President-elect Barack Obama ran his political campaign on the word ‘Hope,’ and, coincidentally, a cinematographer with the first name Hope helped spread his message. Hope Hall, who grew up in Pacific Palisades, has spent the past six months making videos about Obama’s campaign and transition into office, which play on BarackObama.com, Change.gov and other media outlets. The 39-year-old has traveled the country with Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden filming their speeches and rallies, including the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and election night. Hall has also made promotional videos of their supporters, including singer Alicia Keys and Death Cab for Cutie’s guitarist Chris Walla. ??’The election was the best night of my life, so far,’ Hall told the Palisadian-Post from Washington, D.C. ‘I filmed the front rows of the audience and Obama’s whole speech from the foot of the stage. I got to hug and congratulate Obama and Biden afterwards. I stayed out until 8 in the morning, and the week following continued to be the best time of my life.’ Hall, who attended Canyon School and Paul Revere Middle School, landed a job with Obama’s New Media through her friend Amy Rice, also a cinematographer. Rice co-directed a documentary about Obama, and Hall had helped her with the filming. When New Media was looking to hire, Rice recommended Hall for a staff position. Although the job paid minimally, Hall could not decline. ‘I imagined saying ‘No’ to see what it would feel like, and it just didn’t make sense at all, viscerally, emotionally, philosophically, intellectually,’ said Hall, who sublet her apartment in New York and headed to Chicago to stay with friends of her parents and godmother. Her mother, Betsy Hall, lives in Chicago and her father, Tom Hall, resides in Pacific Palisades with his wife, Rebecca. Hall had supported Obama since hearing him speak at the DNC in 2004. ‘He struck me as conscientious and thoughtful more than anything else,’ she said. ‘I agreed with his stand on the war in Iraq, which I had been actively opposed to, marching against, and working hard to stop long before it started.’ Since starting the job, one of Hall’s favorite videos to make was ‘Signs of Hope and Change,’ featuring Obama supporters. She shot footage of the nation’s landscapes and of American citizens canvassing and holding signs that read ‘Hope’ and ‘Change.’ ‘It was really fun to help create a portraiture of supporters,’ Hall said. ‘Many people were becoming energized politically for the first time.’ At the DNC in Denver, she interviewed former President Jimmy Carter, who was the first politician to inspire her at age 7. ‘When I was introduced as Hope Hall from the Obama Campaign to Jimmy Carter, he exclaimed, ‘Your name is Hope? And you work for Obama?’ at which point he gave me a huge hug. ??’I was so nervous interviewing him that I had to check afterward that I had remembered to press record on the camera, which doesn’t happen to me often anymore.’ Hall earned her bachelor’s degree in history and French from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree in documentary film and video from Stanford University. She has made several documentaries and received an honorable mention at Sundance in 2000 for ‘This is for Betsy Hall,’ which is about her mother, who struggles with anorexia and bulimia. After the election, Hall decided to continue working for Obama as part of his transition team. She now lives in Washington, D.C. with her sister, Gillette, one of five siblings. She shoots press conferences and makes videos about the new administration such as the economic policy team. After the inauguration on January 20, Hall plans to return to New York, but she hopes to continue to work for Obama’s New Media part-time. ‘I put everything on hold to do this,’ she said. ‘The pace is so crazy that I can barely manage to make a personal call during the week. I am looking forward to resuming my life, my own work and my teaching.’ She teaches cinematography at The New School in New York. Hall is grateful for the experience and the opportunity to spend time with the future president. ‘He’s exactly the way he has been characterized,’ she said. ‘His strongest attribute is his transparency; he doesn’t hide.’ To view Hall’s videos, visit her blog at hopevideo.tumblr.com.
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