.

Below: Link to The Perks of Being a Wallflower Amazon Page

http://www.amazon.com/Perks-Being-Wallflower-Stephen-Chbosky/dp/0671027344