Thursday 30 September 2010

6.Video Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2smz_1L2_0&ob=av2e Lady Gaga's Paparazzi. "Well I'm so glad there are a few different interpretations, that was the idea. The song is about a few different things – it's about my struggles, do I want fame or do I want love? It's also about wooing the paparazzi to fall in love with me. It's about the media whoring, if you will, watching ersatzes make fools of themselves to their station. It's a love song for the cameras, but it's also a love song about fame or love – can you have both, or can you only have one?"- Lady Gaga.










Prolouge. I love everything about this video. The camera work in the beginning is simple but effective with the first shot fading in from a circle, effectively making the video seem like a real movie, with shohts and close ups of the flowers and an establishing shot of her character's house. I say character as in each of her videos she plays a different persona with a different message to tell. This is shown through the narrative of the music video(s) she has made, this song being about the papparazi and linking to her album title 'The Fame', shows Gaga being creative at her best with the other main character being her 'boyfriend'. Both the song and the video represent how she feels about the paparazzi and how it can ruin a 'Star's' life by them always being around. The audience automatically recognise this music video has been made like a film as the time bar is '7:11' minutes long and after the shots of her home, there is a close up shot with the visual effect of credits saying 'A Serial Pictures Production'. These shots set the mood for the video at the start light hearted and Romantic with the roses around and the scenic sounds and shot of the water fountain, dissolving into a shot of the chandelier. The mise-en-scene creates a picturesque mood for the start of the viedo. It also says who it's starring which of course is Lady Gaga and the diagetic sounds sets the scene as being in like a real film and not just a music video. As the camera shots explore the house, there are close ups and pans of the room that Gaga is in, with diamonds and moey scattered around, representing she is rich and a famous celebrity and a stereotypical view upon rich stars having lots of money however this money has her face on it represnting to the audience that she attracts that she is like royalty. Or the new 'Queen of Pop' which could be a sarcastic message towards the media and anti Gaga representatives slating her over the contreversial arguement of Gaga being like Madonna.The font type is like the broadway credits at the end of a big film or theatre production and all the more glamorises Gaga and the character that she plays life. Another part of this video which could go unnoticed is the fact that it isn't shown on a 'normal' camera screen, instead, it is cropped round the edges like a rounded square, looking like the old reels of film the were around when silent movies were made. The two character's on the bed are Lady Gaga herself and her 'boyfriend' and are talking in french, all the more creating a glamorous and romantic setting with the language of love. The subtitles are important with matching the shot as when her boyfriend says 'Come here', there is a close up of Lady Gaga's money which is hers as she has made it herself, the narrative could be seen as him only being with her for the money, and as the story goes on, the audience recognise this is correct s the balcony scene is photographed through the camera and he is looking around, aware that the cameras are there. Arguably, the use of the character's body language and occulesics (being so aware) could be that the story of the boyfriend is that he could have set up the paparazzi to be there to witness this event. This then ultimately makes it seem like the male figure wanted to make some money (patriarchy of dominant roles?) by interviews etc. with the paprazzi, but by pushing his 'Girlfriend' from the balcony. This could create a mening of Gaga's foolishness in the story and a side of her persona the is portrayed as innocent as she trusts the man she was with (Do you love me?)(DO you trust me? - 'Of course') However throughout the video, the audience are only seeing this 'story' from one point of view being Lady Gaga's. So the story of the boyfriend's background and how he leads his life is unknown as we only see parts him in the viedo. Whilst the pictures are being taken, the camera sound effects are sped up and increased in pitch to relflect the intensity of the situation and the danger that she is n which like a film, will reel the audience into the story which is smething that my group plan to do with our music video of her song 'Monster'. There are shots in the video of newspaper articles with Lay Gaga on the front page, 'Gaga at the top Again' reflectng the major influence on the song and the video of the press and the media and shots of her by the paparazzi. This conveys the meaning of stars in the media world in both positive and negative ways. As she is falling from the bacony, there is a shot of the boyfriend standing over her. He then walks away. As Gaga falls, there is a backdrop of a moving spiral downwards, like in Alice in Wonderland as she falls down the Rabbit hole. This could convey a meaning of confusion and the circle of paparazzi and publicity and fame and it gets faster an faster as she falls to the ground (a papaer stated 'Gaga Hit Rock Bottom') and you can hear soundeffects of a heartbeat and heavy breathing, representing the she is hurt. The first few chords of the song are introduced with speech of Paparazzi "BEAUTIFUL" , this then shatters a she falls. The click sound effect of the cameras is a motif used throughout the video and reflecting o her thoughts and the song meaning about pleasing the Paparazzi and making them fall in love with her, which is shown through her on the ground and the cameras crowding over her. In the papaer that says 'Lady no more Gaga', the picture starts moving in sepia the zooms into the picture into full screen and colour (visual effects) almost as if the whole video is described in the newspaper, which is the biggest influence in the media. The costumes used in these different shots and scenes are creative and match the narrative, ie. i nthe beginning she is wearing white, ultimately showing her innocence/naivety and trust in the man she loves, and after she is carried out of the limo, (black costume with a red neckbrace and nurse's cross). Colour/make-up and props are important in this video (like the wheelchair/cameras) for the message she is presenting to her audience, many people beive from the lyrics and the video that 'her boyfriend is using her fame to climb to the top of the social ladder. He destroys her career (see when she is pushed off the balcony, her body lies limp and crushed, because her career is dead) and gets away with it. She then has to rebuild her career (learning to walk again) slowly but surely, and stages a comeback. In the end, she poisons her boyfriend and kills him, getting revenge for ruining her. She becomes a pop icon once more.' http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858733659/#

The message of Gaga learning to walk again is reflected with the costume she is wearing and th assistance of getting out of the car and on crutches, howeverthere is a still an element of fame and stardown as there is a long purpple rug on the floor (although not being the classic red, still shows she is famous in some way). The dancers are there to assist her and relfects a dependance as they help to change her into another costume ( a gold suit - quite resrticting material, like her black PVC leotard whilst on the sofa- could be a meaning of outer body experience?). As the confetti falls, this could resmeble the death of her old career or the start of her new career.

The dance routines used in the video are flowing which reflect the use of body movement which essentially helps Lady Gaga become mobile again and an emphasis on the body (bare skin/facial expression/hands/Lips) also contribute to this.

In many shots there are models laying on the floor or in different places around the house which appear to be dead as they do not move, could be previous women Gaga's boyfriend had been with. These shots are slow and focused on that person with maybe a staggered shot of close up and long shots, whereas the rest of the camerawork throughout the video is fast paced to reflect the situation Gaga is in. There are also other women on the sofa where Gaga is seen on her own, which could be seen as sattire to the media and the Paparazzi that question her sexuality as she is kissing them.

The dance routine now with Lady Gaga represents a triumph in launcing essentially what is her 'new' career and the costumes here are important as they show two sides of Gaga one side dressed and the other simple which could reflect again the death of her old career and the start of the new one as the skirts and the frills are black and gothic looking.

Gaga is then shown in a room, dressed like a bird (or an animal) to reflect her being in the media again and having publicty as the shots are fast and flashing to represent the camera, which including the costume and the dogs could represent the fat that most stars and celerities are 'trapped' and treated like animals as they can't just be 'normal'.

The ending of the video is essentially Gaga poisining her boyfriend and gaining revenge for what he did to her career and to arguably the other's aswell. I love the part where the audience can hear her owning up to the police 'I just Killed my boyfriend' ultimately making her in the press and becoming a hero again.

This video has many mixed messages and interpretations and I think this could have been one of Lady Gaga's intentions and the purpose of the video and the song.


Gwen Stefani's 'What You Waiting For?'

Like Lady Gaga's videos, I love this song an the vidoe for Gwen Stefani. Throughout her solo career, her videos have had a them e of harejuku girls in them, like the theme for Lady Gaga and her many dancer's and their routines.

The outline narrative to this video is at first Gwen Stefani being pestered by her agent to write a new song 'They're all waiting for your hot track'. She can't concentrate and is putting it off, refelcted in the mood at the beginning where the camera was focused and fixed on just Gwen and not as fast paced when the story unfolds. She has to find 'Inspiration' which arguably, could be what the song is about also. As she tried to wrtie, she attends a writer's block class where she is questioned etc. (as if she was ill) and then finds a toy. As she looks at it, she is put back into the room where she was originally with just her piano, and a ticking watch. Then the first chords are introduced to the video 'Tick Tock', which represents Gwen's pressure into making a song and the title says it all 'What you Waiting for?'. Arguably, this could be reaching out to other song writer's or even journalist's as we all at time don't know what we're waiting for when we're procrasting! I have chose to analyse a Gwen Stefani video as her and Lady Gaga are very similar and it shows through Gwen also being in the band 'No Doubt' that they both came form similar music scenes and then becoming solo.

It sends out a message of being lost and daydreaming or going on a tangent! The clock connotes to the white Rabbit's in Alice in Wonderland, and she got their because of her curiousness! Well Gwen wanted to find 'inspiration' and she found it in a daydream.

Again the Harejuku girls are used straight away (as the nurse also) linking to previous videos she has done before and talking as if directly to Gwen inside her head. The audience recognise straight away that this is meant to be Alice in Wonderland themed as you have all the character's and mise-en-scene and camera editing (her being large) to reflect her daydreaming. As the camera shoots from Gwen in the real world and then straight back to her dressed as Alice with a cloudy effect around her representing a daydream. The chair she was sitting on in the real worl also is shown in 'Alice's' showing that thats how she got there (slow motion of the chair and clock) and how ALice herself from the film landed in Wonderland. We are introduced to the characters, the Harajuku girl being the white rabbit and Gwen as the characer of Alice and we see Tweedle dum and Tweedle dee (recogninsed by the same outfits and talking to eachother) The Queen, (by her hedges) and the caterpillar! These are all culturally agreed and recognised symbols and character's from a well known fictional world and the audience can realte to this as they know the story and what it is like to be in another place whilst trying to stay focus! However the audience still see that she is trying to make a song as it goes back to the room where she is recording and we can still see the microphone and the piano. As she is singing, the song is forming itself and the lyrics appear on the book as a visual effect. Other Visual effects include the Gold cloudy lines around the characers from the sun and the pink rain from the sky. This is relevant to Alice crying and so does Gwen with the again effects of the palace being flooded and Gwen not being able to swim in the swimming pool (sink or swim? could either make her career or break it if she doesn't come up with a song). This links to the ideo fo Alice in Wonderland really well as Alice is being taught by her mother on a classic book, whereas Gwen's agent is pressurising er to create something new and goes to a writer's block session to make this happen.
Gwen playing the character's (apart from the white Rabbit or the caterpillar - which are both Japenese) reflects the pressure she is in and different ego states of Gwen, Alice being the childish one and the Queen beingthe adult one and pushed "alice" into the water.(in Alice's world - she is forced into the tunnel which leads her back to her world). The Queen played by Gwen in her video however is shown subtly topless, which is arguably a sexual undertone to the characters being sexualised, especially the wome (the white rabbit and the provocative dancing). This is also referneced in the song lyrics as Gewn says 'Take A chance you Stupid Ho', calling herself a 'ho' and 'stupid' sould be a genderised sattire against her agent who is typically male. The lyrics asre heavily gender orientated, 'SuperHot Female' and could be a reason why there are only two male character's in the video (the agent and the white rabbit). Gwen's facial expressions are also highly provocative when she is gasping for breath and 'oh'. The people who try to help her are the Herajuku girls, whichin the lyrics, the audience find out that they were her inspiration 'Damn You've Got Some Wicked Style' 'Back To Japan'. AS she is running through the maze trying to find, she finally does in the tea table scene, coming out from a drawer, where she is now in control and asking herself 'What you waiting for?' to finish her inspriartion and starts singing it in the microphone, back in the room and swirled back into the real world by her chair.The use of animals in both Alice in Wonderland (her cat Dina) and in Gwen's video (the pig,flamingos,dog) could interpret a message to the audience that Gwen having apig, is another sattire against the rich and famous producing songs as they have success, and ultimately going back to the reason of the song and being pressured for time to make a new hit record.
I love this song a video and being one of her fans I think it is clever and creative, Like those of Lady Gaga's and I think she must attract alot of Japenese/ Middle Eastern fans as she uses them a lot on tours, in her videos and her songs!

1 comment:

  1. For extra credit you could record a voice over of these comments to play over the video and use this blog entry as your script.

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