I notice the way Gary pictures himself leafing through a book of photos. I think, he must be dedicated to his photography. But I also wonder if it is his portfolio he’s leafing through. I never see.
The voiceover is a male: American, I believe. I’m starting to wonder if it is Gary Cohen speaking. Perhaps, I think, it’s an actor doing the voiceover. I start wondering if it is even Gary Cohen in the picture leafing through the photos.
I never see his face, he’s cut off at the mouth. I wonder why. I feel distanced from him. I think, I can only see his mouth. Why do I want to see his mouth? I want to see the rest of him. Again, I wonder why I should want to. I believe the video is asking me to feel involved. As I feel conflicted by this, the background piano music engages me. I feel emotional. I feel soothed.
The voiceover is saying, I’ve got a social conscience. I do give something back to my community. I’m not just an individualist. “I’m a teacher by day,” it says. I can speak other languages, it says. I’m not a colonial tourist. I engage with my subjects. I’m an ethical investment.
I step back from the videos and I feel there’s something wrong. I think the ‘I-you’ relationship Pogo and Gary are creating is false. Both, I believe, are asking me to relate to them as friend. But both are videos asking me for money, but I feel personally involved in them and that’s why, I believe, they’re clever advertisements.
And that, I reckon, is the key to crowdfunding.
Posted 1 year ago with Notes