2 Minute Ads are Marathons, Not Sprints

They also take you by surprise.

Flipping through television, Barack Obama just came on before the 8 pm hour and spoke, directly at the camera, for a 2 minute advertisement.  No background music, no quick cuts: just the junior Senator from Illinois, explaining his positions.  It's arresting in its simplicity, but yet the tone isn't dour or depressing; rather, it's focused and (oh-so-slightly) optimistic.  

As much as anything, it reminded me how unaccustomed I am to watching long scenes with minimal frame changes.  I (and I imagine many of my generation) have grown accustomed to camera tricks, quick cuts, sound and sight cues--really, anything to keep us from tuning out.  If you haven't noticed this, try to watch a movie from the 1930s-1960s and watch how the films are shot. The difference is drastic.  For me, these distractions make me pay attention less to the actual message, which in many cases is just what directors want to have happen: if there isn't a story to tell, dress it up with flashy visuals and soundtracks, instead.

Certainly, Obama's team-- and probably Obama himself-- know that they do have a story to tell.  Moreover, it's an important one, and to cut through "SAAAAVE BYYYYY ZEEEEEE-RO," "Five dollar foot long!" and the like, they had to toy with the medium.  For a candidate poised to become president during the worst economic times since the Great Depression, it's only fitting that his commercials would invoke film techniques of an earlier time.

Looking forward to the 30 minute program tomorrow night.