Obama Infomercial Well Received By Media

Last night Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign aired a thirty minute infomercial, a way to address voters that hasn't been seen in this campaign. The cost to run this program nation wide on many leading networks was around four million, a number that puts Obama's financial advantage in perspective. Many viewers and writers had positive comments about the show, and thought the feel of the ad may have caused it to be more effective. As stated by The Politico it, "weaved together American iconography -- images of amber waves of grain, pickup trucks and American flags -- with portraits of iconic voters, testimonials from politicians and one business figure, footage of Obama speeches and direct appeals from the candidate"(1). The writer of this article felt the composition of the film really added to its effectiveness, by bringing shots of an average American into the homes of viewers and how Obama will affect everyone's life. Without this composition and smooth editing, the program wouldn't have been nearly as effective because it wouldn't cause people to stop what their doing and watch it, and it wouldn't tell so strongly where Obama stands on issues. A writer from the Washington Post, Tom Shales wrote the program was, "a series of seamlessly blended segments"(1). Tom Shales noticed how the editors of the infomercial compiled the clips, making the film both interesting and informative. By understanding film analysis techniques, much more can be gained from watching seemingly normal programs such as the one aired by the Obama campaign.

"Campaign News." “USNews”. 30 Oct 2008. 30 Oct 2008 .