CLIENT
The Ad Council in association with the United States Department of Health & Human Services.
PRODUCTION CO.
U Direct Productions, New York.
Rob Slosberg, director; Gabriel Harris, assistant director; Glen Mordeci, DP; Daniel Miller, executive producer/producer; Chan Claggett, production manager. Shot on location in Baltimore.
AGENCY
VogtGoldstein, Westport, Conn.
Rob Slosberg, creative director, also art director for "Eyeblack"; Jeff Vogt, creative director; Gavin Blawie, copywriter, "Eyeblack"; Dave Laskarzewski, copywriter, "Coin Toss" and "Mathis"; Matt Songer, art director, "Coin Toss" and "Mathis."
EDITORIAL
U Direct Productions.
Daniel Miller, offline editor; Gabe Harris, assistant offline editor.
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
U Direct Productions.
Daniel Miller, online editor/compositor/colorist; Sam Stephens, 3-D graphics artist.
AUDIO POST
U Direct Productions.
Daniel Miller, mixer.
MUSIC
Potemkin Music, Malibu, Calif.
Eric Allaman, composer, "Coin Toss" and "Mathis."
THE SPOTS
Three football-themed PSAs targeting African-American males under 25 years of age communicate the importance of getting tested for HIV. In "Coin Toss" (:30/:15), two football players walk toward each other and meet at the 50-yard line. The referee tosses a coin into the air. As the players look on, the coin reaches the ground, where it spins on its edge. Onscreen type reads: "The worst part is not knowing." Tommy Thompson, the Secretary of Health & Human Services, provides the voiceover, stating, "Get the test. Know your status." "Eyeblack" (:30) shows a series of gridiron players in close up, applying eyeblack to their faces. The final player adds a vertical stroke to the horizontal line beneath his eye, forming a plus sign, as the narrator states, "If only it were this obvious." And in "Mathis," (:15) former NFL player Terance Mathis addresses the viewer directly and conveys the disturbing statistics regarding HIV and young people, as he urges everyone to "Get the test. Know your status."
Spots broke in October.
