Exclusive footage: Obama campaign revealed?

In a presidential campaign, what do you make of a candidate that stands quietly listening to one of his advisors micromanage the way he tells the room to "Fire it up?"

Is the candidate patient, courteous to those working for him? Or is he easily overrun and a lightweight because he needs help on how to deliver a line?  Who knows. But that's the fun of watching a behind-the-scenes documentary like "By the People: The Election of Barack Obama" isn't it - reading between the lines, looking for hidden revelations about the now President?

For those looking for a bombshell, revealing moment, "By The People" might be a disappointment. In the documentary, filmmakers Amy Rice and Alicia Sams follow then-Sen. Barack Obama on his campaign for the presidency, from May 2006 through Election Day. As the Washington Post's Richard Cohen tells it, the women are more cheerleaders for the man and less about showing the character in depth:

"What's striking about this inside look at Obama is how being inside gets you nowhere. It is virtually the same as being outside. What's also striking about this movie is its lack of arc. Obama is always golden, always going to win and always does."

In his review, Variety's John Anderson agrees. He says the cameras have incredible access to the candidate and the campaign's behind-the-scenes maneuvering, but the much-ballyhooed discipline of the Obama campaign still reigns supreme. 

If this outtake clip is any indication, movie viewers will get little fireworks, but more moments of minutiae like this one (1:30 into the clip) where current Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and senior adviser David Axelrod have a minute-long discussion with Obama about how to "fire up" a crowd. Without an "a ha!" moment, viewers will be left to micro-analyze the candidate, the way Robert Gibbs analyzes the boss' "Fire it up" delivery.

So, what might a detail-driven, behind-the-scenes look reveal about the candidate?

My guess is that the documentary will probably reveal more about the people watching it than the candidate himself. People who liked the President will remember what it was like to be so excited about his candidacy or will be reminded of what they thought they were promised a year ago. People who don't like the President will have more opportunity to pick at the calm, unaffected facade.

The power of a behind-the-scenes documentary may not be in what it reveals, but what it reminds us of. After a summer dominated by tea parties and "death panels", I experienced a mental whiplash when reminded of Obama's impassioned droves, "the dreamy-eyed, idealistic youth and energy behind the Obama campaign," as Variety's Anderson calls them. The besotted crowds, the faithful workers - in today's context, I wonder where did the people in "By The People" go?

"By the People: The Election of Barack Obama" premieres November 3^rd on HBO.

-- Erin Green is a contributor to the Yahoo! News Blog