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canada’s only Daily Student Newspaper • founded 1906
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
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Volume 106, Issue 65
USC presidential elections 2013
Candidates deliver promises, line dancing >> Team McGuire Ashley McGuire Ah, the goofball video. With silly glasses, rap lyrics and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song, McGuire’s video has all the hallmarks of past presidential campaigns. Unfortunately, even with this successful formula, McGuire’s attempt falls short. It starts with an odd visual filter and barely audible dialogue that gives the viewer the impression it was filmed on a
cellphone from 2005—but maybe that’s what they were going for. It then transitions into an awkward attempt at rap with poorly synced Western-relevant lyrics. Despite its shortcomings, McGuire’s video manages to be the most wellrounded of any of her competitors. It touches on her platform points and effectively introduces her slate while also remaining catchy through the implementation of the nostalgia-invoking Fresh Prince melody.
There’s a pleasant energy and lightheartedness to it that will appeal to many students. The true shortcomings of McGuire’s video centre around her flat rapping and even flatter humour, which left us feeling slightly uncomfortable—like watching a bad talent show performance. The success of McGuire’s video will ride entirely on the catchiness of her music, and whether or not anyone can actually make out what is said at the beginning of it.
>> Team Whelan Pat Whelan Pat Whelan’s video was the epitome of a political campaign advertisement. At times we wondered if this wasn’t a Liberal MP video. Despite this, Whelan’s video had several positive aspects. The production value was high, all slate members received adequate screen time, the main points of his platform were covered and, most importantly, Whelan rocked his
red pants. Where the video fell short was in its aesthetics. Shots of people talking in various locations around campus failed to send tingles down our spines, regardless of the well-done camera work and seamless editing. Also, where Pat’s monologue was informative, like a true politician, he managed to say an awful lot without really saying much at all. Overall, the video was a tad rhetorical—too alienating for the
average attention-deprived students who traditionally respond well to a catchy tune and the repetition of the candidate’s name— see: Andrew Forgione. Whelan’s team decided to break the mould of pop music and lettuce-eating gimmicks, instead putting out an old-fashioned campaign advertisement. The success of Whelan’s video will rest on whether or not students will respond well to unadulterated professionalism.
>> Team Prabhu Vivek Prabhu Apparently, Prabhu’s team decided to go with the ‘all flash, no dash’ mentality when filming their video. No substantial platform points are really touched on and the entire slate appears for a total of 13 seconds—Prabhu himself for a mere six. At times we were confused if we were watching an advertisement for the Western student experience,
or for a presidential campaign, with Prabhu’s video portraying several university tropes, such as studying, library browsing and vigorous line dancing in the University Community Centre. Undoubtedly, Prabhu’s team is relying on the rhythmic and catchy soundtrack and very decent production value to keep the attention of students until the end of the video, where they receive their 13 seconds of
fame. In essence, Prabhu’s video recycles on tropes made famous by Claire McArthur—pop music, university stereotypes and contrived scenarios. While less political and droning than Whelan’s, Prabhu’s video lacks any definite stance or platform points—not to mention the lighting on Prabhu at the end casts him as a sinister mob boss.
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