Last week, the Labour Party released a video called Our Town. It is a genuine piece of art, which shows that Labour takes the medium of video seriously. The Tories need to take note.
It’s not impressive because of the message itself, since the message itself is familiar: we’re going to kick-start the economy, we’re going to create decent jobs, we’re going to magic-up smaller class sizes. Everyone says that. No, it’s a piece of art because of how it’s produced. Every medium of communication has styles and modes that suit it – the medium is the message, as Marshall McLuhan famously once said. Video, as an audio and visual medium, trades on emotional resonance, feeling and mood. Our Town takes those features seriously. If you haven’t watched it yet, take a look here. (The rest of this article will be far more enjoyable if you do.)
Welcome back. Good, isn’t it? You’ll have noticed the cinematic style – lots of sweeping drone shots, accompanied by an orchestral soundtrack.
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