As someone who studies and consults on the psychological effects of color for a living -- I consult for big bucks; you know the color of the sky, blue? That was me -- I found the image of John McCain's pale white head against the solid green background last night very nice, very nice indeed.There's something about the color green that is suggestive. Obviously, we use it as a color suggesting the environment. Some places of course it wouldn't literally pertain, but that's beside the point. Also, green is the color of our money. You can look at the graphic there and if you were to squint at it and picture it a little larger horizontally, you can see John McCain's
suggestion. That he's like other great presidents. A presidential head in the center of money. It's a very prosperous color in that regard. Seriously, draw an oval around him, and you've got a rival for Franklin on the hundred.Now, since the speech, some have made light of the setting. You've got Barack Obama (booo!!!) surrounded by a sea of admiring supporters, full of life, bouncing to the beat, buoyed by their glad spirits, a sea of color in amazing liveliness. Color, all the colors in a rich, glad harmony, a happy profusion that really was kaleidoscopic, memorable, exciting. And not just the people -- blacks, whites, browns, young, old, Orientals -- but their signs, and clothing, all bobbing and waving with high energy, and all the breathtaking flashiness you can imagine. Clearly disgusting. And then you have John McCain (yaaay!!), much more humble than Obama, a man who decided on a color (green) and stuck with it, not trying to be flashy, not trying to show off his supporters, several scattered out in a small hall. Because McCain knows where the focus needs to be, on the man himself running for office. The crowd is anonymous, and should not be part of the equation. No one's voting for them.
Seriously, I was enthusiastic for McCain's presentation, but I had one beef. My biggest criticism is the way McCain was framed during the speech, that they didn't have a tight enough shot of his head. The green was good, but it should have been just at the edges, with his face filling up most of the screen. People like a president who's close, very close to them. But we need to find the positives with what we have. He filled up the screen adequately, he managed a brave smile when it seemed appropriate, his thin, remaining white hair appeared to be nicely in place. He went along with the flow, a comfortable, meandering flow.
If I were consulting for the McCain campaign, I'd counsel them to get rid of the crowd all together. Too distracting! With silence, the viewing audience can concentrate more on the content. Keep the single green background -- that's good -- but go in for a very tight shot on his head. Have him pause longer between sentences. It would make the tone seem more serious, which you want in a president. As for the smiles, what he's doing is good. But one suggestion: try for harmony. Such as look left, smile. Speak three sentences. Look right, smile. A pattern like that will keep the audience at home engaged and pleased. He says "my friends" a lot. That's also good. But have him add adjectives to spice it up, such as "my dearest friends," "my treasured friends," and "best friends forever."
As far as further analysis of the color, hmm, what more can I say? Yes, I'm a consultant, but what else is there? I think I mentioned it was green. Let's see, checklist here, green with some white print, white hair, pale skin, and some darkness in his suit. All looks real good, very good.
