Did ABC & Gibson Use Camera Trickery To Belittle Gov. Palin?

publiusforum.com ^ | 09/15/08 | Warner Todd Huston

[Mobile Vulgus]

Did ABC use particular camera tricks to make Governor Palin look small and powerless in their Charlie Gibson interview? I've been pointed to a blog that makes a compelling case that they did just that. Using still shots of the Gibson interview with Palin compared to similar Gibson interviews with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, it seems this blogger has proven it to be an open and shut case of manipulation of the viewer. The writer shows how ABC used special camera placements and lenses to make Governor Palin seem small and Charlie Gibson seem overpowering and large by comparison.

By now, just about everyone is aware of Hollywood's special effects and camera techniques. There have been so many TV shows explaining them, so many DVD extras laying out the techniques that most Americans are at least a little familiar with the effects and techniques that filmmakers use to heighten and enhance their work. The anonymous blogger is familiar with these special effects, claims to work in the business in Hollywood himself, and does a great job explaining and pointing out where such effects were used to belittle Governor Palin.

Citing the anti-conservative, Hollywood hatemongering we are all familiar with our blogger remains anonymous. He says he doesn’t want to hurt his career any more than he already has being a conservative in Hollywood. So, with deference to "HollywoodTrench's blog," I'll lay out his argument for you all to decide if he has hit the spot or if he is a bit too conspiratorial for your tastes...

Read the rest at Publiusforum.com...

[Mobile Vulgus]

Can you spell IN THE TANK?

[Senator Goldwater]

Can you say “backfire”?

[DBrow]

This is just a preview of what will happen if the left gets power.

Every information outlet will become a push channel for their ideas, and any technique to sell the Left will be used.

I mean worse than now.

[Diogenesis]

Gibson, the Biased ABC Media Bully [looking down his nose from up on high]:
"Please take off your American flag pin. The American flag is an abomination now prohibited by ABC News."

---

Charlie Gibson's Gaffee

"The Times got it wrong. And Charlie Gibson got it wrong.
There is no single meaning of the Bush doctrine. In fact, there have been four distinct meanings,
each one succeeding another over the eight years of this administration--
and the one Charlie Gibson cited is not the one in common usage today.
...... I know something about the subject because, as the Wikipedia entry
on the Bush doctrine notes, I was the first to use the term."
Charles Krauthammer

---

Comparison: Gibson Questions for Obama (and Edwards in 2004) vs. for Sarah Palin

Obama's Puff-piece interview:
How does it feel to break a glass ceiling?
How does it feel to “win”?
How does your family feel about your “winning” breaking a glass ceiling?
Who will be your VP?
Should you choose Hillary Clinton as VP?
Will you accept public finance?
What issues is your campaign about?
Will you visit Iraq?
Will you debate McCain at a town hall?
What did you think of your competitor’s [Clinton] speech?

Palin's 'kangaroo court' interview:
Do you have enough qualifications for the job you’re seeking?
Specifically have you visited foreign countries and met foreign leaders?
Aren’t you conceited to be seeking this high level job?
Questions about foreign policy
-territorial integrity of Georgia
-allowing Georgia and Ukraine to be members of NATO
-NATO treaty
-Iranian nuclear threat
-what to do if Israel attacks Iran
-Al Qaeda motivations
-the Bush Doctrine
-attacking terrorists harbored by Pakistan
Is America fighting a holy war? [misquoted Palin]

---

"Charles Gibson of ABC News was out for blood and inherently applied
a double-standard compared with the kid gloves George Stephanopoulos
used on Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois on Sunday night.
Gibson was out to embarrass Palin and expose her presumed ignorance from the word go. "

UPI Say ABC Exhibits Double Standard

---

Did ABC & Gibson Use Camera Trickery To Belittle Gov. Palin?

"While it's true that Governor Palin is of less stature than Mr. Gibson,
the deliberate choice of the camera's height, framing and the use of
telephoto lenses all serve to make Mr. Gibson look overpowering
and Governor Palin the weak prey. This is common shooting technique
we use to make a villain appear more ominous."

---

"Interesting choice of ties for Charlie.
Salesmanship 101 - When you want to befriend a client, wear blue.
Salesmanship 102 - When you face an adversary, and you seek to control them, wear red.
Freeper N. Theknow (Obama without a teleprompter speaks in tongues.)

---

ABC News Edited Out Key Parts of Sarah Palin Interview

---

Boycott ABC sponsors:
Target, Glade Scented Oil (SC Johnson), Plavix, Advil PM,
Verizon, BlindsTOGo, Magic Eraser (Mr. Clean), Stop and Shop,
Toyota, Bali Bras, Ghost Town (movie), Prilosec OTC, Verizon Wireless,
Ethan Allen, AT&T, Werther Original Chocolates, Garnier Hair Products

[WayneS]

I hope this doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone...

[laotzu]

I want to thank Gibson, ABC news, the NY Times, the entire MSM, and especially MSNBC for perfectly handing the Presidency to McCain/Palin.

On a cattier note, it is also good to see that conservatives are once again fashionable with the Republican party. I wonder how long until we are considered an embarrassment this time.

[Sig Sauer P220]

Is hussein muslim?

[xDGx]

Also notice that in the Palin interview, the chairs are directly opposite - pointed towards one another. This is confrontational.

In the Obama interview, the chairs are angled, tending towards a more ‘side-by-side’ arangement. This is more collegial.

[BallyBill]

This Gibson thing must have really damaged Palin. The amount of time spent reviewing it and tearing it apart are awesome.

It didn't seem like it hurt McCain that much too me.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Bali Bras...Werther Original Chocolates...”

You’re asking too much of me. How about if I cancel my lone, remaining Sunday newspaper subscription, instead? I never read it; I just buy it for the coupons for bras and chocolate.

:)

[al_c]

Good grief ... just compare the look on Gibson’s face in the Obama interview and the Palin interview. That’s enough to convince me. Looks downright jovial speaking with Obama. Has a “yeah, right” look on his face with Palin.

[johnny7]

Same chairs... yet Gibson dwarfs her.

Here they are walking side by side...

[webschooner]

Does a bear sh*t in the woods?

[Iron Munro]

Of Course they did.

But to me the larger question is how the McCain campaign let this happen.

Every “journalist” in America was begging for the first Sarah interview.
The campaign did not have to let ABC dictate the terms.
Sarah should have been in a setting that accented her authority and stature - perhaps sitting behind her Governor’s desk.
Instead, ABC tried to make it look like she was scrunched up and almost cowering before Gibson - like a student geting a butt chewing from a school principal.

Where was the McCain/Palin campaign media consultant?
Do they even have one?
I don’t care for Dick Morris but he knows his way around the media.
If they had a Dick Morris type on site he would have demanded that Sarah be shown in a positive light and would have stopped the constant browbeating and “GOTCHA” hypotheticals.

Gibson conducted and interrogation - not an interview.

I hope they have learned a lesson and have someone along to protect their interests from here on.

[webschooner]

On a cattier note, it is also good to see that conservatives are once again fashionable with the Republican party. I wonder how long until we are considered an embarrassment this time.

We (quietly for now) are still considered an embarrassment to RINO's, "blue-blood" Pubbies, etc. Actually they are alarmed and steaming frickin mad that conservatism is surging since the Palin pick, but Palin is too popular for them to do much right now -- however, I suspect many of them are quietly cheering on the LameStream Medjia in its attempts to destroy Palin.

[mywholebodyisaweapon]

Well, if they’re sitting in the same chairs and Gibson towers over Gov. Palin, yet walking side-by-side, they are close to the same height, then it must mean that Gibson has a very large, um, behind (close to 100 percent of his total body mass).

[Cinnamon Girl]

I saw part of the interview on line and it appeared as if Charlie was sitting on a high barstool and Sarah was on a little bench. Kind of like a teacher lecturing a class of little kids.

[catch]

Can you say...they can’t lay a glove on SARAH AMERICA!!

[gridlock]

This picture accurately reflects the reletive importance ABC News places on Charlie Gibson and Sarah Palin.

In 2021, when Sarah Palin has been President and the Democrats are entering their 20th year of electoral exile, we will see what they think.

[itsthejourney]

I don’t do business with any of those boycotted companies but I was wanting to see Ghost Town. Guess I’ll wait and watch it for free one day.