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Last week, I had the privilege of putting The Green Killer spin on the celebrity-supported gay rights campaign called NOH8. The campaign was founded by celebrity photographer Adam Bouska and his partner Jeff Parshley. The photo shoot took place at their studio in North Hollywood, Calif.; they have their system down pat – the studio was set up beautifully!
The entire process of getting the perfect shot took only a few minutes. They are so well-organized, and the theme for the iconic NOH8 shot is so well-conceived that, honestly, if Adam and Jeff weren’t on top of their game, there would be a line of celebrities leading out the door and spilling into the hallway.
Reason being there are so many A-list entertainers in support of giving full rights to gay couples. The NOH8 Campaign is a powerfully artistic and straight-forward statement about giving equal rights to everyone. The iconic characteristics of the campaign are the brilliant-white, halo-like quality of the lighting and color scheme and the strip of duct tape placed across the mouth of every person involved.
Representing the idea that we are all silenced until each and every one of us is allowed to speak and live our truth freely, the duct tape is a graphic way of communicating this message without saying a single word. When I donned the tape for my shoot, I elected to place the NOH8 tattoo right on the tape itself, as opposed to my cheek. I noticed that just about everyone who poses for the campaign does so from an angle in order to see the NOH8 on their cheek, but I felt that this issue needed the full attention of a pose staring straight forward. To me, the body language of looking from the side wasn't going to hold the presence that I feel this issue deserves.
At the end of the shoot, they had me say a few words about why I chose to pose for the campaign. I kept it short and sweet, because I felt that the name of their campaign says it all: NOH8 - NO HATE. There simply isn't room in this universe for hate of any kind. Period.
Now, as if this whole idea of NO HATE isn't Green Killer enough as it is ... Jeff and Adam showed me a side project that Jeff had recently been working on.
Right behind the huge white backdrop where they photograph celebrities were these two spectacular dresses hanging on dress forms. I had no idea that Jeff was a designer, much less a fashion designer! Not only were the dresses gorgeous, but they were made out of newspaper!! They were better than anything that I had seen on “Project Runway,” and I've even been to a finale show in Bryant Park in person! So, BRAVO Jeff and Adam for killing it on every level! (I actually got a little crafty myself for our shoot. I decided to make a skirt out of black fabric and bind it all up with duct tape to really hit the point home. Check out my blog – www.rebekahgreen.com/blog.php ¬– for the behind the scenes picture, and stay tuned to the NOH8 website – www.noh8campaign.com – for the official shot when it goes live!)
***As businesswoman, eco-pioneer and CEO of Rebekah Green, Inc., Rebekah Green is a reverse environmentalist positioned at the forefront of the Green 2.0 un-movement – where global responsibility is as expected as much as it is commended. In 2002, Green launched a full-service, multi-million dollar custom design and build firm, constructing and designing luxury green homes featured in countless magazine spreads and on television shows (including her own special on the Discovery Channel). In 2007, Green joined iTunes as producer and host of the video podcast series, “The Green Scene with Rebekah Green,” and – serving as creator and executive producer – partnered with networking television producing powerhouse Magical Elves (Project Runway, Top Chef, Last Comic Standing) to develop green-themed programming. Green’s newest venture is a luxury line of fair trade, sustainable and entirely hand-crafted jewelry (with proceeds benefitting Global Green USA, Charity: Water and Heifer International). Green identifies a clear need for the complete reinvention of the present green movement into a common sense-based un-movement – in essence, a Green Killer revolution.
