AIDS PPSA Videos LIVE!

We handed them a backpack with a computer, a consumer grade video camera, a cell phone, and a Verizon EVDO broadband adapter and told them to go make a video. For a cell phone. In 7 hours. And their producer (the one guiding the entire production) was going to be shut in a hotel room available to them only through cell phone and video chat. Man, these kids were either crazy or incredibly polite because they just nodded and went. And they made some great videos.

The AIDS Personal Public Service Announcement Project (11/7, Philadelphia) was our way to explore how personal media can be used for public good. Students, faculty, activists, doctors health educators and a host of other cool people came together to make personal public service announcements that could be pushed to cell phones encouraging young people to be tested for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

And we were also pushing the limits of the technology to build a new production model. Field production teams working with a remote producer who provided feedback and guidance through wireless tools. Imagine directing via iChat and you have a good idea of what our intrepid producers tackled.

In one short day (7 hours) student teams from the University of Georgia, the University of South Carolina, and Temple University created 10 personal public service announcements. Truth be told, we thought we would be lucky to get one!

Now you can see them all at http://www.nmi.uga.edu/aids_ppsa/.

All of our participants deserve a big round of applause. And Verizon deserves a big thank-you for providing the technology and funding for the event.