East Hollywood High students strategize about an animated ad to promote organ donation.

West Valley, April - Young filmmakers at East Hollywood High School teamed up with Hollywood animators to save lives.

In a two-day workshop, professional animators from AnimAction in Los Angeles came to teach students how to create animated commercials. The theme for this intense seminar was saving lives through organ donation.

This animated spot uses cars to demonstrate how one donor can save the life of another.

AnimAction is a project of the James Redford Institute for Transplant Awareness (JRI), which uses the power of media to encourage people to make a lifetime commitment to be organ donors and have that message spread to their friends and family.

James, Robert Redford’s son, received a liver transplant in 1993 and now uses his contacts in the entertainment industry to promote organ donation.

“What better way can we get young people to consider organ donation than to encourage their creative voice and produce an animated television ad that will appeal to their peers and give them a chance to rub shoulders with Los Angeles animators,” said Annie Aft, executive director of JRI.

No doubt, the experience was intense, involving the students drawing up to 300 pages.

In two six hour days, the students learned about organ donation, received a crash course in animation, developed up to four concepts for 30-second spots, and sketched out their ideas, which were rendered into a final product a week later in Los Angeles.

“We are thrilled to have young people creating this spots that will speak to their peers about becoming organ donors,” said Alex McDonald, director of public education/relations for Intermountain Donor Services.

The 30-second spots will run through April as part of National Donate Life Month.