SceneSmoking.org - Celebrity Quotes

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Here is a sample positive letter to a studio. Just highlight & copy the text below. Then paste it into your word processor or an email program - click here for Adobe Acrobat version.

Date

Insert Studio Name
Address
City, State Zip

Dear (Insert Studio Chair Name),

I am writing (insert studio name) to say congratulations on earning a "Pink Lung"* for (insert film name here)! There is no question that smoking in movies is a major influence on children's smoking behavior.

Smoking in movies is a serious and growing worldwide problem:

Of the top-ten movies reviewed weekly from June 1, 2003 to May 31, 2004 by the American Lung Association, 53% were rated PG-13 and 37% were rated R. 84% of the R rated movies contained tobacco, and 77% of the PG-13 movies, films that are targeted directly at young people, contained tobacco.

Scientific studies have found that 52 percent of smoking initiation among adolescents can be attributed to smoking in movies, which suggests that reducing adolescent exposure to smoking in the movies could significantly reduce the number of youth who initiate smoking. (http://www.dartmouth.edu/dms/news/2003_h1/10jun2003_smoking.shtml)

(Insert studio name) was involved in the production of (insert film name). Trained movie reviewers found that this movie did not glamorize tobacco in any form, earning it a Pink Lung. My friends and family have always enjoyed your films and will continue to do so as long as we see you are taking steps in reducing the amount of glamorization of tobacco.

I'm sure you are aware that there is no need for the glamorization of tobacco in movies, particularly if the movie will attract children under 18. I believe you made a conscious effort to not allow tobacco in this movie.

I believe your actions can be viewed as a model to other filmmakers who are also interested in reducing premature tobacco use in our children. The time has come for Hollywood to move past the rhetoric and acknowledge its role in shaping youth behavior. You have the power to reduce the marketing of tobacco to children worldwide. Thank you for taking action.

Kind Regards,

(Insert your name here)

* Based on movie reviews conducted by Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down!, a project of Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails. Movies are reviewed by youth reviewers and staff and are awarded "Lungs" based on the amount of tobacco depicted, who is using tobacco, where tobacco is used and the messages delivered. For more information and weekly ratings of the top ten grossing movies, go to http://www.scenesmoking.org/.