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What If They Had An Election And No One Showed Up?

That was the sort of question which inspired that ad I described in the last post. What would happen if the Democratic party so demoralized its own supporters that they boycotted an election?

Apparently it's an idea that seems to resonate with a lot of people. So, I thought I'd give everyone a quick update on the progress of what has now become our little project.

• I have two completed scripts, which I hope are timed so that they can be read comfortably in 30 seconds. They may have to undergo further cuts, if they are too long.  
• I have a basic motion storyboard, following the concept written out in the post below, set to the music I chose. I found a great instrumental version of Happy Days Are Here Again on the Internet Archive, which means it's in the public domain, so  won't be pulled from YouTube for copyright violations.
  
• An actor and DJ from New Orleans, Louisiana, named Farrar Hudkins, has volunteered to do the voiceover for the YouTube, sparing you the difficulty of having to decipher my yowls and hisses. I plan to have all the requisite video work done by this Friday, and will put the voiceover on as soon as I get it.
  
• A radio producer in New York City has graciously offered to take the scripts, and the YouTube, and produce a radio-friendly version of the spot. This is fantastic, as radio spots are much cheaper to run than tv ads (even though I want to make the tv version of the ad as well)
  

So,  there we are, the video is almost done. It won't take long to put the voice track on it. As soon as we have the YouTube and the radio spot, we can try to raise money to produce and air a tv spot. I'll need your help for that. But it'll be easier to plan once you all see the great little video this is shaping up to be.

Everyone stay tuned.

Oh wait, wait... I forgot that I have a question for you, regarding the campaign signs in the video.

Originally, I had thought to replace all the names on the campaign signs in the video with something generic, Smith or Jones etc. But a reader has suggested that we put in the names of the politicians we would intend to target, like Ross, or Baucus, or maybe Nelson.

So what do you think? Generic names or specific targeting of certain pols?

(Crossposted to Whiskeyfire)

This is the Ad I Want to See

It goes like this:

Fade-in on a scene of a politician's office, currently empty. The camera zooms in on the abandoned store-front and the tune "Happy Days Are Here Again" rises in the background. 

[-Voice Over: "Hey Democrats, the 2010 elections are coming up."]

The scene switches to the receptionists office, also empty. A phone is heard ringing in the distant background. The music continues, although we notice that it seems to be slowing, as if the song were playing on an old record player that's winding down.

[-Voice Over: "We hope that, during the campaign season, you’ll remember way back in 2009 when you gave away any chance of real healthcare reform to your buddies in the insurance industry, and stuck America with a mandate to buy inadequate health insurance coverage at inflated rates."]

The scene shifts again, to a campaign phone bank, the camera pans across the rows of empty chairs and unmanned phones. Then shifts to another scene of the empty campaign headquarters. If possible I'd like to use a photo or film of thousands of campaign flyers and doorhangers, sitting around unused, or even thrown in the trash.

[-Voice Over: "We hope that you remember when you made backroom deals with Blue Cross, Aetna and the drug manufacturers that ensured more Americans would be forced into bankruptcy because of illness, or even die, because some insurance company bureaucrat would rather make his bonus for the year, than pay for their claims.”]

Then we move on to election night, the camera pans across a mostly empty banquet hall, and a mostly empty campaign rally. A politician is speaking, but his voice is almost inaudible in the echoing reverb of the unattended event, and seems very far away. Nearer by you hear a broom sweeping, and a garbage truck, driving off into the night.(Fade out)

[-Voice Over: "We hope that you’ll remember, because we sure will."]

(Maybe show a quick poll result here, highlighting the continual favorable results for the public option, or even single payer)

CHYRON: Progressives agree with 72% of America, we need a public option.

The last shot is of the original abandoned storefront headquarters that we saw in the opening, the camera zooms out, and maybe the music resumes its earlier, jaunty rhythym.

[Voice Over: Just a little reminder from the millions of progressive democrats who worked the phones and knocked on doors and donated their money to help put you in office."]

That's the Ad I'd like to see on the air before any bill gets near the president's desk. I am open to suggestions on how to improve on the script, and I'm also seeking any good pictures readers may have of mostly empty campaign events and other scenes of abandoned political venues.

I'm not against accepting funding except that I am uncertain if I can get enough to produce it in time. Currently I'm working on a youtube video, a moving storyboard version of the script you just read.

Suggestions? Ideas? Donations?

Let me know, either in comments or by email.

My email is: g a t o b l o g g e r r o "at" y a h o o "dot" c o m