Four of the five top honors for a Public Service Announcement for problem gambling were awarded to Cerritos College students that submitted videos for the 2010 Department of Alcohol and Drugs, PSA contest.

This project started in the classroom, but it wasn’t long before the students were encouraged to submit their works for review.

“Perhaps the most important concept I was able to convey to the students was they only had 30 seconds to make a lasting impression and to do so they had to affect the viewers on an emotional level,” said Steven Hirohama, film professor.

Mark Martinez, auto mechanic major, drew inspiration from a scene in the movie “500 Days of Summer.”

“There is a specific scene in the movie where it splits into two. On one side are his expectations of what is going to happen, and the other side is reality, and that is what I based my PSA on,” Martinez said.

Karla Vasquez, film and television major, said, “I looked at the contest rules and requirements, as well some of the various stages that people with problems gambling have, and that really inspired to not only just point that they have a problem, but probably that there is hope that they can get [help].”