User:Sam/ Project outline

Introduction

Whilst I was working for Greenpeace I saw many of the promotional videos made for their campaigns, and although some I found extremely compelling, the majority faded into a depressing grey. ‘Most would walk past even the most honest and desperate beggar on the street’. I feel that many of these videos illustrate their message in an off-putting way, I consider the execution of these works to be unsuccessful and so I would like to start working on short videos, and other forms of media that could possibly communicate more effectively with a more general public. This would be to involve aesthetics used in contemporary mainstream media - viral communication… I think the subject could be more relatable if humour were to be deployed throughout their broadcast.

What?

I would like to develop short videos (and ultimately a website) to give way to new perspectives. flatten the production-consumption chain and present it more directly. Addressing the direct impact that “Western” individuals have on the climate. As much as we like to blame others (the countries in which production is situated), it is our demands that have so strongly promoted over-consumption.

Statistically the cultural norms of the West are extremely wasteful and unsustainable - from meat consumption (per capita), to disposable fashion.

I would also like to work on a website, although I am not technically advanced enough to create anything of the source, it may be a possibility to outsource this. This website would depict the global exchange of goods as an infographic, in order for people to comprehend the global connection (zusammenhang) of consumerism, and how much personal demand influences the entire World (e.g.: buying a t-shirt in The Hague: sewn together in Vietnam: fabrics produced and dyed in China: designed and commissioned in Italy). Ultimately I would like to build (!) an interactive website, which presents an attractive visual representation of global trade routes and their affect on the environment

Air pollution water pollution Radioactive residue CO2 emissions - methane - meat industry deforestation - and the lack of oxygen

Why?

This is the generation I was born into, I feel it is the most important struggle of our times (impending environmental collapse). I believe that people are generally uninformed, or the information tends to be pigeon-holed alongside ideas of ‘hippies’ and ‘vegans’. I think this issue horrendously surpasses subculture, yet NGO’s seem to encourage the support of marginalised individuals and promote themselves as niche. In order for us to shift production norms, we have strength in our buyer’s vote - an educated and informed decision on the part of the consumer can stretch a long way to changing the role and regulations of the distributor.

I think that I would like to work for an environmental NGO - non profit advertising/social marketing, but not if I would have to comply with the same old outdated media stunts that I often see, so I’d like to try and see if I could create something successful, more in keeping with my own perspectives and ideas…

Previous Practice

I’ve worked with short video formats and have tried to employ humour even when discussing darker subject matter, although I was much more focussed on narrative structure in daily situations. Then I worked for Greenpeace… and saw things that have completely transformed my perception of the World. I’m quite haunted by what I saw and find the only way to process this is to participate.