We must be in heaven, man!
How does this video make Obama look like a rock star?
First of all, the rally itself looks like a concert. It's outdoors, there's a big stage and a huge crowd, and people are screaming, not just clapping. But if the whole video were shot from the audience's perspective, it would just look like a political rally. We would be passively waiting with the audience for the headliner to appear, and then we'd see the Obama we know from TV.
Instead, the video begins backstage (sidestage, really), and you can instantly tell. It's like the inside of a giant black tent, with lots of scaffolding, and I think you can see the sound guy at his mixing board on the right. It looks like backstage at a rock concert, which we've all seen in concert movies. And here's the thing: What does backstage at a campaign rally look like? We don't know, because nobody's shown us. It suggests backroom deals. But here, it's just Obama, a young woman, a young black man, and one white guy in a suit (who quickly ducks out of the frame). And then Obama talks to us.
First we hear the announcer introducing Obama, with exactly the tone of a concert promoter. And what's more exciting than going to a rock concert and hearing the promoter announce the headliner? Being backstage with the headliner as he is introduced, because he has to immediately go out on stage and meet his fans. There's urgency, not just anticipation.
But suddenly, Obama turns to the camera and gives his pitch for caucusing. It lasts just six seconds, but with the audience roaring in the background, it feels much longer. It's an incredibly taut moment, with Obama stretched between his live audience and us, the YouTube viewers. It feels all the more personal because he is supposed to be out on that stage.
So far, candidate YouTube videos have been mostly TV clips, conventional footage of rallies, or fawning supporter videos. Here, Obama is truly YouTubing. Centered in the frame, his face slightly distorted by the wide-angle lens, is it any wonder he looks incredibly young?
Then, without a cut, the camera turns toward the stage as he walks out, and the light changes from the cool of backstage to the warm glow of the spotlights. But again, we're backstage, so we can see the spotlights. As no other candidate can, he walks out on stage calmly, casually, and yells, "Hey!" Finally, the video switches to the audience's view as he greets the on-stage group in that warm stage light.
It looks thrown together, but this is a well-crafted video. Obama's voice is coming from the wireless microphone clipped to his shirt, while the introduction and the crowd noise are from another microphone. There's very little distortion. They've been perfectly mixed, probably while the video was being edited. (If the camera were plugged into the sound board, the cheering wouldn't be so loud.)
It's also a very smart political video. By taking us backstage and showing us the rock-star trappings of Obama's rally -- and in a sense, of his life -- the video makes him a rock star.
First of all, the rally itself looks like a concert. It's outdoors, there's a big stage and a huge crowd, and people are screaming, not just clapping. But if the whole video were shot from the audience's perspective, it would just look like a political rally. We would be passively waiting with the audience for the headliner to appear, and then we'd see the Obama we know from TV.
Instead, the video begins backstage (sidestage, really), and you can instantly tell. It's like the inside of a giant black tent, with lots of scaffolding, and I think you can see the sound guy at his mixing board on the right. It looks like backstage at a rock concert, which we've all seen in concert movies. And here's the thing: What does backstage at a campaign rally look like? We don't know, because nobody's shown us. It suggests backroom deals. But here, it's just Obama, a young woman, a young black man, and one white guy in a suit (who quickly ducks out of the frame). And then Obama talks to us.
First we hear the announcer introducing Obama, with exactly the tone of a concert promoter. And what's more exciting than going to a rock concert and hearing the promoter announce the headliner? Being backstage with the headliner as he is introduced, because he has to immediately go out on stage and meet his fans. There's urgency, not just anticipation.
But suddenly, Obama turns to the camera and gives his pitch for caucusing. It lasts just six seconds, but with the audience roaring in the background, it feels much longer. It's an incredibly taut moment, with Obama stretched between his live audience and us, the YouTube viewers. It feels all the more personal because he is supposed to be out on that stage.
So far, candidate YouTube videos have been mostly TV clips, conventional footage of rallies, or fawning supporter videos. Here, Obama is truly YouTubing. Centered in the frame, his face slightly distorted by the wide-angle lens, is it any wonder he looks incredibly young?
Then, without a cut, the camera turns toward the stage as he walks out, and the light changes from the cool of backstage to the warm glow of the spotlights. But again, we're backstage, so we can see the spotlights. As no other candidate can, he walks out on stage calmly, casually, and yells, "Hey!" Finally, the video switches to the audience's view as he greets the on-stage group in that warm stage light.
It looks thrown together, but this is a well-crafted video. Obama's voice is coming from the wireless microphone clipped to his shirt, while the introduction and the crowd noise are from another microphone. There's very little distortion. They've been perfectly mixed, probably while the video was being edited. (If the camera were plugged into the sound board, the cheering wouldn't be so loud.)
It's also a very smart political video. By taking us backstage and showing us the rock-star trappings of Obama's rally -- and in a sense, of his life -- the video makes him a rock star.
posted by Steve at
9:15 PM
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