Lady Gaga "Telephone" Analysis

There is quick cuts and rhythmic editing as Gaga picks up the phone, there are numerous examples of jump cuts to signify the break in the song and are used to provide a visual representation of the dance routine. Colour is bright an vibrant and matches the upbeat nature of the song. When she says pick up the telephone rings, we se images of her on the phone. Close ups are predominantly used during lip syncing whereas wide shots are used for dance routines. Close up are used to express the emotion on the artists face and sell their star image. Notions of voyeurism are created through the use of cctv cameras which enable use to watch through a third eye. The swaying of the camera suggests that we are watching without them knowing. The narrative is set in a prison and it focuses on her release, and the performance is part of the narrative with the exception of the dance scenes. It pays reference to the film Kill Bill, with the car pussy wagon. It also contains intertextual references to natural born killers with the killing dinner scene. References to Thelma and Louis when they hold hands at the end and drive off in the sunset together.

Music Video Tips

These are tips we will keep in mind when developing and filming our music video

Purpose of a Music Video

1) sell the song, and invoke a reaction so that the audience remember the song

2) To give the audience a better understanding of the song

3) To entertain and show off the artists talents

4) To sell CDs, DVDs and the downloads by creating memorable visuals and build the artists online profile

5) Marketing for the purpose of exposure and expansion of the artists's profile. The aim of the video is ultimatley to do the following:

The music video promotes a song which in turn promotes an album, sells an image of the artist to the audience and aims to generate money for the record company and then the artist.

This is an example of a music video selling the star image of the artist in this case Eminemand at the same time promoting his album 'Marshall Mathers'.

  

Common Generic Conventions of Popular Music Promo Videos

-The explicit and unashamed promotion of the artists 'image' as specific product with a brand identity, ready for mass consumption.

-The featuring of the artist (almost without exception)

-A wide and extensive use of shot types, camera angles and movement

- Repetition of reoccuring thematic elements and generically specific icongrapahy (One key element often being dominant and providing the skeletal structure for the promo)

-A possible narrative structure

-A possible performance element

-The flexibility to disregard realism

- Shots cut tightly to the beat of the track

- Use of special effects (lighting, animation, CGIs, in-camera effects)

- A carefully constructed Mise en scene appropriate to the content and tone of the track

-High impact instantly!

Comparing an Organic and Synthetic Artist

Synthetic Artist - Olly Murs

- His name is bigger and bolder on the album cover rather than the name of the album thus showing him being promoted is more imported than the music. 

- His facial expressions connote sadness and make the audience feel empathy which will create more sales and will put a different feel on the music.

- The diverse colours on the front of the cover will make more people buy the album and make it more attractive in order to create more sales, not really caring about how good the music is.

- As the name is smaller and below his bigger name title showing the actual music is nit as important as his name being promoted and his fan base growing all to create more money.

- Stereotypical album of a synthetic artist to promote himself as a musician icon.
- Olly Murs' physical appearance is cool and fashionable to type and match his type of music 

This contrasts with the organic style Ed Sheeran has...

Organic Artist - Ed Sheeran

- In contrast Ed's cover deliberately doesn't put his name on the cover as he is selling his music not himself.

- As there is a simple colour scheme this shows that Ed Sheeran is an individual solely caring about his music and people buying his albums because they love his music.

- The simple image that Sheeran has on each album represents the music in that album which he tries to connote to his fans, but not being more forceful like the 'Olly Murs' cover above.

- Stereotypical organic styled cover as there is no name, a simple colour scheme and no mass imagery showing the audience and fans that he just wants his music to be loved and cared about by his fans, not everyone like a synthetic artist which purely wants to make the maximum amount of money. 

Album Cover Analysis in Relation to Negus Theory

The Blue seen in the water shows purity and the image could represent the baptising of this baby, in reflection telling us that this album will baptise us and make us pure again. The cover denotes their 'organic' type of artists due to their alternative and subliminal meaning unlike a mainstream 'synthetic' artist who mainly aim to entice a certain audience rather then convey a message. The use of the baby and money tries to sell the image of a predisposed greed for money as we see the baby chasing after a dollar. The baby denotes the organic nature of the band because it conveys that it is the purest form of humans as we can know as it is a nude baby untouched by capitalism and in this instance the artists could be directing this message to the music industry. The font of the 'never mind' displays the bands attitude to the music industry and it also plays in with the water around to show their fluidity and attitude towards their music efforts, as if to say that they don't care about names and labels but rather the music they produce. The album also comments on americas greed and averice due to the political landscape of the reagonomic saga.

The name The Fratellis comes from the criminal family in the film the goonies. This connotes the anti-establishment attitude they have towards society. The font however is quite relaxed and informal which presents their conformity to social norms and gives a relaxed feel to the album. The image seen is of three women in revealing clothing which supports the anti-social image of the band. It portrays the idea of lounging around and relaxed listening. The name Costello Music originates from a studio the band once recorded in, in Budhill, Glasgow which the band used to rent out. Being their first album it connotes their progress from being an unknown band who had to rent their own studio to a big hit band. The dominant colour of the album is cream, this reflect the walls of a lounge which refers to the lounging effect of the album to help people relax and enjoy it. The CD is produced by Tony Hoffer, this appeals to the audience as he is the same producer /mixer who produced albums by Beck and The Kooks, therefore those respective audiences may join the Frattellis fan base.

Stars and Stardom - Dyer's Theory

The concept of stars and star image was first developed by an academic who works at Warrick university in the 1970's called Richard Dyer who was a theorist.

He went on to say a famous quote from his book called Stars (the mythology of stardom) he analysed the appeal of different stars to the audience and came up with the notion that stars are 'bought and consumed on the strength of their meanings'. What they symbolically represent to the audience and what they stand for. E.g. they project an image and the audience chose which bits they consume or reject.

The term 'star' refers to the semi-mythological set of meanings constructed around music performers in order to sell the performer to a large and loyal audience. The image of a star needs to develop over a period of time - in order to keep the audiences interested. E.g. Miley Cyrus changed as he fans grew up with her. Same applies with Justin Bieber.

Some common values of music stardom: -Youthfulness -Rebellion -Sexual magnetism -An anti-authoritarian attitude -Originality -Creativity/talent -Aggression/anger -A disregard for social values relating to drugs, sex and polite behaviour -Conspicuous consumption, of sex, drugs and material goods -Success against the odds.

2pac was youthful, he offered rebellion for his music, he always had his top off making him have sexual magnetism. Aggression and anger clearly against authority and the police. Obsessive consumption of drugs and died in a shootout. Also success against the odds as he grew up in a poor background and made it to the top.

Stars depend upon a range of subsidiary media - magazines, TV, radio, the internet - in order to construct an image for themselves which can be marketed to their target audiences. The star image is made up of a range of meanings which are attractive to target the audiences.

Richard Dyer - Fundamentally, the star image is incoherent that is incomplete and 'open' Dyer says that this is because it is based upon two key paradoxes. The star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer -The star must be simultaneously present and absent for the consumer.

The Star Image The incoherence of the star image ensures that audiences continually strive to 'complete' or to 'make sense of' the image. This means that fans will go away determined to continue consuming the star in order to carry on attempting to complete their image.