Today we launch our new video series, “Op-Vid: Campaign 2012.” What is an Op-Vid? Opinion, without the pundits yelling. Handmade animation, without the caricatures. Essays, without the text. Complex topics, without the boring.
Op-Video is a new platform that features writers, thinkers, and doers who might otherwise contribute to an opinion page. In this series, we tackle the issues at the heart of the 2012 campaign.
The concept of the Op-Vid was created by Joe Posner, an interdisciplinary artist working at the nexus of documentary filmmaking, music, and animation.
“Leading up to each next election, few candidates trust that we’re smart enough to get the complex issues that affect the United States as a whole, most often playing their usual roles in fake fights for the TV cameras instead of hunkering down on some of the more ‘boring’ but very real polyphony of national crises.
“Op-Vid is a humble attempt to offer a new kind of soapbox for opinion essays that doesn’t make the same assumption. You may not agree with everybody you see—I know I won’t—but you can always expect a fresh, smart, and dependable take on the big issues facing our country.”
—Joe Posner (Creator/Director, Op-Video)
Credits:An Op-Video Featuring Niall FergusonDirector: Joe PosnerProducers: Ian McAlpin & Joe Posner
Director of Photography: Ian McAlpinCamera Operator & Gaffer: Geoffrey T. WomackAssistant Director: Julia SimpsonSound Recordist: Richard LevengoodProduction Assistant: Maxwell Dunfey
Animation: Joe PosnerAdditional Animation: Janelle Sing, Emily Roberts, Seon Bae, Nahuel Salcedo
Music: Kelly Pratt (Beirut, Arcade Fire, Bright Moments) with Jon Natchez (Beirut, Yellow Ostrich), Joe PosnerSound Mix: Sam Posner (Sammy Bananas, Telephoned)Sound Design: Laura Vitale
Daily Beast TVVice President, Video: Kathy O’HearnExecutive Producer: Susie Banikarim