Fundraising flunkies and compliance junkies:

Check out this great motion piece breaking down the who’s got the bucks and where the cash comes from in the first $1,000,000,000 campaign.

Brought to you by the great folks at GOOD Magazine.

Shameless self-promotion alert!!!

Tonight I bellied up to the pundit bar and appeared as a guest on the BlogTalkRadio edition of the excellent blog Wilshire & Washington.

Maegan Carberry, who I met on the Obama campaign invited suckered me into a rough Q&A by herself and Variety Editor-At-Large Ted Johnson.

I don’t know who keeps telling people that I know what I’m talking about (It’s me.), but I can’t say I dislike the attention.

For a refresher course on my past punditry, take a look at the clips below from my appearances on KNBC Los Angeles’ NewsConference…

At least it’s not another damn sweater!

A pair of videos this morning show Barack Obama and John Edwards drawing support from two unexpected sources.

Edwards continues the story of the two phonebanking stories he posted yesterday:

Can you believe it? A Republican supporting Edwards. How’s that for electability in the General?

Obama’s supporter comes from perhaps an even more surprising place, and potentially a more helpful one in the Democratic primaries:

Yup. She was a Clinton supporter. Now she’s with Barack. So, aside from losing their New Hampshire Chairman (who was also a National Co-Chair), who engaged in some pretty nasty dirty tricks; now Hillary’s campaign is losing boots on the ground, as well.

***UPDATE***

The Obama video above, featuring the Clinton precinct captain has been picked up by Drudge. Watch its traffic…

…What are places where everyone is the winner, Alex?

Wait! Before you think Edwards ran away with the debate, here’s a clip saying how great Obama was:

And since everyone was the winner yesterday, here’s a clip that the Clinton campaign has put out:

So, in three clips from three campaigns – all culled from the same news segment – we have three winners. Rashomon, anyone?

BONUS!!! Here’s a clip from Fox News where Edwards is the winner!

Since he has clips from two networks, does that make Edwards the real winner here?

Why…

Making an ad, of course!

So, there you have it. Hillary Clinton’s mom supports her.

This ad is should put to rest all the doubters that Hillary is not human. She has a mom, and a kid. What could be more regular than that? And for those who’d call her calculating and out for herself, her mom lets us know that she was never a jealous person and has always helped others. So, there.

And that last line, “she ought to be elected…even if she weren’t my daughter.” Sounds a lot like Bill’s endorsement language, that he’d supporter her even if they weren’t married. Of course, she is Hillary’s mom. And Bill and Hillary are married. So, it makes you wonder…

For the web, the Clinton campaign followed up on the commercial with this nice piece featuring Hillary, mom, and Chelsea – all grows up.

This well-made video is in the style of Hillary’s other road pieces. Peppy (though canned) music, a mix of fawning interviews and retail politics b-roll, a few carefully chosen lines from her rap.

Don’t get me wrong. The Clinton campaigns videos have all been very well done. My only complaint is that they just feel like longer versions of the same, old campaign commercials. Take a chance. Break down the walls. Let us see Hillary.

I’ve met her a few times and found her very pleasant. Surprisingly so, after the decades of Right-Wing smearing directed at her. Though not the charmer her husband is, she was a real pleasure to talk to for the few minutes at a time when our paths crossed. Yet, in the extremely personal medium that is web video, the Clinton campaign’s pieces are still just incredibly guarded.

Instead of making Sopranos spoofs to try and show that she has a sense of humor. Let the cameras follow her, and keep rolling, and actually capture her sense of humor.

InfoMania – a series of “pods” on Current_ – takes a look at campaign videos in this segment that I saw on thre tube a day or two ago.

As the year – and primary season – head down the stretch, I expect a lot of these video roundups.

I may even have to make one of my own.

Playing catch up a bit here, but there were a number of great videos revolving around the Iowa J-J Dinner.

Barack Obama put out amazing video work around the J-J. Not to be left behind, the Clinton video put out a nice piece after the event in their usual speech/testimonial style.

Former Senator Mike Gravel was excluded from last week’s debate in Las Vegas. The video above shows how he handled the situation – by holding an event where he yells at the television. Thanks to Tivo, you don’t even have to miss any of the debate while he gives his responses.

Actually, this event was a nice way to deal with the situation.

Now, it wasn’t a surprise to the Alaskan that he was being left out of the party at UNLV. So, ahead of the debate his campaign also produced the video below, which takes a humorous look at what he’d be doing. To wit, he’d be pwning people at Halo III.

Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards launched his campaign from the 9th Ward of New Orleans. From time to time over the course of the campaign he has returned there to work in the community with supporters from One Corps – the citizen activism off-shoot of his campaign. While the Clinton campaign was offering debate watching parties with Bill, and the Obama team had “Dinner With Barack,” Edwards gave away the chance to join him in working up a sweat rebuilding homes in New Orleans.

Edwards has shown that he knows his way around a hammer. Perhaps that is why he received the endorsement of the Carpenters union, eh?

But, in the days and weeks that have now passed since the Democratic Debate in Philadelphia, Edwards has been doing other hammering as well – with rival Hillary Clinton held with tongs against the anvil.

Entitled “The Politics of Parsing,” the video above is one of the most effective web videos of the campaign to date. While I evangelize day in, day out about using video to let voters get to know your candidate; there is also necessity the use it to help them get to know your opponent. Edwards campaign put this video out on the heels of the well-covered brouhaha near the end of the Philly debate. It makes their case with sound and titles and visually reinforces the point.

Feeling that they’d scored a hit, the campaign followed up with a flashback to the YearlyKos event a while back. On the 2008 candidate panel, Clinton raised a few electronic eyebrows among the Kossacs by stating – in no uncertain terms – that she would continue to take contributions from lobbyists, because they “represent real people.” That was a line perfectly teed up for both the populist Edwards and the reformer Obama.

After their initial hit on Clinton’s “positions” on the issue of drivers licenses for illegal immigrants, and the follow up with her clear defense of Washington lobbyists, Edwards campaign closed the circle with a video news clipping of Edwards concisely answering the question Clinton danced around.

This series of clips – which were woven into a fundraising push – demonstrate the power of narrative continuity across multiple pieces. While each stood up well as episodic clips, the story they told as a thought-out series was even stronger. And notice none of them included the candidate giving the stump speech for the umpteenth time!

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:

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.

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.

While the mainstream press reports that Hillary Clinton is attempting to horn in on Barack Obama’s narrative of change, this Obama visit to Caesario’s Pizza in Manchester, NH shows that the Senator from Illinois is stealing a few Clintonian moves himself…

Stealing Bubba’s moves, and those nice young ladies’ fries. It must be after Labor Day, ’cause this campaign is on!

An oft-cited benefit of internet (and YouTube) politics is the ability for John and Jane Public to fact check what is coming from the campaigns.

Yesterday, HillaryHub.com (from the Clinton campaign) posted video of Kate Michelman talking about the importance of Hillary being in the race:

Nice things to say all around, from Michelman…

But’s it’s not all she said. An Edwards supporter posted the full clip:

In the full clip, Michelman makes it clear that she supports John Edwards.

So there’s just a little example of a campaign trying to forward a message (Clinton pulling pro-Hillary lines from an interview) and the people pushing back with a little context (the Edwards supporter posting what Michelman really was trying to say).

There will be a lot more of this in all directions and from all sides.

Ps. To the Clinton campaign – you’ve mispelled Michelman’s name in your YouTubization of the Hardball segment.

UPDATE: OKAY, OKAY, OKAY!!! I TAKE IT ALL BACK…AT LEAST THE PART ABOUT HOARDING HILLCAM TO THEIR SITE. THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN POSTED THE HILLCAM STOPS ON THEIR YOUTUBE ACCOUNT. YOU CAN FIND THEM HERE, HERE, AND HERE.

Following up on this morning’s piece on the HillCam, I thought I’d drop in this post from Patrick Ruffini:

When I first posted the Clinton Sopranos parody video to YouTube, I could hardly imagine it would become the second most viewed video that day, with over 250,000 views. Other versions trailed narrowly behind, fetching at least 700,000 extra viewers. All told, over a million watched the video on YouTube.

That’s not what the Clinton campaign intended. They wanted to have this moment all to themselves, so they didn’t post it to their YouTube channel, instead roadblocking people to HillaryClinton.com where there would be no conversation, no comments, and no pesky video replies. While on the site, they also wanted people to sign up and donate.

You’d think only a Clinton supporter would post such a funny and flattering video of the two, but I saw this as an opportunity to divert traffic from the Clinton web site and perhaps reduce their online take from the video. It was successful, to the tune of a quarter million people who watched it on YouTube instead of HillaryClinton.com.

Now, they’ve done it again with their “HillCam” video of Hillary and Bill trekking through Iowa. And again, they’ve offered a high-res Quicktime download. And again, I’ve posted it to YouTube for them, so Democrats won’t have to go to Hillary’s site to get it. (Patrick Ruffini: Stop the Clinton YouTube Embargo)

I can understand why the Clinton campaign would try and drive traffic to their site using the excellent Sopranos video. They had something completely golden on their hands, and knew it. They leveraged it into something. It was a gimmick, not unlike the Edwards gimmick-video where Trippi and Prince baked a pie. This wasn’t about getting to know Hillary…it was novelty for novelty’s sake…or for the sake of getting email sign-ups.

Somehow, I feel the HillCam should be treated differently. If they really wanted to let people get to know Hillary, why hoard it all to their site? Wouldn’t they want as many people as possible to get to know her…on YouTube, Revver, Blip.tv, Brightcove and anywhere else?

It’s not about sharing the Clintons with you, it’s about what you will give them for it.

Earlier this week – impatient person that I am – I complained about the lack of releases from the Clinton campaign’s HillCam. It was no sooner than I had hit “Publish” that they started dropping clips, which you see in the playlist above.

I was so caught up watching the Dodd headquarters feed on DTV, that I didn’t get around to my reviews of the now-lively HillCam.

In three installments of the we’ve learned the following:

• There are a lot of white people in Iowa (born in Nebraska, I didn’t need HillCam to know this)
• Politicians go ga-ga over babies
• Politicians will will always stop to listen to firefighters (Rudy Giuliani is exempt from this rule)
• Bill Clinton is comfortable around a fast food counter

Not exactly groundbreaking revelations.

It’s also good to see in the second video that former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack has a new gig. I hear he makes the best blizzards in the midwest!

Before dropping out of the race to serve Derby’s and Dilly Bars, Vilsack had an excellent and very personal vLog – it’s recreated in the player on the ’08 Videos page

The moment I was really hoping to see (based on media reports from Iowa) was nowhere to be found:

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa — Former Gov. Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, had a little time to kill before the start of the Independence Day parade here, so they decided to go say hello to the other presidential candidate and her spouse taking part in the festivities.

“Mr. President, how are you, Mitt Romney,” the Republican said after finding Bill Clinton working the three-deep crowd gathering along Main Ave. “This is my wife, Ann, and my son, Josh.”

After introductions were made, Romney observed that “this is kinda fun.”

“How many times you done this before?” he asked.

“Once or twice,” Clinton deadpanned.

“I bet that’s right,” Romney responded with a laugh.

Romney then began to explain to the former president that son Josh had taken it upon himself to visit all 99 Iowa counties in a massive Winnebago dubbed the “Mitt Mobile,” but Clinton seemed to already know.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, appeared Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the scrum that had quickly developed when Romney approached Bill Clinton.

“Nice to see you!” Sen. Clinton exclaimed to Romney.

Introducing Josh, Romney began to tell Sen. Clinton about his son’s plan to drive around the state.

“He’s been driving around,” Sen. Clinton shook her head knowingly, like her husband, already aware of Josh’s travels.

Proving he had been listening to how many stops Josh had made, Bill Clinton then piped up, “He’s halfway home!”

“Well, it’s a good deal,” Sen. Clinton offered

“How many counties have you hit,” Romney asked, “45?”

“About 50,” Josh quickly responded.

“Well, he’s over halfway,” Sen. Clinton said, demonstrating her knowledge of Iowa’s 99 counties. “You’ve got this built-in campaign team with your sons, boy I tell ya,” she added, good naturedly.

“There’s nothing like it,” Romney replied. “If we had known, we would’ve had more.” (The Politico)

That interaction would have been worth watching! And could have appeared on both the HillCam and MittTV…and everyone loves a crossover episode!

After seeing the enticing trailer above, I waited with anticipation all weekend to see what secrets the HillCam would reveal. On the heels of their big Sopranos splash, where will things go next/

The Clinton campaign is offering supporters an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the Clintons’ 4th of July trip through Iowa next week, with a new addition to the campaign trail–The HillCam.

The HillCam will follow Hillary and Bill Clinton as they travel from Des Moines to Davenport, capturing their spontaneous moments. Taking supporters beyond the headlines, the HillCam will offer an unvarnished look at the Clintons’ first joint-campaigning of the 2008 race. (Hillary for President)

While I was absolutely looking forward to seeing the Clinton’s behind the scenes – which I’ve had the privilege of witnessing a bit on past campaigns – I was more curious whether the HillCam footage would actually produce anything “spontaneous” or “unvarnished.”

So far, Senator Clinton’s best videos have been highly scripted affairs. The trio of song contest videos (I Need Your Advice, Song Contest: Round Two, Sopranos), which culminated with the excellent Sopranos clip made up a very contrived narrative arc. Not that contrived is always a bad thing, mind you. The videos were strong – but were completely void of spontaneity.

Another well-received video was Bill Clinton extolling his wife’s virtues. It was personal, in that way only Bill Clinton can achieve. It was anything but unvarnished.

So, that’s why I was – and still am – looking forward to the HillCam. I want to see if the campaign will let their guard down and really show private moments. I guess I’ll have to wait – as there is still no sign of life from the HillCam…other than the trailer – again, not exactly unscripted.

I’m not the only one sitting in front of his computer disappointed. Over at TechPresident, Joshua Levy is feeling let down, as well.

Meanwhile, where is HillCam? Last week I wrote about Hillary Clinton’s new project, HillCam, which promised a “behind-the-scenes look at the Clintons’ 4th of July trip through Iowa next week.” So, it’s Tuesday, July 3rd, and there’s no sign of HillCam… it isn’t even mentioned on her home page. What’s going on? (TechPresident)

So, like Levy I keep a watchful eye for the HillCam…curious what it will show. Will Clinton continue the video-roll her campaign is on?

Due to the amount of candidate emails I get…I have to admit I often don’t read them. So, I guess I’m a little behind the times to post the Clinton campaign’s spoof of the last episode of the Sopranos.

As for her “winner” of the song contest…

The Greatest Singer in the World, Celine Dion! (I’d post an SNL clip on YouTube…but things are touchy between those camps!)

In general – and this is just my pet peeve – I have a problem with campaign songs by non-American acts. While this rule thankfully removes U2’s “Beautiful Day” from consideration – put it to bed, people! – it also strikes my personal choice, were I running for office…Elvis Costello’s “(What’s So Funny ‘bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding.” You take the good with the bad, I guess…

But – Canadian or not – Celine Dion is…

Just. Plain. Wrong.

That alone is enough to keep me away from any future Clinton rallies.

I was personally holding out for Show Me What You Got, by Jay-Z.

Here are two examples of another use of online videos for campaigns.Fundraising.

In the first of these two videos you’ll see Bill Clinton asking for money on behalf of his wife’s campaign. (Hat tip to Jeff Jarvis at PrezVid)

The second video comes from Al Franken, thanking donors for contributing to his campaign. (Hat tip to…me! Saw this when I kicked a few meager bucks to Al this morning.)

Today’s announcement by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson continued the trend of 2008 presidential contenders kicking off their campaigns accompanied by an online video. Like former Governor Tom Vilsack, former Senator John Edwards, and Senators Chris Dodd, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton; Richardson addressed supporters, skeptics and the world through the blossoming medium of political web videos.

The contenders’ videos show differences in rhetoric – to be sure. I’ll leave discussion of that to a million different blogs, and the traditional media. What interests me in the release of these announcement videos are the differences in how each campaign uses the medium.

Former Governor Tom Vilsack (D-IA)

Now, this is a vLog! In the most traditional sense, Vilsack nails the medium. A static camera, at that slightly low-angle makes you feel as if it’s shot with a web-cam sitting on his desk. The choice of locations – on a couch in front of a packed bookshelf – lends itself well to his homespun delivery, which is where Vilsack really shines.

I don’t know how this was produced, but I really do get the feeling from it that he is alone with the camera. Were his aides comfortable enough to just let him sit down and tape himself? Somehow I doubt it. That’s how it comes across though. Vilsack comes out on top of the heap as far as intimacy and conversational-ism. In subsequent videos, he has managed to maintain this. Having met Governor Vilsack, it’s great to see that he talks in the same thoughtful way in his vLog as he does one on one.

Former Senator John Edwards (D-NC)

Edwards creative and symbolic use of setting makes his video stand out from the rest. Coming as an preface to his official announcement the next day, Edwards continues something he started in video presentations for his pre-presidential PAC, One America. For One America, Edwards would release a video ahead of making a speech, outlining what he would be talking about and giving a personal and emotional context to the speech to come. After that, the speech would be presented as delivered, but would mean a lot more to those who watched the “pre-show.”
The use of the camera has a “hand it to the volunteer and roll” feel that is loose and gives that amateurish “grassrootsy” feeling. The remarks are obviously thought-out, but maintain an off-the-cuff quality of someone speaking from the heart.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT)

Dodd is the one video that feels like an after thought, as if someone in the office suddenly realized, “All the other candidates have YouTube videos. We need to whip one up.” They threw up a couple flags, plopped the Senator in front of him, and told him “go!”
That said, it does lend a certain credibility to the video the others don’t have. This isn’t a calculated move. It isn’t a contrivance meant to display that the Dodd campaign “gets it.” Dodd’s announcement doesn’t have the production values or backdrop that many of the other videos do, but it gets the job done. Afterthought or not, they thought it important to reach out this way and the Senator gave us a little about himself. I especially liked how he said, “I’m a Senator from Connecticut.” He is truly introducing himself to us in this video.

The best part is actually at the very end, and resides mainly outside of the piece. If you follow a link that comes up at the tail of the video, you go to a page on Dodd’s website that asks you for a video link of your own, opening up two-way conversation via YouTube.

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)

Senator Obama’s clip is the most “formal” of those released. Shot in a slightly loose closeup, the announcement is delivered in one take to a static camera. The lighting is very traditional, but also dramatic and rich. This video – in one word – is stable. Obama’s firm delivery, combined with the controlled setting, lighting, and camera remind me of a Presidential address. I’m pretty sure that exactly what they want you to take away.
This was shot to show control and heft. In a recent article (can’t remember which), the writer talked about Obama’s style on the stump, saying it was like watching someone think out loud. That is certainly one type of Obama speech, the “finding a way through things while everyone watches” delivery. This video is the other type of Obama speech. Like the DNC Keynote in 2004 this one is a planned march. A candidate who’s found the way, and is not looking for it. In a way, it leaves a little out of the piece. Obama’s million megawatt smile and good humor are not to be seen here – it’s all business.

This video tackles the “inexperience” argument. For what I think the aim of the piece was, it succeeds.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)

Normally, I’d call her Senator Clinton; but this video has “Call me Hillary” all over it. Shot in a living room on a comfy couch, with family photos in the background and a lovely day outside; the Hillary video is warm and welcoming – if a bit scripted. She is inviting and friendly, with a touch of humor – while still carrying the weight of a powerful United States Senator. It’s clear that this video intends to cozy you up to the former First Lady, who we all “know” so well. She is a familiar face and an old friend to the Party.

But, in bringing that out, I feel the presence of a “director,” who brought out a bit of a forced delivery. One thing that bugs me are her gestures. The one that jumped out was when she puts her arm up on the back of the couch. Not so much that she did it, or that it seemed “stagy.” My problem with it is in the editing. It happens twice. Back to back. She puts her arm up, delivers a line about the President. There’s a cut. She puts her arm up and makes a different point. In doing it, she seems perfectly natural. After editing though, it looks like a stage-directed move. Her lean forward on “Let’s chat.” (and even the use of the word “chat”) didn’t seem in character, either. We get it already, she’s not frigid. She’s not unapproachable. Don’t push it on us.

Most of this video gave me a very different feeling than I’ve had sometimes about Senator Clinton. Namely, that she is “Hillary.” Those few moments, where she seemed guided to do things, undercut the rest of the piece where – by actually talking to us – she was communicating all that they wanted her to get across. Let Hillary be Hillary.

Maybe I’m expecting too much in this video, or something. My wife didn’t see any of this the same way. She usually has a far more critical cinematic eye than I do, and isn’t inclined to be a fan of Senator Clinton…after this video, all that changed. She is firmly in Hillaryland, now! So, on that measure this video is a raging success. I look forward to the “chats” that are on deck in the coming week.

Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM)

The offering from Governor Richardson is formal (like the Obama video) but with the warmth of the Clinton video. He let’s us know who he is (sharing his strong resume) and where he is coming from. He also digs deeper into plans and issues than the other candidates, making a detailed case for why he should be the next President. The choice of location is excellent. The warm lighting, flowers in the background and hearth give a homey feeling…but the fireplace as angular and strong (with a classic look) that reminds of something you may see in a room of the White House. This is smart “regular-guy” at home among marble.

I’d have like to have seen him cut loose a little more, but I mostly like his delivery. He doesn’t come off as a natural communicator. But, he portrays seriousness and honesty and a genuine interest in tackling big issues. This is a man of depth, with a lot on his mind – who has so much to share he can barely even the outline into the four and a half minutes of the clip. I saw him in person once at a Democratic Governors Association event, and remember him as pretty funny. I hope future videos show a bit more of that humor.

A lot of people will key in on his speaking in Spanish, let me just add a heartfelt, “bully for you, Governor!” I would like to see these videos dubbed into other languages, as well. Richardson has a leg up in this area. Let’s talk to all Americans, even those who are new here and learning our language.

On The Whole

All of these have their good points and bad points. Some were better at being conversational. Some were lit or shot better. Some used context and setting better. What’s important is that everyone is in the game. All of the candidates have seen from 2006 the importance of this medium, and are – pardon my pun – exploring it. I hope to see them all grow as vLoggers (or whatever you’d call them!) as the campaign goes on.

My quick takes:

Vilsack – Conversational
Good: Thoughtful delivery. Intimate camera.
Bad: Hmmmm…I’ll get back to you on that. I really like this video.

Edwards – Active
Good: Top-notch context and setting. Free-flowing dialog
Bad: Get in closer. It’s a small picture area online, medium and wide shots don’t get enough emotion (read: your face) across. Start wide (to get the cleanup) and cut in.

Dodd – On-the-Fly
Good: Very open and conversational, very comfortable. Two-way video communication web page!
Bad: The “Afterthought” effect.

Obama – Controlled
Good: “Strong” camera. Dramatic lighting. Good delivery.
Bad: For this one it works, but loosen up a little in the future. Careful in your framing (ie. the “Half Hands” at the bottom of the frame).

Clinton – Inviting
Good: Conversational. Good balance of policy and personality. Nice humor.
Bad: Relax and be yourself. Like Obama, get off the script a little next time. You’re sitting on my desktop. Let me get to know you.

Richardson – Exuberant
Good: Depth and Information. Homey, yet formal setting.
Bad: Let your humor out. You’re a famous “backslapper” of a politician. Give us a little tap!