Ciggy Busters
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YouTube video: a trailer
from the "Ciggy Busters" first outing
by Ruth Banks
Gutsy students from Medway have been snatching shoppers’
cigarettes, in an effort to persuade them to kick the habit.
The sixth formers from The Hundred of Hoo Comprehensive School
are taking direct action against smokers on high streets around the
area, to produce material for a short anti-smoking film.
They hope their finished movie will help persuade other young
people to stub out their fags.
Film director Margherita Gramegna - the artist in residence at
the school - set the students the task of devising a film about
smoking.
She said: “Some of the students were smokers themselves and said
that they didn’t think the current anti-smoking adverts actually
worked.
“They thought that Chatham, in particular, needed a stronger
impact - something on the street - something that could resonate
better than an advert you see polished up on the telly.
“The final idea was to go out and literally ambush smokers and
take their cigarettes off them. The adverts don’t work, so we are
going to make you stop smoking.”
In the first of their shoots on Chatham High Street, the
teenagers swarmed around smokers en masse, yelling “Ciggy Busters”
at them.
But Ms Gramegna says the reaction was surprisingly positive.
“I was scared about doing something so crazy on the street - I
mean you can get arrested.
“But we researched it properly and planned it in a way that we
covered all the possibilities.
“We didn’t start directly with the general public because we
were scared of their reaction, so we planted some people to
demonstrate with first.
“After that, people actually participated quite nicely and
let us ambush them.
“They were actually saying that this was a very funny and
interesting approach.”
The “Ciggy Busters” will be continuing their project on high
streets around Medway in September.
Monday, August 02 2010
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