Ron Planche's 'edgy' political video wins the Internet

Messaging is everything in politics and it's never more important than in an election year. 

Politicians seeking to cut through the noise to get to voters need not look any further than the example of federal Liberal candidate Ron Planche. 

Planche, running for the federal Liberals in the riding of Niagara Falls, Ont., is heading towards internet fame after a video of his political pitch was recently discovered and shared on social media. 

There's nothing tremendously out of the ordinary with Planche's call for support to "rebuild Niagara" — except everything he had to say about running for office was drowned out by dramatic orchestral music and a rather dizzying and choppy editing style. 

The one-minute video, which was published to YouTube in March, features Planche against the backdrop of the interior of a house with its closed doors and a staircase in view. The music swells immediately with a string orchestra and crashes of cymbals — an original composition by local composer Nathan Chamberland, who is also the video's director. 

The 70-year-old Liberal candidate said he is "happy" with the video, although he initially wasn't. 

"Even I was taken aback," Planche said, describing his reaction when his campaign team showed it to him.

"[It's] pretty sharp, pretty edgy. It wasn't quite what I was expecting," he said in an interview with CBC News. "Oh well, put it out there. If it creates controversy, fine. The message is correct."

He's oriented to the far left of the shot, speaking simply and directly into the camera about why things in Niagara "have not been going very well."

'Not a known commodity'

What's not so simple are the frequent cutaways to close-up shots of Planche's mouth, his hands and his forehead, often pulling in and out of focus — a "West Wing style," he said. 

The background music also crescendos about mid-way, even including riffs of electric guitar to underscore Planche's call to action. 

​Planche, who won the Liberal nomination in Niagara on Monday, was an executive assistant for Ontario MPP Kim Craitor for eight years, according to the biography on his website.

The Liberal candidate said the video is helping his profile, as he's "not a known commodity" compared to his Conservative opponent, Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson.

However, Planche, also a marketing and communications specialist, said he would not be replicating the same style in future videos because what he wants to communicate to voters "is different." He said he's passionate about youth and building the future. 

New, "edgy" Planche videos may not be necessary. The video editors at Canadian humour website The Syrup Trap have taken it upon themselves to increase the shelf life of this one.

In a re-edit of epic proportions, the Syrup Trap takes the homely Niagara setting of Planche video's and gradually replaces it with visuals of space and historical imagery. The remixed video has already garnered thousands of views.

"I won't call it a sabotage site," he said with a laugh.