notes from across the pond

I just came across this video (via Lib Dem Voice) of Paddy Ashdown, former Liberal Democrat party leader, explaining why he’s backing Nick Clegg in the leadership race.

It’s really rather good. Paddy looks relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera, aided by the fact the camera is shooting from an angle and not head on (kudos to the cameraman!). This is a highly effective technique that can instantly improve the quality of a video. The lighting is good, streaming in through the window behind him, making Paddy look young and fresh. The open laptop and coffee mug on the desk also add a sense of authenticity.

This is an excellent example of good quality online video. Regardless of who you support in the Lib Dem leadership race, I hope all Lib Dem members will take note of the simple techniques applied in this video and try to put them into practice themselves.

It will also be interesting to see if Nick can match Paddy’s on camera performance and whether his campaign team are going to make online video a central part of their campaign. A large YouTube button does appear very prominently on the frontpage of Nick’s website at least, alongside buttons for two other major social networking sites, Flickr and Facebook.

My one request though, please get rid of that ghastly background on Nick’s YouTube page! It gives me a headache every time I look at it and frankly the information you are trying to convey, i.e. Nick’s name, slogan and website url, is not very clear.