subject: Media Placement Of Political Commercial Advertising [print this page] Political voice over samples Political voice over samples
Sometimes called 'Public Information Films', these short programmes broadcast on radio and television are in reality a political commercial, or advertisement. The format has changed significantly over time, in an attempt to reach a wider audience and as a result they compare favourably with many short films produced solely for the purpose of commercial entertainment.
In their earliest days, films of this type were not regarded as 'entertainment' per se, and generally took the form of sober statements of fact by established senior politicians, usually sitting behind a desk in an office, telling the viewer why he thought we should vote for him. Every broadcast seemed exactly the same as the one before it, and on many occasions one felt the party spokesman was reading from a script or an autocue.
Radio and television (especially the latter) rapidly proved to be an effective way of appealing to many people, and the struggle to win "hearts and minds" intensified. This has now become the preferred choice of the newly-created party political campaign manager, whose role is just as vital as that of the leader of any political party. Millions of dollars are spent on TV advertising each year in the USA, and it is considered money well spent. However, public meetings (hustings), along with the printing of leaflets and traditional 'door knocking' campaigns seem to be on the decline.
Nowadays, music will be a feature of every political campaign 'infomercial'. In some cases it will play a major part as loud, proud, patriotic brass band music to encourage the voter to rush out and place his (or her) cross in the 'right' box. Alternatively, it may be the subdued, soothing sound of strings playing in the background, giving grounds for optimism in the face of adversity.
It has also become popular for the politician featured in these broadcasts to be seen in conversation with well-known entertainment or sports personalities. These guests may be genuine supporters of the politician or the party, and will usually be carefully selected to appeal to the undecided voter.
A number of well-known actors, writers and famous sports personalities have made a second career for themselves as politicians. This is not really surprising when one remembers that an actor's greatest talent is his Voice, which he needs to persuade his listeners to suspend their disbelief for a brief moment and allow themselves to be entertained by the plot of a work of fiction, whether a play or a film. This does not detract from the value of politics and those involved in government, but an acknowledgement that a professional, articulate actor with the gift of oratory is in an ideal position to use his talents to benefit others by choosing to serve as a politician.
