Unit: Political Television Ads

Exploration:

Making Political Ads Notes: http://pcl.stanford.edu/campaigns/2008/index.html

· Narrative Tone: The tone of an ad’s narration can be positive, negative, comic, ironic, serious, etc. The tone is set by the narrator’s voice and the script itself.

· Imagery: Imagery can be used to greatly influence the effectiveness of an ad, and can be the centerpiece of an ad or just “stock” images that are dependent on the rest of the content. (show Feinstein ads, show 3am ad)

· http://pcl.stanford.edu/research/books/goingnegative/

o Techniques:

§ Lighting: Good lighting = positive reflection on candidate, Bad lighting = negative reflection (factcheck)

§ Angles: High angle = weakness or inferiority, Low angle = strength or dominance (original mavericks)

§ Close-Ups: Extreme close-ups are unflattering

§ Setting/Background: Where the candidate is, or what you see in the background can effect viewers subconsciously and lend “associative” ideas to candidates (what kind?)

· Special Effects:

§ Tilts/Shakes: Tilts and shaking cameras are jarring to the viewer so are used to associate a candidate with something that is wrong

§ Sound Effects: Like tilts and shakes, sounds can associate a candidate with pleasing or disturbing ideas. Dramatic sound effects such as loud booms, canned clapping/cheering, canned laughter, etc. can emphasize points. (education)

§ Transitions: Certain transitions can be used to effect. For example, an iris transition could make a candidate appear comical, or a wipe effect can give the idea that the image wiping out the prior image is more important or more worthy

(show anti-McCain ad for example of unflattering imagery)

· Ad Types:

o Positive: Positive Ads focus on the candidate who originated the ad, their records, their positions, etc. and why they are a good choice

o Negative: Negative Ads focus on the candidate who originated the ad’s opponent and why they are a bad choice. Negative Ads generally attack a candidate’s record, position, associations (obama and rezko, mccain and keating five), or life style.

· The Law:

o McCain/Feingold Campaign Reform Act (2002)

§ Candidates must endorse ads paid for by money within their own campaign. Hence, the “I’m Joe Smith and I approved this message” line.

§ Law meant to minimize negative campaigning as candidates must take responsibility for what is said in their own ads.

§ PACs, Special Interest Groups, National Parties, etc. must claim responsibility for the ad, hence the “This ad paid for by “this group” line. - note that often special interest groups will ask their candidate to also endorse their commercial to lend legitimacy to the ad.

o False Advertising/Libel (fixed medium)/Slander (spoken):

§ Commercial advertising has strict regulations and penalties for false advertising, and private citizens have certain protections against being falsely accused or having their reputation damaged, but political campaigns and political candidates have less protection against false allegations in the interest of free speech for the public good. (in other words, political candidates are largely fair game and the public is left to decide for themselves what is, or is not, true.)

ESSAY

The Media and Political Ad Analyses:

Essay: Compare and Contrast 4 Political TV Ads.

· 2 Ads must be prior to the 2008 election and 2 after

· 2 Ads must be positive and 2 negative

· Each ad must include verifiable claims

· No youtube ads, unless the ad on youtube is a non-edited replay of an ad that was broadcasted

· Discussion to include the following:

o Types

o Effectiveness and outcome

o Techniques (tone, imagery, special effects)

o Accuracy (you must provide reliable sources to prove your assertion)