Presidential Campaign Video - Visual Analysis

Obama: For Decades to Come - OFA Colorado

1. What visual elements grab your attention first?
     - The visual elements that grab my attention first, are the large majority of students standing and watching Obama's speech, along with their reactions.  Obama is also shown campaigning with more students behind him, which portrays a large crowd.

2. What other details reinforce that impression? How?
     - Other details that reinforce the impression, are the many small clips of students trying to make a "change" by promoting Obama's run for president by going door-to-door and holding conventions.

3. What is more important? Less important?
     - The most important things, are the audio of Obama's speech playing throughout the entire video as montages of everyday students are 'making a difference'; and the less important things are the reactions of the students, because the have no major value on the impact of the video.

4. What about color and style?  What impact do they have on your impressions?
    - The colors in Obama's video are vibrant, which makes the entire mood positive.  It is simply edited, but impactful, and the score is upbeat, motivational and positive, which coincides with the edit of the video portraying Colorado students working hard to promote Obama.

5. How does the image direct the viewer's eyes and reinforce what is important?
    - Throughout the video, there are many different camera angles, but most of them prove to be important to the impact that the video makes as a whole.  One major method that is somewhat subtle, is that when students are holding up the Obama signs, the word 'FORWARD' is seen in all of the signs in the same direction; which resembles Obama's plan and goal to move 'forward'.

6. What text is included? How does the text relate to the image?
    - Obama's campaign video first includes the name of the city, "Fort Collins", so that the viewer knows where the video is taking place.  Throughout the video, the word, 'forward' can be seen many, many times; which is major to the video, due to the fact that Barack Obama wants to move 'forward' to making America a more ideal country.  At the end, 'Obama - Biden' can be seen, so the viewer is informed about who is running for president.

7. What argument is being made? Consider: when this was made (kairos), who is the
audience, what is the purpose (exigency).
    - The argument that is being made, is that the young people of today's America are the key to the future and for decades to come.  In Obama's speech, he explains to young people in 2012 for his new campaign, that four years ago, young people had record numbers in votes; and he basically explains that they have the power to make a 'change' and drive the country 'forward'.


8. List details that provide ethos, pathos, logos.
    - The only logos that was noticed in the video, is when he mentioned the young people having record votes four years ago.  There is much pathos, especially towards the young audience, due to the constant mention of young people, registering to vote, voting, and influencing future generations to vote.  The montage of average students registering to vote and promoting what they believe is also somewhat in the range of pathos; but also in ethos; because they credibly portray what Obama is trying to represent in his speech.