Addiction PSA - ID# 216
Homewood-Flossmoor
Public Service Announcement
Entry Description
A public service announcement surrounding the danger of drugs, and how a substance used to eradicate pain can turn into an indispensable addiction.
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/30 2:27 pm - The ringing sound effect at the beginning and end works really well and sets the tone right away. The rising heartbeat adds suspense and helps show how the subject becomes more dependent over time. The different locations do a good job of showing that need for the pills. The audio design throughout is really strong, and the low lighting fits the subject matter nicely. Overall, great edit and a great PSA.
- 4/29 12:02 pm - Really nice job overall. Your sound design and shots worked well together to build the tension and give the audience focused shots to take in. A couple of notes would be to heighten the initial noise of the phone call so we can hear the subject a little bit. I would also use in-camera transitions like "swipe-up's" to move from one scene to the next, rather than just a hard cut between locations and "scenes of drug use". You have some great footage here and the pace / message is really effective. Nice job overall!
Judge 1
Positives: The use of audio and sound effects worked really well to help convey the idea/message. The cuts between different scenarios was also a strong storytelling choice that kept the viewer engaged.
Improvements: Lighting throughout could have been more intentional either through the use of contrast or shadows. Many of the shots were very dark and it was hard to understand what was happening in the shot. The pacing could have been sped up to help communicate the importance or urgency to get help.
Judge 2
Positives: Just a fantastic use of sound design. What works is that the sound is layered and helps drive the narrative. The small touches like the voices of people arguing in the background shows the thought put into the sound. I think the multiple scenes help the advance the narrative that addiction isn’t a short time issue, but something that builds over time. There is good pacing in the story and editing to go from scene to scene, where none feel too stale or rushed.
Improvements: Something to work on is lighting. I felt a number of shots could’ve used more lighting to be able to see the main character better. Shooting outside at night can be difficult to pull off well. It should look dark, but not at the expense of losing what the viewer should be paying attention to. With what you have in the PSA right now, it wouldn’t take much to change this to be a PSA about someone loosing access to medication because they lost health insurance. To make the narrative stronger, what could you have put in to emphasize that this is about addiction? Do you show the main character taking 2 or 3 pills and the label saying 1 pill?
Judge 3
Positives: The soundscape really sells the intense physical and emotional dilemma of relying on medication. This is a tricky subject since its something that is a necessity while it can also be easily abused. The sound heightens the 'abusive' and dangerous argument to this. I'm especially a fan of the first cut, the wipe with the person crossing the frame.
Improvements: The first part and the sound design as stated before is strong. What makes me lose focus on your statement is the lighting, a bit too dark in the night exterior shots, and the suggestions to which this is a really 'bad' habit of taking drugs. Again, this is a tough topic to address since there's a lot of nuance to it. You achieve it with the sound design; there can be other areas to emphasize the danger of drug abuse, perhaps with more subjective camera placement and acting decisions.
Judge 4
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Judge 5
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