NEW "SAVE THE RAINFORESTS" EFFORT LAUNCHED

Online Video Raises Awareness & A Call to Action

Launched by Prince Charles 

Features "Friends of Frogs"

by Bill Seebeck

What do Harrison Ford, Robin Williams, the Dalai Lama, Daniel Craig, Princes William and Harry have in common?  They are "Friends of Frogs" as they joined other personalities and children around the world today in the release of a new public awareness campaign directed to preserving the world's rainforests.  The effort is led by HRH Charles, the Prince of Wales as part of his effort, "to create a climate of awareness and public concern".

The center of the online campaign is a truly wonderful 90-second film (available for viewing above) that features, you guessed it, an animated frog. The frog appears alongside each of the individuals that are profiled in the film. The frog, created by Framestore, the Oscar-winning computer generated imagery (CGI) experts behind the film The Golden Compass, serves as a symbol of the rainforest.

To demonstrate their support for this effort, people around the world are asked to signup on the website, www.rainforestSOS.org.

In addition, in order to make the campaign truly interactive, a digital application enables supporters to create their very own "mash-up" of the film in which they can appear alongside the frog and other well known personalities.

In his webcast, broadcast online this morning before the showing of the film, The Prince of Wales said, "Our aim, with your help, is to build an online community to call, from the bottom up, for urgent action to protect the Rainforests, without which we will most certainly lose the battle against catastrophic climate change."

"One of the Internet's strengths, continued Prince Charles, "is that it can enable diverse communities to come together to ensure that everybody's views and actions can really be made to count.  It provides the potential to create global determination for change on a vitally important issue," he said.

His Royal Highness, Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir to the throne of England.  He has nearly all his life been a most dedicated environmentalist and a catalyst for change in the way in which we view and treat the planet.

The unique technology for this campaign was developed by Moonshine Media and appears on a website created by Blue State Digital, the company that provided the proprietary software, as well as the online engagement strategies, for President Barack Obama during the U.S. elections in 2008.