Prevention and Awareness Video Project

[hotpuppy]

Heya,
  A couple of friends and I are thinking about doing a video project similar to New York's "Big Deal."  We are frustrated by the watered down prevention messages that fail.

The core concept will be short videos that focus on specific prevention messages.  The videos will be intense and designed to provoke an emotional response.

 I have the editing software and a decent camcorder.  If you have ideas on what messages you think would work, please reply.  If you would like to be involved and are in the Houston, TX area, let me know.

I see two primary focus areas right now.
1) Prevention
2) Awareness of what life with HIV is about.


One prevention sketch we are working on is called "lost friends".  It centers around a group photo of some friends.  Out of 9 or 10 guys, only one person in that photo is still alive.  The scene goes like this:
- Two guys come in from a night on the town.
- As they walk by this picture, the younger one asks the older one who all these hot guys are.
- The older one explains that these are his friends from 15 years ago.
- The younger one asks why he's never seen any of them.
- The older one explains that they are all dead, from HIV/AIDS

this is just one "sketch" that we have.  It's based on an experience my two best friends had (minus the date) where there really is a photo and all the guys in it have passed away.

We specifically want to go after some of the behavior that is en-vogue and high risk.   I also want to attack the myth that HIV is not a big deal and that it's easy to live with.  For right now we are going to start on prevention because it's the piece that is most desperately out of whack.  Abstinence only doesn't cut it.

If you have suggestions, comments, or would like to be involved please let me know.

[MarcoPoz]

Great idea.  I think something that speaks to HIV positive people about our continued prevention issues could be cool too.

Forgive the moment of gallows humor here, but I've often wished I could turn the following into an HIV prevention campaign:  "Living with HIV is not half as fun as Getting HIV" ;-)  It would make for an interesting T-shirt, I think.

[clemente]

Wow, what a great idea .. I reside in the houston area , and would like to help out if i can ,..

[allopathicholistic]

One prevention sketch we are working on is called "lost friends".  It centers around a group photo of some friends.  Out of 9 or 10 guys, only one person in that photo is still alive.  The scene goes like this:
- Two guys come in from a night on the town.
- As they walk by this picture, the younger one asks the older one who all these hot guys are.
- The older one explains that these are his friends from 15 years ago.
- The younger one asks why he's never seen any of them.
- The older one explains that they are all dead, from HIV/AIDS

then the younger one says "oh, yeah that disease was public enemy number one during your time."

older one, taken aback: "what do you mean my time?  "

y.o.: "well, y'know, AIDS was more deadly during your generation"

o.o.: "Let me share the statistics with you and you'll realize you're waaay off base. HIV doesn't
care what age you are nor does it care about the age of the guys you have sex with"

(y.o. then listens in horror at the statistics and wonders why perceptions are so skewed)