Watch This: Bradley Whitford on the Dirty Tricks Initiative (So-Called “Electoral College Reform”)

This is actually the second video with Whitford that the Courage Campaign has released on this topic. Here’s the first installment of Whitford taking on the Dirty Tricks Initiative:

Five Candidate Pile-Up: Hillary Clinton’s “Politics of Pile On” Video

Following up on last nights Democratic debate in Philadelphia, Senator Hillary Clinton’s campaign released this video where a bunch of mean male Senators gang up on her. Not included in the video: the portion of the debate where the near-perfectly disciplined Clinton got banged around a little on the issue of drivers licenses for undocumented workers.

UPDATE: Hillary didn’t have her drivers license answer in that clip, but - staying mean - the Edwards campaign put it out there:

The Ancient History “Gotcha!”

Gotcha videos don’t have to be as fresh as “Macaca” to make their way out there.

If anyone should know this, it’s Mitt Romney. Romney has been pecked at throughout the race by videos of him saying all kinds of un-2008-Romney things when running for Governor and Senator in Massachusetts.

Now the shoe is on the other foot, with Romney turning old video of John McCain against him.

Make you wonder what old tape their may be of you out there…

The Ultimate First Rule: Never, ever, allow video cameras into fundraisers!

It may have made it to this blog before, but my maxim when shooting on the campaign trail is “film them everywhere but the bathroom and fundraisers.”

These are two places where folks really shouldn’t see their leaders. We all know they have to go both places. But what goes on there often stinks.

Now, I’m not saying that all fundraising is bad. But, even if nothing untoward is going on, someone will try and say so.

The someone this time is the Hillary Clinton Accountability Project, a group pushing the agenda of former Clinton backer Peter Paul.

Look at the footage in this clip. There were cameras in private clutches feet away from the principals. Look what it became.

Let this be a lesson to anyone left out there who’d still let someone with a video camera into an event.

If it’s a star-studded affair like Paul’s event for Clinton, shoot the stage program. Have multiple cameras. Make a nice piece to send around for donor servicing, or additional fundraising. When the song and dance act is over, make sure the lens caps are on and the batteries and tapes are collected.

Lest you become the star in the next “Peter Paul Production.”

NOTE: The only case to go to trial stemming from the Peter Paul/Hillary Clinton brouhaha wholly exonerated the fundraiser who put the event together. This entire mess has bothered me for a long time, as I’ve worked with the fundraiser in question - a great guy, who didn’t deserve to get run through the Right Wing’s shredder as they tried to “get” Hillary.

John Edwards, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson are Making Sense

Last week videos from the Edwards, Obama and Richardson campaigns showed some of the different looks you can turn to when making a video for the same purpose - in this case, seeking an endorsement.

John Edwards’ take on sensible priorities:

Barack Obama’s take on sensible priorities:

Bill Richardson’s take on sensible priorities:

All three of these videos had the same purpose: winning the endorsement of Iowans for Sensible Priorities. What interests me are the differences between the three.

Edwards obviously sat down for a few minutes to record a greeting just for this purpose. His team also worked in footage from the road and went to graphics to make his take on sensible priorities perfectly clear. The Edwards video also wisely ends with a web link that takes you to a page on his site dedicated to this effort. There’s text of his remarks, an embedded video player, and even a snapshot of Edwards with someone wearing the group’s t-shirt.

The BarackTV team wins on picture quality. Like most everything they put up, the video is beautiful. Of course, that could be my aesthetic prejudice in favor of the Panasonic 24P cameras they (and I) shoot on! Because the Edwards videos went out to B-Roll and graphics, you can’t tell if there are cuts in his remarks. With Obama, there is no question. The entire minute and a half clip is in one continuous take - with fairly dense material in there. The uninterrupted roll makes for a very strong performance.

Richardson goes grassroots in his clip, grabbing his remarks on the fly while at the Harkin Steakfry. He starts off informal, with a “tell me when” (always a favorite of mine) and surrounds himself with cheering members of the group whose endorsement he seeks - including their Executive Director. Nice move. The last few seconds of the clip have him turning back to the activists for some good old fashioned hand shakin’.

There are useful elements in all three videos.

If I were putting this clip together, the hard part would be the decision between the Richardson-style piece or the Edwards/Obama-style piece. Given the opportunity to surround yourself with a group’s members when making an endorsement ask video can’t be underestimated.

Either way, I’d reinforce my priorities with graphics. I wouldn’t have them over black like Edwards, but would superimpose them along with the candidate giving the remarks. Edwards was also right to give a call to action link at the end. Every video should have one. If the candidate can get it in one like Obama, use as much of that as possible. But, mix in some B-Roll if you’re not standing with the members.

And for God’s sake, if you’re sitting down and making this clip for a few minutes: USE A TRIPOD. Loose, handheld footage is fine grabbing things off the cuff, but if you’re going to the trouble of lights, flags, or signs to make the shot nice, take the extra minute to stabilize your shot.

Clips like these are what campaign videos should be all about. They’re easy enough to crank out, and talk directly to an interested group of people. Twist your scheduler’s arm, grab a few hours of the candidates time one day and pound out one after the other for the many groups whose support you seek. Press them to DVD and drop them in the mail, or - if you can - get their email addresses and send them that way. This is a much better use of production resources than shooting the stump speech for the umpteenth time.

Remember the last five years. Now, imagine them if Paul Wellstone were still with us…

If This Race Were About Hair, We’d Elect Jonathan Antin President

The 2008 Democratic Primaries have often seemed as devoted to the hair on top of candidates’ heads as the ideas inside. In the Chris Dodd ad above, he re-enlists his white mane for humor - citing it as evidence of decades of fighting the good fight in the Senate. He also works in a poke at John Edwards in the process.

Opponents and critics have been going upside John Edwards well-coiffed head with these follicly-charged strikes for month - but I figured it’d end after the excellent (if late) rebuttal he brought along to the CNN/YouTube debate:




In a media-obsessed society like America has become, it drives me nuts that the biggest criticism many can hurl at Edwards is that he didn’t want messy hair on television. Lord only knows what people would say, had he gone on with a cowlick - God forbid!

But it doesn’t stop with Dodd and Edwards. In the two videos below, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama spend a little time with the striped-pole brigade.







There was a stretch in 2005 when I was looking for my next project. From time to time, I found myself watching a reality series on Bravo featuring uber-stylist-to-the-stars Jonathan Antin. If we’re going to spend this much time talking about hair, why not just run him? Or at least a cabinet position? Anything?

ALSO: On a more serious note, look at the video below. It’s a teaser that the Obama put out ahead of their barbershop clip. This is a great technique. The rumbling belly of the web video beast is soothed by appetizers such as these. One thing I’d add: a push at the end of the clip telling people to tune back in for the longer piece. An eye-catching glimpse of a compelling story (like the Army Ranger’s meeting with Obama) can be the hook that brings viewers with only a little time (in this case :45 seconds) back for something more substantial, if they see that it’s something with human appeal.

Not Just About Decorating and Dinners: Potential U.S. First Ladies sit down with Mrs. Governator

At her huge annual Women’s Conference, California First Lady Maria Shriver hosts a discussion with Elizabeth Edwards, Michelle Obama, Cindy McCain, Ann Romney, and Jeri Thompson. It’s a long piece, but - at least if you believe Shriver - it’s the first time anything like this has ever happened. So, if you’ve got an hour, take a look.

Despite being married to the man who bounced my old boss - Gray Davis - from office, I’ve never had a beef with Shriver. In fact, she sent the nicest gift basket the day after the Recall. Very classy.

Your Words, Your Supporters’ Mouths

After my frivolous post with the “Cooter” video, I felt I should pay respects to the great video work of the Edwards campaign by posting the clip you see above, instead of just being silly (and a little stir crazy).

Edwards folks have long done an excellent job of integrating real folks into their web video pieces. This video keeps up that tradition.

It’s not uncommon to see interviews with and testimonials from supporters in videos from most of the campaigns. Usually they’re talking about how great the candidate it. With this video (and the “We The People” project earlier in the campaign) Edwards has done things a little differently - using his supporters to carry his water in a more direct fashion.

The Obama campaign used this technique well not too long ago, putting the words of the Senator’s five-year-old speech denouncing the war in Iraq into the mouths of several supporters.




I like this clip, a lot - mostly because it is almost exactly how I would have made it. Or maybe I blacked out and made it - like Tyler Durden setting up franchises around the country. My dark side, at work! If I were to do anything differently, it would be to get more geographic diversity in the clip, and to share the peoples’ names and where they are from.

This is where ubiquitous use of video across your campaign’s many departments pays off. I’m guessing the Obama campaign knew long in advance that they were going to focus on this speech around the time of it’s anniversary. Whether it was Communications, Political…or whoever! Somebody knew this was coming.

Letting the BarackTV crew know ahead of time would allow them to grab a line or two in every city and town he stopped at in the few weeks prior. As it was release, most of the lines look like they were filmed in New York - where he made a big end-of-quarter stop in September. There are a few that look like Iowa. A few weeks notice could have turned this piece into a national chorus, singing in 50 part harmony to the tune of his speech.

Like any other department, campaign video outfits benefit from more prep time. Get them in early, and a better film will come out.

“Cooter” for Edwards

The Edwards campaign dropped a handful of videos from an October 16th stop in Iowa. Posting this one allows me to type the word “Cooter” - which just feels good.

No insight here. Just me. Typing “Cooter” over and over.

Cooter.

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