On The Subject Of Giant Monsters

Continuing on the theme of my post from…seriously? I haven’t posted in two weeks? Why didn’t anyone come to check on me? What if I’d slipped in the shower or something? Or what if the stove in my apartment tried to finish what it started? I’m not kidding – I put a roast in there the other day and when I opened the door, it was gone. Whatever’s possessed that appliance is hungry, and has its single red eye set on about 170 pounds of all-white meat. (I thought about writing “170 pounds of Canadian bacon but couldn’t bring myself to do it.)

Anywise, continuing on the theme of my post from two weeks ago – way back when I thought you guys cared about me – I thought I might write a little something on a giant monster of another sort: AIDS. Or, as the French apparently spell it, “AIDES”. Unless their beef is with personal assistants, at any rate. Either way, their awareness campaign – sent my way by none other than Academy favorite Avi Youabian – is pretty damn cool. And I’m not just saying that because I’m a huge fan of giant bugs, not to mention improving human/arachnid relations with outside the box thinking. This campaign presents the dangers of unprotected sex in a fashion that’s original, horrifying and – for better of worse – completely memorable. If you don’t believe me, check out the second part of the ad:

Told ya.

What takes it this campaign over the top is its combination of skilled direction and great production design. The pristine white apartment, with its earthy hardwood floors and blinding natural light, evokes a sense of purity and wholesomeness that acts in complete contradiction to what’s transpiring in the images themselves. The art in both parts of the campaign is perfectly selected, with the sculpture in the first image – as Chelsea points out – bearing a resemblance to an AIDS ribbon, while the art print in the second image depicts a man who’s literally blinded to the danger the danger before him. The storytelling in these images also deserves special mention, especially in the second part of the campaign. Pinchers splayed in submission as it looks into the eyes of its lover, the scorpion raises its stinger – unseen – to deliver the deathblow. Fantastic on every level, not to mention a socially conscious use of giant monsters. To whoever put this together…great work.