VID: 'All These Things' [The OBAMA Movement]

[zimshan]

For the record, I blame this all on the complete LACK of Obama vidding in the world. We've gotta do something about that.

In honor of Dr. King Day, and Obama's Inauguration Weekend, I give you...

'ALL THESE THINGS'
A Story of the Obama Movement
Song/Band: ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ by the Killers
Vidder: zimshan
Fandom: Obama/American Politics/American History
Length: 4:50
Summary: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." Time, truth, and hearts of The American People jettison the skinny junior Senator of Illinois to the Presidency.
Links: 51 MB AVI | 51 MB AVI [ALT LINK]| BAM Vid Vault (Streaming)| Youtube
Disclaimer: All clips property of Obama for America, CNN, and CBS. I claim no ownership of anything in this vid other than the editing I have done myself. If I knew the editor of the campaign’s wonderful ‘Signs of Hope and Change’ vid, I would credit them for their magnificent black boxes I shamelessly just HAD to use at 02:40.

Find more videos like this on BAM Vid Vault



I'm laughing my ass off that I ACTUALLY made this.

And THIS SONG. I *know*. It’s been done to DEATH. But it struck such a chord with so many of us during our work on the campaign. We'd turn it on when we were tired, annoyed, or in need of a morale boost, and it'd give us the quick boost of energy we'd need every time. So, all along, in sort of a crazy way, I had this idea in the back of my head that this would make the perfect Obama movement vid.

And then, something amazing happened: we won. WE ACTUALLY WON. And I just...someone NEEDED to vid this. Not to show the Barack Obama story like the million and one versions every channel in the world has been trodding out since, (and still all insist on missing the most crucial point: the ground game that had been laid between February 2007 and January 2008 *cough*). But to concentrate on The Movement of the American People that unfolded in these crucial 22 months. Democrats, Independents, Republicans, old, young, black, white, asian, latino. That's not just a line from an Obama speech, it was true. And someone just had to use this song to show it.

But I convinced myself that it deserved a lot better a vidding job than I could ever give it. So, I waited and waited and NO ONE DID ANYTHING. And the idea kept nagging me and nagging me, like vidbunnies do, until Christmas when our internet went out and I gave in, deciding to see what it might look like. By the time I actually sat down to put this together, I had most of it trodded out in my head. So the hard part was done, right?

NOPE. Because, by far, the HARDEST part was my complete LACK of good source. It seems incredibly wrong that it’s harder to vid historical events than any tv show out there. But the number of HD sources for politics are SEVERELY limited. The whole political world seems to get by on youtube and youtube alone, and how disasterous is that for vidding? It became especially hard with video of the grassroots campaigning prior to January 2008, which I wanted to highlight here. It breaks my heart that there aren’t enough HQ sources of the Harkin Steak Fry or Iowa’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. [Heck, there's hardly any sources, period, and in my eyes, without what happened at those events, we wouldn't have a President Obama to inaugurate!] Many sources I wanted to use, I couldn’t, and some sources I didn’t want to use, I had to, simply because of the fight between higher quality and the right imagery. One day, I hope to obtain better source of these moments and remaster this to the quality it deserves. But until then, I hope you all can enjoy what little I can bring...

FOUR QUICK POINTS:

1) I say the above to stress that regrettably this vid is not something to watch full screen. The downloadable 51 MB AVI I got to render by some miracle with less quality issues than I assumed (though the compression did wouldn't work for a crisp smaller download). Some of the beginning footage is still extremely pixelated but it gets less so as the vid progresses with more HD footage. I actually favor the IMEEM version, since it has the pretty black bars, even if it screwed up some of my coloring. Unless you're really crazy, don't even bother watching the Youtube version. It's horrendous.

2) As for the vid itself, it's about the most straightforward a vid I‘ve done, so I’ll leave it to judge for yourself.

But I do realize religious undertones contained in the song itself. So I want to make clear, my intention is not to characterize the Obama Movement as a religion but to characterize America and our core ideals as a sort of religion, chronicling the crisis of faith the last eight years has wrought, and the renewal for which ordinary people worked so hard for during this 22-month campaign.

3) Finally, this post is not complete without acknowledging that the Obama campaign is the source of more pride than anything I‘ve been fortunate enough to participate in. And contrary to what you might think, it really isn’t because of Obama. It’s because of the people I worked with along the way, the thousands of people who worked their butt off all over every state I visited, giving numerous amounts of time and energy that made my commitments look like a merely a passing fancy in comparison. And they did it all with a smile on their face and a joy in their hearts.

These people’s work is the untold story of the campaign.

This vid is for them.

This is simply one perspective of the movement, seen through my own eyes. There are still thousands of other perspectives still waiting to be told. And I encourage you all out there, please do so!


GEEKY HISTORICAL NOTES & TIMELINE:
1) The beginning quote was famously spoken by Dr. King after the successful completion of the Selma to Montgomery March on March 25, 1965, in his famous 'How Long, Not Long' Speech. Obama first referenced the quote at his first campaign rally at George Mason University on January 25th, 2007. The audio here has been taken from his speech on February 18th at Columbia, SC. The full excerpt can be found HERE. The full audio of the speech can be downloaded HERE and . The full video can be found HERE and HERE.

2) 00:10 - 00:27 & 01:22 - 01:26 | Features the people and houses of New Orleans two years after Katrina

3) 00:28 - 00:38 | Photographs taken by service men and women stationed in Iraq & Afghanistan, featured at the U.S. Department of Defense 2008 Gallery

4) 00:38 - 01:02 | Barack Obama's Official Presidency Candidacy Announcement | February 20, 2007 | Springfield, IL [with Obama's 2004 DNC Speech mixed in]

5) 01:19 - 01:22 | Photographs from James Nachtwey's photographs of Iraq

6) 01:30 - 01:33 | Barackobama.com! My homestay for the last two years.

7) 01:41 - 01:47 | 30th Annual Harkin Steak Fry | September 16th, 2007 | Iowa City, IA [That rainbow appeared right underneath this amazing chuppah-like banner of HOPE signs supporters had constructed earlier in the day, one of my favorite little stories of the campaign]

8) 01:49 - 01:54, 2:07 - 02:11, 02:22 - 02:24 | Obama supporters parade through the streets of Des Moines into the Iowan Democratic Jefferson-Jackson Dinner | November 10, 2007 [At a dinner all the most important and distinguished democrats of the country attended, out of the 9,000 record attendees, it was estimated about 4,000 Obama volunteers cheered, chanted, stomped, and hollered in the cheaper seats above as Obama delivered his speech. The level of organization astounded everyone. It was groundbreaking and fabulous and so much fun. Probably my favorite night of the entire campaign, and I wasn't even there myself. Iowa set the template that night for every other state in the country organizing for Obama, and the next day, everyone wanted to be Iowa.]

9) 01:54 - 01:59 | Obama Clinches Democratic Nomination | June 3rd, 2007 [Clinton concedes four days later. Sorry, still makes me laugh.]

10) 03:11 - 03:15 | CNN's coverage of the 1st Presidential Debate [HD] | September 26th, 2008 | St. Louis, MS

11) 03:39 - 03:40 | Obama Speaks to Nation After 30-Minute Ad Airs Country-Wide [HD] | October 29, 2008 | Sunrise, FL

12) 03:45 - 04:49 | CBS's coverage of Barack Obama's Presidential Victory Speech [HD] | November 4th, 2008

ADDITIONAL SOURCES:
- Barack Obama's Infomercial [HD] (without which, this vid would have been impossible)
- Signs of Hope & Change | Obama for America
- Road Trip To Iowa | Obama for America
- Students for Barack Obama | Obama for America
- America's Seniors: The Greatest Generation | Obama for America
- Newspapers: Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, Washington Post

*Many of the HQ Obama for America sources I snagged last year are no longer up for download, but for interest's sake, I've linked to the youtube versions. For those interested in the HD versions, I'd be happy to upload them.



HAPPY INAUGURATION DAY!

Comments are like cake and cookies with frosting on top. :)

Comments

[afrocurl.livejournal.com]

Great vid! (When I tried to place the YT version it gave me some error message about a malformed video, so maybe that problem has sorted itself out.)

I can't wait for tomorrow after this.

[zimshan.livejournal.com]

I still can't believe I actually did this. It's ridiculous, but it was totally fun to make. Glad it could help pump you up!

And thanks for letting me know about the YT link, these things happen when you're silly and cut off an 's'. ;)

[afrocurl.livejournal.com]

I think I'm saving listening to "I Have a Dream" for tomorrow so I can ball my eyes out all at once.

[zimshan.livejournal.com]

Oh, jeeze, they showed it today on CNN as I was posting this, and by the time it was over I had bucket fulls of tears all over my face. I haven't heard the full length in years, and after everything, it was just...jeeze. There really are no words.

[afrocurl.livejournal.com]

I knew it was on (Mom taped it for work) and I only heard the first stanza and wanted to ball my eyes out.

This is the first (and maybe only) rebroadcast of the speech in years. CNN had to get permission from the family or the museum to show it.

[zimshan.livejournal.com]

Yea, I'm really glad they were able to do so. My teachers in elementary and middle school used to play the speech for us, but watching it is really something quite different as well. I ran and grabbed a tape to record it, 'cause who knows when they'll play it again.

[afrocurl.livejournal.com]

It's on my DVR, so it'll be remembered and hopefully it will appear elsewhere.

[theminitank.livejournal.com]

Oh my god. That was beautiful. You're fantastic editor, and really captured all that Obama stands for. Thank you for making this

[zimshan.livejournal.com]

Wow, thank you, you're way too gracious, but thank you. I really wanted to work on this much longer to fix some hiccups, but even more so, I wanted it to release it today. So I'm thrilled you could enjoy it anyway!

[two-if-by-sea.livejournal.com]

I love the barackobama.com moments. And mygosh, I love it when you contrasted the ordinary people from the pundits with the "you know/ you don't" bits. A great job. ♥

[zimshan.livejournal.com]

Hee, me too! Those were among my favorite bits to lay. I actually wish I had had screencaps of the old website layout to include, I had taken a ton early last year during the crazy $7M day fundraiser but my external HD died and I lost them all. Think I can sue over stupid technology loosing precious history? ;)

At any rate, I'm glad you could enjoy!

[phoenixdown7.livejournal.com]

The imeem video stops a third of the way through and won't go any further, but thanks for the youtube link! That was a really good vid. It made me all emotional, and that's a good sign!

[zimshan.livejournal.com]

Hmm, that's strange, it seems to work for me. Imeem does tend to take a tad long to download before you can stream all the way through, but some people also encounter strange problems with it at times. Glad you could enjoy the YT link though! It's not the best too look at, but good to hear it still has an effect!

[everysecondtues.livejournal.com]

This is all kinds of amazing. And your comment outside the vid about America having undergone a sort of crisis of faith the past eight years really strikes a cord with me. Obama's campaign and Obama winning are two things that have given me a little hope and faith in us again.

Thanks so much for sharing this. ♥

[zimshan.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you, I'm so glad you could enjoy. It was a joy to make, and a pleasure to share.

And yes, that comment, really was the crux of everything during this campaign for me. It was like, all of the horrors of the last eight years, all the nonsense Bush made us endure, was somehow worth it, if it made the American People stand up, and say 'ENOUGH', and take back their country again. It's something like how progress isn't made without struggle, I guess. :)

[aurora]

This was fantastic.

[scifigirl.livejournal.com]

Um, that was AMAZING. I got chill bumps watching this. A++ (I still can't believe we did it!)

[ficbyzee.livejournal.com]

This made me cry. Thank you so much for making it.

[deepad]

That vid made me really happy. I wasn't prepared to feel moved, but I was. :)

[magdalyna.livejournal.com]

That was stunningly done, even if you feel like you could do it with better resources.

I love the building of tension, and all the fastforwarding time, with people spreading like wildfire.

[tricksterquinn.livejournal.com]

...wow. I've never seen a good vid of what a campaign is like before. Very well done, very good! Thank you for sharing.

Word on the total lack of media from the Iowa JJ, btw. I know it happened, but god help you find PHOTOS to show what it was like, nevermind video!!

[ghostrunner7.livejournal.com]

That was fantastic. A lovely tribute to all the hard work that led up to this day. Happy Inauguration Day to you!

[sarahpolk.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting this. Great energy--does a great job of capturing the spirit of the movement!

[elisi]

I love it. I reminds me of this story, which I also love. There is something happening in America - and it's down to people like you! Gorgeous work, darling! *squish*

[buffyx.livejournal.com]

Love it! What a moving video. <3

[spuzz.livejournal.com]

That was really fantastic, thank you for sharing it. And happy Inauguration Day to you as well!

[prettyquotable.livejournal.com]

Oh, this was so great. ♥

[snoopypez.livejournal.com]

okay, this was amazing. I got shivery once the "I got soul" part kicked in, and then again near the end. <3

[dine.livejournal.com]

this is fabulous - I was surprised when I began tearing up early on, and kept feeling overwhelmed throughout. you did a beautiful job with the vid, which evokes so much for viewers.

Obama vid

[yourlibrarian]

That was great to see, thanks!

[sol-se.livejournal.com]

Amazing!

[thingswithwings.livejournal.com]

totally made me cry! I love it, it's such a perfect tribute to the thing that's truly amazing about the Obama campaign, which is all the people who collectively made it happen. Beautiful.

And for all your warnings about video quality, it was nowhere near as pixellated or rough as you made it sound - you must've worked the source footage well. :)

[sainfoin-fields.livejournal.com]

This just made me cry. Again. I'm gonna be such a mess tomorrow (it's gonna be awesome).

Thanks.

[kat-lair.livejournal.com]

I may have teared up, and it's not even my country or president. Amazing.

[counteragent.livejournal.com]

Hey, this is great! Wonderful focus on the campaign and not just glamour shots of Obama. Very good song use. Way to go!

[evergleam83.livejournal.com]

I was waiting to leave feedback until I had to minute to describe to you all the ways in which this vid is AMAZING, but that's probably never gonna come, so can I just say, thanks for making me cry in the best possible way. Awesome job.

[cerulgalactus.livejournal.com]

If I had an icon of people applauding, I would use it. That was amazing, and did make me tear up. Well done.

[spork20.livejournal.com]

I got sent here because Shane^ linked you, and... AMAZING

Thank you!

[soundingsea.livejournal.com]

I watched this, and I cried. Thank you for putting it together; this is a part of history now.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Wonderful! I especially liked the parade shot when the music kicked up.

[keewick.livejournal.com]

This was so amazing. THANK YOU for creating and posting such a masterpiece. :D

[bofoddity.livejournal.com]

This was amazing and wonderful, and really sums up the importance of all of this. *bows deep*

[elodiek.livejournal.com]

Great vid! :D

[anoel.livejournal.com]

I love this vid! I've waited so long to see an Obama vid and finally here's a great one :) I love how you use motion in this and edit so perfectly with the music while showing both individual and group shots that show how this movement, how Obama effects both the individual and the country/world. The bring yourself down shots were great and I love how you capture the historical shots and shots that show how bad of shape the country is in as a backdrop to the movement. The long shots of going to different places and the different TV shots were really, really cool and showed the distance and length the campaign has went to. And I always love the speech bookends. It even made me tear up at the end that we did all this. Awesome job!

[toft-froggy.livejournal.com]

This is WONDERFUL. It's like a direct shot to the heart of all the hope, joy, excitement of that time, and because I don't live in the US, I saw it entirely through these sources, so this vid was even more like that whole experience in three minutes. It's really lovely.