Clips that clicked
The 10 most memorable web videos from the 2008 U.S. election
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 4, 2008 | 11:59 AM ET
By Greig Dymond, CBC News
Animated versions of U.S. presidential candidates Barack Obama, left, and John McCain are the stars in the 2008 election video Time for Some Campaignin', created by digital entertainment studio JibJab. (JibJab Studios) Some of the key U.S. campaign battlegrounds have been Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida … and YouTube. The video-sharing site has become so ubiquitous, it’s easy to forget that it wasn’t even around for the Kerry-Bush battle in 2004.
No matter what happens on election day, Democrat candidate Barack Obama seems to be the clear winner when it comes to the battle of viral videos; his supporters have been more creative and pro-active than Republican John McCain’s in getting the message out via cheaply produced web missives.
Here's a survey of 10 made-for-the-web videos that generated buzz during the election season. (Although the Tina Fey-as-Palin skits on Saturday Night Live were viewed millions of times, the focus here is on material created specifically for the internet.)
Obama Girl: I Got A Crush on Obama
It was June 2007, when Amber Lee Ettinger (aka Obama Girl) unleashed this annoyingly catchy tune on an unsuspecting electorate. It became an instant internet phenomenon, despite uninspired lyrics like, “You're into border security/Let's break this border between you and me/Universal health-care reform/It makes me warm.” The clip features Ettinger in a variety of form-fitting outfits while woodenly lip-synching Leah Kauffman's vocals. Even Obama himself weighed in on the viral hit: "It's just one more example of the fertile imagination of the internet." Given the extramarital hijinks of both Bill Clinton and John Edwards, it makes sense that no photo op between the senator and Ettinger was ever arranged. (Note: A video called Insane for McCain by "McCain McCutie" generated significantly fewer views.)
Sarah Silverman and the Great Schlep
Figuring that Florida will be a tight election battleground, foul-mouthed comic Sarah Silverman asked Jewish grandchildren across the U.S. to travel to that state and tell grandparents who live there to vote for Obama. It's an original approach, to be sure, and she even suggests – in her politically incorrect way – that it's OK to use emotional blackmail to cajole this elderly demographic: "You don't have to use facts; use threats!"
Dear Mr. Obama
Attracting almost 13 million views on YouTube, Dear Mr. Obama garnered more buzz than any other pro-Republican web video this year. Directed by Michael Brown, the powerful film runs less than two minutes, with a concept as simple and heartfelt as it gets. Shot from the waist up, a 23-year-old Iraq veteran named Joe Cook addresses the viewer. He says he'll be voting for McCain, because the Arizona senator supports the war in Iraq. Cook chides Obama: "When you called the Iraqi war a mistake, you disrespect the service and the sacrifice of everyone who has died promoting freedom." When he's finished, Cook turns around and walks away from the camera, revealing his prosthetic left leg.
McCain vs. Obama Dance-Off
Forget the endless campaigning, debates and attack ads. In this video, the next president is to be determined in a dance-off between Obama's crew and McCain's "Grand Old Posse." Thanks to some nifty special effects, the candidates' heads are grafted onto incredibly nimble bodies. Obama busts several impressive moves, but in unveiling a new campaign slogan – "Krumping you can believe in" – the septuagenarian McCain proves a worthy opponent. Two-and-a-half minutes of sheer non-partisan bliss.
Yes We Can
While the Democratic nomination battle was raging in February, will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas released this pro-Obama video love-in. The musician essentially took the senator's concession speech on the night of the New Hampshire primary and set it to music. The video – directed by Bob Dylan's son, Jesse – has a Gap ad esthetic, combining tasteful, black-and-white minimalism with appearances from attractive celebs like Scarlett Johansson, John Legend and Tatyana Ali. More than any other web video, Yes We Can helped to establish Obama as the candidate who represented generational change.
Time for Some Campaignin'
Four years ago, the folks at JibJab.com hit viral paydirt with their crudely animated election satire This Land Is Your Land, in which cartoon figures of George W. Bush and John Kerry skewered each other with lyrics set to the tune of the Woody Guthrie classic. This election, JibJab scored another hit with Time for Some Campaignin'. The musical template is Dylan's The Times They Are A-Changin', but the comedy is still non-partisan; Democrat and Republican icons are both bashed mercilessly. The depiction of Obama as a fey, unicorn-riding innocent who spouts platitudes about change is especially cutting.
Ron Howard's Call to Action
Swearing that he isn't simply following some "liberal Hollywood trend," actor-turned-director Ron Howard endorses Obama by slipping on a couple of different toupees and revisiting his two best-known acting roles. First, the 54-year-old transforms himself into eight-year old Opie Taylor from The Andy Griffith Show, and gets some pointed political advice from his TV Pa. "People are funny," the now 82-year-old Griffith says. "Sometimes change scares them. They'd rather keep doing the same old thing that's been messin' them up." Howard also dons Richie Cunningham gear to talk about the election with his Happy Days pal, The Fonz (Henry Winkler, in an unconvincing wig). This isn't the funniest campaign-related video out there, but points go to Howard for his self-deprecation. Americans will have to figure out if they want to take political advice from Opie.
Wassup 08
Late in the campaign, a wry update of the iconic "Wassup" Budweiser ad (2000) provided yet another compelling piece of free advertising for Obama. This version is definitely not intended to promote beer. Eight years later, the friends from the original commercial reunite over the phone, but their carefree tone has disappeared -- they're suffering through the dregs of the Bush administration: unemployment, the Iraq war and market turmoil. At the end of the spot, Obama is presented as the light at the end of the tunnel. This instantly popular video was directed by Charles Stone III, who helmed the first Wassup ad and had retained the rights to the original concept and characters. (He also appears as the first character we see.) This sequel cost him approximately $6,500 US to make.
Paris Hilton for President
Back in July, the McCain campaign released an ad that tried (with little success) to bash Obama for being "a celebrity." That 30-second spot included brief glimpses of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, thereby implying that the Democratic candidate had as much to contribute to public life as these pathological narcissists. In this video for the humour site Funny or Die, Hilton strikes back. Wearing a leopard-print bathing suit, she refers to McCain as the "wrinkly white-haired guy," and claims that she's running for president as well. She then lays out her (surprisingly complex) energy policy and hints that she may choose singer Rihanna as her running mate. The overexposed heiress/nightclub stalwart is not as deft at satire as Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert, but this self-parody racked up millions of views.
5 Friends and 5 More Friends
For Hollywood star power, nothing on the web rivalled 5 Friends, and its sequel, 5 More Friends. Ostensibly, this is a public service announcement that employs reverse psychology to get Americans out to vote. Virtually every A-lister seems to have appeared in one of these two videos: Leonardo DiCaprio, Halle Berry, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Steven Spielberg, Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx, Will Smith and Harrison Ford are all here, initially demanding (with tongue firmly in cheek) that people "don't vote," because this isn't an important election. The celebs then quickly reverse their plea, and ask everyone watching to track down five friends, and make sure they do vote. The point here is to make voter registration a viral phenomenon. Although the clip purports to be a non-partisan PSA, the fact that many of the participants have actually endorsed Obama makes this feel like a slick ad for the Democratic nominee.
Greig Dymond writes about the arts for CBCNews.ca.
