Latest News

12 Dec 2006

Partners for life: Swinburne University teams up with MAS to save drug overdose victims lives

MAS Chief Executive Officer Greg Sassella said that the advertisement, aimed at educating young people to call for an ambulance if friends suffer a drug overdose, was made by young people for young people to communicate a vital message that will help save lives.

'This advertisement will be confrontational, in your face and topical.  It contains all the elements that will get people’s attentions and the way it has been put together deserves recognition,' Mr Sassella said.

'Final year students at Swinburne University's Film and Television School made this community service announcement possible.

'Throughout 2006, Swinburne students have taken care of script writing, research, location search, talent recruitment, set design, pre-production planning, cinematography, sound recording and every detail of editing and post-production work. Even the music in the sound track was composed especially for this project.  

'Swinburne's students tackled this important project with real commitment; they took briefings from various paramedics; they visited our dispatch centre at Tally-Ho; they rode along with paramedics in the field to better understand their work -- one student even witnessed a drug overdose -- and they conducted their own independent research into drug usage,' Mr Sassella said.       

The advertisement, which will be screened in cinema’s across Melbourne between December and February, was made after a coronial recommendation to educate young people on use of ambulance services.