Ecospot: Grand Prize Winner: Sky is Falling

this is fantastic!
and very effective.
great job.

this is brilliant! well done.

Wow, the people are 50/50 in the like or dislike your spot. I feel one of the others that have a 100% like from the public should have won because clearly half the people feel strongly that way. I personally enjoyed your spot. I understand and respect the others when they say you copied, but the way I look at it is you won!!!!!
No one said you couldn't copy to win. The ends justified the means in this case. The best of luck to you...

its a humorously alarming. loved it.

Your backgrounds are fantastic. Congratulations.

great connection to help people visualize how much we affect our planet!

i so agree with you.
love it!

The Sky is falling was silly yet fun, however most are enjoying the comments on lifeinthefastlane , they seem to let it all hang out without censorship. The other ecospots were well done as well.

Excellent! Simple and effective.

great work... well done.
if you like this you'll probably like:
http://current.com/items/87605161_ecospot_humans

LOL this is great i love it and you have a very creative mined. thanks for sending the message across on what we have and are doing to this planet.

The intro looked like old school London. I liked the moral. Funny yet thought inducing.

Not my favorite, but still good...

Wow, thats alot of elephats!

Although you show no originality I still get behind your message. Ultimately if we do not do something our kids will inherit this problem.

This is a really great spot. It is really effective because it puts the magnitude of the problem into terms that the lay person can understand and relate to viscearily, no small trick.

Madison avenue understands it, but scientists and environmentalists are pretty weak on it. It also presents the problem in a humorous way, suger-coating the pill.

Yes ultimately it is negative, but problems tend to be negative. A few feel good actions such as recyling your plastic bags aren't going to do it.

This is a really big problem and until people need realize that we won't get any really big and effective solutions.

A superb videotube. Even the summary text captioning is included so we hearing-impaireds can understand what's being talked about.
Yes, a very effective topic presentation. Political-wise, we're telling the Republicans and the Pres. something to think about! (Elephants made a good example -- haha.)

Tonnes is the word for metric ton. A metric ton is about 2,200 pounds...so it's slightly more than a "regular" ton.

Love the idea and the animation. One question...Why is it "tonnes" instead of "tons"? Am I missing something?

Very good job at showing the problem, but I thought this was about how we could solve Global Warming? Where are the films about the eco-achitect designing the sustainable home, the scientists with the biofuels breakthrough, helium-3 nuclear fusion, mass tree planting efforts to absorb CO2s? I think we are still not as interested in the solution as we are mesmorized by the problem.

Great Job!

Keep it Reel,
Shuffdad

I feel the message could have been less gloomy. Maybe we could all work together to save the earth.

Much to violent! The others were wonderful.

This is a viable solution to the problem presented and it effectively conveys the message to both young and old in different ways.

Did people miss the "elephants=republicans" in the room pun? That cracked me up!

For all the angry people on this board remember (art/design/opinion/best solution) is always increadibly personal and you can never please everyone.

Great Job Dave

I thought it was pretty good!
- Perry the Cockroach

i think this is really effective. Its frightening to know.
thank you

The United States has a responsibility to lead in the eco message as they have pumped more crap then any 15 countries put together. Dave has taken a step in the right direction. Next time be more original so the politics will not detract from the message.

Wonderful Creation!! Now is on US to create consciousness...otherwise the truth will fall from the sky
"There is no ME; We are only US"

nsjones I agree. Dave message is clever and clear though not original. We must all remember that our kids shall inherit our mistakes. If we continue allowing big industry to destroy our ecosystem along with our neighbors , and we do not do our part to help our children shall become the benefactor of our recklessness and brazen failure to address the issue when we had enough time to do something about it!!!!!!!!!!

Great job. I don't think the originality of the elephant metaphor takes away that. Very effective, cute, visual presentation of a concept that is hard to get people to conceptualize. Congratulations!

Hey Dave! All I have to say is "Copy Cat Kool" , You did it way better!!!!!!!!!!!

Dave maybe your not original but that is not an issue with me. You need some Salsa my brother otherwise it was not to bad.

Sometimes a bit, a even tiny bit, of humour get the message across better than the most elaborate lecture..and this Video certainly does that well.

Good stuff, liked it alot.

Savon77 I feel ya. I have to respectfully disagree. Maybe Dave could have been more ethnically sensitive, but there is no question that his message is effective. The Sky is falling was meant to be gloomy. That was his intention. maybe it is not good for kids however it seems it was made more for adults.

I think it is too dark minded. The other video spots have a more pleasant way to get the message across. we need to be more positive in this world. Lets start with a positive message. I personally like to awaken to a pleasant message. We all have to do our part to help the eco-system . Earth Mother will thank us....

Well done !! There so many easy ways to make people get concious about this BIG PROBLEM. People just like nothing is happening. I do my best, I read and I am trying also to pass the message through the Internet to may friends. But the most important are Governements in all countrys, no matter 1st World or 3rd W. Everybody must work together to start implementting new types of energy. OIL is still money and unfortunately is a very very big problem. Big Industries did this, so they have now to solve it. We have to push them.

With all do respect as an black man in America I must say we don.t get it! A bunch of white folks getting crushed. The 2nd place video seem to bring the message more effective. You need to put some thought to culture like the others have.Most used people of color to show a real worldly message. It was well made however not effective with respect to culture...

Yes kids love it but will adults watch and respect it?

Please don't get me wrong. The animation/concept/message is top notch. I'm just not sure good old fashion Hummer driving Americans will relate. I admit I tried this contest and kept on hitting a brick wall on how to deliver a message that would make regular Americans stop, listen and learn about the issue. Hard stuff.

Bravo to the artist.

Just my $.02

b

Much to gloomy.

Way better then the original. 2nd place is very much appealing. Kinda silly but funny as well. Maybe that is why it gets so much play.

I beg to differ ricklo , it is better then the original. I don't understand why 2nd place is getting so much more play.

I like the United Kingdom version better. The other ecospots are well done.

Loved It - will send to lots of people including some who still don't get it....great flick (-:

Love the video...this is great stuff.

Why is Current playing the 2nd place winner more on TV? !st place deserves just as much play. It may have not been as original but it won. The Sky is falling was cool.

I concur with CosmoPlavix you were not the first but you really put it together better then the other two. Your message is on target...

With all due respect, I disagee that this Ecospot cannot be enjoyed by children. Obviously, without being able to read and critically analyze the facts, kids will only be enjoying the pictures.

When compared with most cartoons, this is not too violent and it's really funny. Most kids know elephants can't really fly, or fall from the sky. There is no suspention of disbelief here and no threat to your children.

I bet your son's creative way to "break the bank" was a fluke, and he'll never do anything like that again. Do you agree?

Kids are silly. My son looked at your spot and thought that elephants could save the world so he took his elephant piggy bank and tossed it out the window. His uncle thought it was funny however we live in the 15th floor of a high rise. Thank god it did not hit anyone in the head. My son is 5. No disrespect intended but maybe not good for young kids. Your spot is good maybe for 10plus.

I agree with Costello others did it first but you did it better. great effort...The Sky is Falling Rulzzz

hey dmartist! ignore the nebulous negativity (.. or perhaps envy of few of the above comments) we loved your piece here @ Current, on both sides of the pond. As huckleberry mentioned ".. some weird smear campaign via this message board, so please stop pretending that "the sky is falling" did something wrong" The above piece in my opinion is an unparalleled craft sending a good message.

Mazo Gracias Hermano / Keep on Keeping
Mr_Costello

Maybe not the best spot for the holidays. To violent however a great compliment to the original. The game spot was a clever twist. Happy Holidays everyone.

To violent for kids under 10. Some of the others really made me laugh in a good way. They really have the pulse of the public with their message.

This was a great tribute to the original. I feel you did it better. Loved all the other spots as well.

it's ok though not original. I really like the 2nd place video. That seems much more original.

i saw this a couple of days ago and i really liked it. It defiantly gets the point across!

my kids like this one. :)

both my sons (12 & 9) and i loved this! it's to the point, attention-getting and funny. i love comparing the weight of carbon to the weight of elephants. makes it a lot harder to ignore.

Not good for kids. 2nd place seem more fun to watch.

Hi all--

If you have any questions about the judging of this competition, you should email us at ecospot_us@current.com.

Any posts that are personal attacks on any other member of the community, which includes speculation about the judging of this competition, will be removed immediately.

Repeat offenders will be given a warning via email. If you continue to post inappropriate content, your account will be deleted. If you've given us a fake email address, so we can't contact you, your account will be deleted.

However, general criticism of the spot itself, as long as it's discussing the merits of the video and not personally attacking the producers, are not violations of our standards and will not be removed.

we would love to speak with you individually about your concerns in this matter. however, several people in this thread have registered with invalid email addresses, which makes it very difficult for us to reach out to you. if we have deleted something, and you feel it was unfair, please email us at yourfriends@current.com so that we can speak one-on-one

I agree who ever 25 years of allege higher education really is should show some decorum. I loved them all.
P.S. I notice you misspelled a word on another site.

You scream 25 years of higher education and yet show very little on your part. You are doing the very same thing you claim others are doing. Let us not accuse anyone. They were all good.

This contest demonstrates the enormous power of the internet, both to do good and to harm. The idea and execution of this contest up until this point was wonderful: to allow anyone with the motivation to create a PSA to inform and inspire people to do something about the spiraling damages to our planet. There were celebrities involved donating their time, and a generous sponsor donating an environmentally responsible automobile to the winner. Yet this same technology that allows anyone- a trained artist or someone holding a camera for the first time- to submit a piece- also allows people to comment without factual evidence when things don't go their way, attacking someone that can be read by thousands of people.
I know the artist who created this spot and he is one of the most honest and committed people I have ever met. I also have faith in the integrity of Current in this situation, in part due to the knowledge that Dave did not do anything dishonest. A small minority disgruntled with the results of this contest are using the internet to malign someone’s character without knowing him or knowing all the facts. This is serious. The messages attacking Dave here and elsewhere are often poorly written, misspelled, inarticulate, and have no basis in fact, yet they have the power to hurt an honest individual and Current's reputation as well. Please think before you write and comment on the work on the basis of its own merits, not the person because of hearsay.
I hope the Dave's ecospot and any others can be used to promote positive action on behalf of the environment.

Not my cup of tea too tragic. Loved 2nd place though. It was funny.

OK but not my fav..

great job guys. Loved the coverage lifeinthefastlane gave all the winners...

silly idea but effective however not very original.

Not sure if the sky is falling is that good however his heart was in the right place.

wow - what is this a fantasy football message board? i've never seen so much whining about nothing. i mean, who cares who won as long as people wake up and start making a difference with their day-to-day recycling, etc.

all the spots were good, but obviously something fishy happened with "the little things" and because of that they were disqualified. so to the makers of that film, swallow it and stop complaining, all you're doing is making your film and the people involved with it seem immature for pointing fingers at everyone.

i don't know any of you people, but i bet a million bucks that the filmmaker of "sky is falling" has nothing to do with who lost and who won, all they did was make a quality film like the other 20 contestants. it seems like the friends of "little things" are all ganging up here in some weird smear campaign via this message board, so please stop pretending that "the sky is falling" did something wrong because "the little things" didn't win.

with all the numbers and quotes that "little things" is throwing out, it makes it pretty obvious that they did cheat since they're trying so hard to cover something up by blaming the world - but isn't it the world you guys are trying to save?

hypocrites and sore losers.

-h

I feel you Eric. I am trying to believe you Dave. Both spots were good.

I'm sorry I really like The Sky is falling however there is no doubt the idea was someone else! But this is over so lets move on!!!!!

Can i ask what is so original about the "little things" video? It first of all uses someone else's quotation and on top of that is basically like every other PSA i've ever seen. How many ads/PSAs have people spelling out a word or phrase? Talk about originality.

Great post Eric ,although the powers that be will zapppp you. Dave another original idea posting after Eric. You should post in the Canadian paper where there is real freedom of speech!!!!!

Hello everyone-

I have decided to break my silence. For the last three days, I have been mocked, pointed at, and in some cases abused. Both on here and a Canadian blog. Three days ago, I posted my only response on my blog. www.blog.schlafman.com, but I feel the need to break my silence here.

Since then, people have continued to say I'm a fake, phony, unoriginal, etc. This couldn't be further from the truth. My name is Dave Schlafman and I am a 28 year old animation artist living in Boston. I love my job and I love creating original artwork professionally for a number of companies. Most of the work I do is child-related as I have directed educational shorts for Between the Lions, and I'm co-developing a kids animated show for WGBH. I love what I do.

I created this spot before I knew about the contest. A friend of mine runs an animation festival in NYC and he urged me to make something for it. I agreed and I thought about it for months, but nothing stuck. One day last spring while making my commute from Providence to Boston, I was stuck in traffic. The car in front of me reeked of exhaust. I thought about the Carbon Dioxide stats I read about when researching for the PSA. It hit me instantly, like most ideas do...how much would that weigh in elephants? I thought about elephants raining down. That's the truth. I went home that night and doodled in my sketchbook. You can see the original sketch on the Bostonist Blog. I NEVER saw the so-called hippo movie and I also NEVER saw the previously posted film (which was posted May 27th...a month after I started production).

I went on to create the short with three friends and the it played at the film festival this summer. A month later, a colleague of mine recommended that I enter it in to a couple contests, so I did and this happened to be one of them.

When I found out I was a finalist I sent emails to my friends, posted things on myspace/facebook, contacted the Boston Globe, and a number of Boston blogs. I spoke to 900 students at Swampscott High School and another 500 at North Andover High School. A friend of mine who works as an art teacher in CA had all the art classes in the school watch not only mine, but all the shorts. I also visited Massachusetts College of and spoke to all the animation students as well as the SIM program. I worked hard for two weeks to spread the word, much like Eric.

I now know what happened to "The Little Things" and I am truly sorry, Eric. I had nothing to do with your downfall, nor would wish what happened to you on anyone else. I am saddened that people have equated your loss to me.

I feel I have been attacked by random folks for no reason. The accusations have hurt me to my core and I would never wish them upon my worst enemy. I am a little guy who just wants to make my animations for others to enjoy. It's really that simple. I never had any visions of driving a hybrid. I made the film for one reason...it's what I love to do.

This will be my final response universally. Thank you for your time.

-Dave

Like terry said, I think it's a lot of gloom-n-doom...
My personal opinion - positive messages make people think like they can do something about global warming... negative messages like this one make people think the problem is way too big for any one person to solve.

Not sure I like it. My daughter who just became 7 didn't care for animals falling on humans. She said it made her sad. I checked out your website Dave. You have some really good stuff there. Not sure if your spot is original however it is effective. I may get the bat zapppp for saying that!!!

Brilliant.

Don't love it. Don't think it's that original... Hope this comment isn't deleted because it's expressing a negative viewpoint.

A really stellar job. It was most enjoyable. I love the story about you in the Canadian Rag "lifeinthefastlane" it really tells the story. You have great work and deserve what they wrote. Best of luck to you.

That's a fabulous metaphor. :] Good job. I wish real elephants would destroy corporate factories... that would be very appealing.

fantastic job! congratulations on the win!

THIS IS AWESOME BECAUSE IT GIVES A CLEAR DEFENITION IN THEOTRICAL WORDS OF WHAT EXACTLY GLOBAL WARMING IS, AND WHAT IT'S ACTUALLY DOING.

liked the pod pity about the politics in the post..... elephants eh? I wonder how many cats and dogs that would be.... have heard it raining cats and dogs...never elephants..... intriguing....

Nice.

wonderful job!!!
I think the more simple and graphic the better we understand things...

Yeah I voted for this! The best by far.

This is a work of Astral genius...congrats!

I'm sorry your page got hijacked by a discussion about the contest. Really nice job! Congrats! Using the metaphor "the elephant in the room" was brilliant, and will always make me smile. Thank you.

This is a unique PSA, using the art of animation with a clever metaphor to make a powerful impact. It's gratifying when the best actually wins! Congratulations!

I voted for you it rocked!!!

im totally with you man ..wounderful job on the video!

Very creative and effective, and can be understood by all ages without scaring children. Very well done.

Very well done! This PSA is very well thought out, creative, and unlike your normal boring straight talk to the camera kind of PSA! KUDOS!

Excellent job! Congratulations!!