Postcards From the Battleground States

The idea for "Postcards From the Battleground States" was hatched in late September, at the tail end of a boisterous wedding. My wife Ellen Steloff and I had just received a mass e mail, almost a call-to-arms, from a friend, Patti Sullivan, urging everyone everywhere to come to Ohio and help with the Obama campaign. As wedding cake was being served, Ellen and I started kicking around ideas. We could try to get lawyers to Ohio for "election protection", musicians to help get out the youth vote, anything to support the cause. Eventually we stumbled on to the concept of filmmakers filing reports on various aspects of the election in the key battleground states. The notion still sounded exciting in the cold light of day, so we tried it out on Patti. She was into it and contacted her friend Gus Van Sant.

A few days later, Gus travelled to Columbus armed with a camera and shot a series of raw, beautifully disarming interviews with young voters, determined to have their say this time around. Patti and Ellen were on hand to help. "Early Registration, Early Voting" had just stated that day in Ohio and the film captures the urgent enthusiasm of new voters trying to rectify what went down in 2004.

The next segment was crafted by Bill Morgan, a filmmaker with a long history of exploring the Native American cause. Some highlights include an action painting by artist Bunky Echo-Hawk, a riveting Obama speech to the Apsaalooke Nation and the triumph of Obama in Denver. Many of us have forgotten the majesty of his acceptance speech, as we've been forced to endure the bizarre strategies of the McCain campaign, inaugurated the next day by the arrival Sarah Palin and continuing through "Joe the Plumber".

If anyone questions the power of Obama's speech, the next installment, "DJM in Colorado", should put those doubts to rest. This piece has a simple eloquence. The camera holds on an 18 year old foster kid, Freddie, who stands in the upper deck at the convention, watching the crowd roar its approval as Obama is leaving the stage. Freddie muses about what an Obama victory might mean for the future. All of the promise and hope of this remarkable campaign is captured in this boy's unguarded monologue.

Next up, commercial director Michael Blum and I traveled to Columbus and drove through Southeastern Ohio on the way to Michael's childhood town of Marietta. We interviewed countless people along the way and a few striking themes emerged: Ohio has been devastated by the economy, people desperately want change and there is tremendous anxiety amongst undecided voters who are struggling to make their choice. This last point was a significant revelation, coming from Los Angeles where people view the undecideds with an equal measure of disbelief and incredulity ("How can people not have made up their minds?" "They're just looking for attention", etc...). The uncertain voters we found had great respect for John McCain's service to our country but at the same time were unhappy with his campaign and were alarmed at the direction the country was headed. They admired Barack Obama's intellect but couldn't yet bring themselves to believe. It was a heartbreaking predicament that Michael and I hoped to capture with editor Tracy Pion and our film was an attempt to sway those voters toward Obama.

Our next installment came together very quickly. Filmmakers Cameron Fay and Alex Berger flew to Virginia on Thursday, October 30th. They spent Friday and Saturday filming and submitted a cut on Saturday night. Cameron grew up in Virginia and focused on the town of Winchester where no one could remember the last time a Democrat had sincerely competed for President. Cameron and Alex found an enthusiastic group of Obama supporters who were waging a spirited fight in the face of great odds. This is a great example of the Obama campaign's strategy of setting up shop in the midst of a traditional Republican stronghold in an attempt to peel away support.

The last "Postcard" follows two actors, Nick Spano & Steve Braun and former pro football player Patrick Sapp as they walk nearly 300 miles through the desert from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in support of Barack Obama. Their inspiring, insane journey was captured beautifully by a small army of filmmakers: Gil Bellows, Bill Fishman, Karl Walter Lindenlaub and Ellen Steloff with a big editing assist by Scott Evans.

The goal of these "Postcards" was to try to shed light on the election in these critically contested states. We were ever hopeful of swaying any undecideds who might see them but we were also content to entertain or inspire our many friends and beyond who have given so much to Barack Obama's candidacy. Aaron Sugarman got us up on the internet and Eric Lukoff designed a fantastic website, battlegroundpostcards.com. Now, like so many others around the country who have worked their hearts out, we all call it a day and hope that change arrives tomorrow.

Comments

[HeraOxEyes]

I was moved by the second video. I have lived in Central Ohio my entire life. Those people are my neighbors. I went to college on that very campus where Biden spoke near the covered bridge.
During the primaries, alot of Huffpo posters made snide, stereotypical remarks about Ohio... they claimed superiority over Ohioans because Ohio is filled with ignorant hillbillies and racist rednecks.
This video made me glad that I defended my home and neighbors. There is hope and a desire for change here and my wish is that Ohio will come out in force for Obama today.

[Plebe]

The media has me perceiving the country in stark red and blue, but it's so moving, so thrilling, so hope-evoking to see these heartfelt, thoughtful calls for change from one of the pro-America regions of the country. These video postcards just gave me a little peace to get through today.

[Martha601]

That's beautiful. So many aspects of this campaign has moved me but I can say that it has been the people. I almost forgot just how wonderful people can be and how we can come together when we need to. I believe that is what America is about and this election has restored a sense of purpose to many. I pray that our hope is realized today and that all of the hard work and committment will be rewarded with an Obama win. He is a moving and inspirational figure who has brought out the best in a lot of us. He has helped us realize that we are moving and inspirational too. Those against him say that we expect him to perform like a "god". No, we just know that he will perform as a human being and all that it means to be part of this human race. Unity instead of division and hope in the midst of fear. Never underestimate hope.

[jmundstuk]

"You don't know what can happen now. If this can happen, anything can happen." From DJM in Colorado from 18 year old.. So powerful; so thrilling.