Shooting Your Ads on the Road – Edwards “Together” Ad

One advantage to having cameras on the road is an abundance of footage. With cost barriers to high image quality cameras evaporating, you can roll Hi-Def tape day after day after day and – provided your cameraperson has a good eye – have what you need for better commercials, when the time comes to go up on television.

I ran into Edwards’ videographer – Peter – at the debate in Vegas. We’d met here and there before, going back to the winter DNC meeting in Washington almost a year ago. One thing we chatted about was how his footage was providing a great deal of the material in Senator Edwards ads. Armed with a Sony HDV camera (I think he uses the HVR-Z1U), Pete’s strong lens work holds up to broadcast specs and provides Joe Trippi and company with an endless stream of footage for their ads.

The key point here is not the abundance of footage, though. It’s the realityof the footage. Watching this Edwards ad, it’s clear that it’s not a setup. This is a real campaign event. The crowd is a real crowd. What Edwards is saying is the same thing he’d say in a meeting hall or living room.

Most ads that feature the candidate speaking to a group of folks are completely forced. There is nothing real about them. A good videographer on the road, with a high-quality camera, gives you all the tape you’ll need to convey the authenticity of your candidate and campaign.