Posts Tagged ‘smithsonian’
Watch This: Smithsonian Call to Action – Voice Your Vision
In honor of Night at the Museum: battle of the Smithsonian – which I took my two boys to this weekend – check out:
Obama “Green Gathering” Trailer
I’ve been going through old videos, looking at the campaigns’ work with an eye toward a year-end wrap up. One that I just watched that I had missed before was this piece from the Obama camp.
This video (like their Iowa J-J invitation piece, and others) shows the great creativity that every campaign draws. Even (perhaps especially) the Gravel operation has created interesting, different and creative work.
Campaigns without resources can make up for it in creativity online.
The lower resource barriers of web video production make adventurous pieces like these a lot less risky. A “why not try it” spirit not only makes for interesting videos (though they won’t all be winners!), but also fits well with candidates who a selling “freshness.” Heck, they can even help candidates selling “experience” not seem so stale…
So why not more of them?
PWNED! What Gravel was up to during the Vegas debate
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.
Elizabeth Kucinich Follows My Lead
When I was young, and still living in Denver, I spent many school nights kicking around in downtown coffee houses. Paris on the Platte was a favorite. The Market in LoDo and St. Mark’s (around the corner) were habitual haunts of my friends and I. Whenever the Psychodelic Zombiez or my pals in On Second Thought played the Mercury Cafe, I’d certainly be found there.
On more than a few occasions, I played the open mic nights at “The Merc” myself.
The video above brought memories flooding back, as I watched Elizabeth Kucinich speak to supporters at The Mercury Cafe. Lord knows what a blubbering, emotional mess I’ll become when the convention takes me back to the city that raised me.
Writers’ Workshop – Members of the WGA put on an advocacy vlogging clinic as part of their strike
Let us get the following out in the open: I am extremely partial to the Writers Guild of America in their strike against the AMPTP. After all, at one point I fancied myself a future member.
Now, members of the Guild are inspiring me once again, as they provide a superb example of how to vlog in support of your agenda. I saw the video below posted at United Hollywood, which is the go-to site for strike information. This video speaks with a number of WGA strike captains, who explain what the strike is about and make clear what they’re fighting for. This isn’t some abstract contract dispute between the Union and the Producers.
This is a struggle for working writers to make a living during those long stretches of time when they aren’t actively employed on a show or movie. It not only shows what is at stake for the casual viewer or outsider, it makes a strong activation case for Members to become Captains themselves.
The video above packs a ton of factual material into 3:50, laying out the case for the strike quickly and clearly. It goes through decades of Hollywood Labor history, they formulas behind residuals as they are, and the better structure the Guild is working toward.
It’s not exactly a surprise that the WGA members are putting out material of this quality. They are professional storytellers, after all. What surprises me is that these folks aren’t being pulled in to create content for the 2008 contenders. I’m guessing a lot of them are politically minded and progressive. Why aren’t they in the camps of the Democratic candidates?
Actually, I know exactly why (hint: it’s the pay). And for me, it’s for the best. I don’t want to compete with the guys behind The Office.
Edwards Hammers Away at Clinton (and in New Orleans)
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!
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.
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.
Their Change and Mine: Getting OffTheBus with Obama Canvassers
As part of their groundbreaking crowdsourced-coverage program, OffTheBus, the good folks at Huffington Post put out a call for coverage of the Obama campaign’s Canvass for Change over the past weekend. Here’s my contribution to their effort.
I’ve loved shooting the grassroots in this election cycle; at Edwards and Clinton events, at the California Democratic Convention, and at Obama’s Camp Obama in Burbank and national canvassing activities. While I’m used to turning my lens on the candidates who are the “head” of the movement, their is something tremendously inspiring about getting out there with the “body” of activists, after too many years at a desk in HQ.
I’ll stay “OffTheBus” (though the bus I was on was usually the candidate’s bus, rather than the press bus HuffPo refers to!), to cover what’s happening in the energized Democratic grassroots. Check back here for the latest releases.
Rob Reiner appears in Clinton video…but does her campaign “Go to eleven?”
I’d meant to post this before, as any appearance by Meathead deserves an upload. File it under better late than never. If you haven’t watched this yet, check it out! In it, Hollywood impresario Rob Reiner directs Clinton supporters in how to convey their outreach.
A friend connected to a rival campaign points out, “This is a video where they need a Hollywood director to show Hillary’s young supporters how to be enthusiastic.”
Sharp elbows, indeed – but why would a passionate supporter need a great director like Reiner to impart their heartfelt support of Hillary? It’s something to think about while you watch Reiner’s funny performance.
Getting Personal With Mike Gravel About His Past Bankruptcy
Former Senator Mike Gravel’s campaign released this video a week back, and I thought it worth posting here. It will get nowhere near the attention of the Rock or Fire videos. That’s a shame because there is something much more important going on in this piece than there was in those artsy one-off clips.
In response to a video question through YouTube, Gravel addresses a bankruptcy in his family’s past in frank and clear words. This is a candidate using the online video medium to give a direct response to a direct – and tough – citizen question. I would love to see more of this from the other campaigns. At least once a week check in with a simple video like this answering a question without a bunch of hubbub.
Just once a week.
Please.
Even Joe Biden had a montage
So…
It’s a montage of preparations for the Harkin Steak-Fry from the Biden campaign. No big deal – Right?
Wrong.
Listen to that song. Recognize it? It’s “Montage” from Team America: World Police. The wonderment of puppetry where marionette action heroes battle Kim Jung Il over…something.
For those who didn’t see Parker and Stone’s masterpiece – or need a memory-refresher – here’s the original song number:
Lyrics are after the jump… (more…)