Analysis of existing music videosLady Gaga

Genre Characteristics You can tell that Lady Gaga’s music video to ‘Telephone’ is a pop genre because of different key features such as energetic dance routines that occur at certain times throughout the music video. There are also many costume changes throughout which illustrate the different atmospheres that occur, for example when Gaga’s in the cell with the other inmates she is wearing a leather jacket with spikes on, this shows that she is rebellious and dangerous. There is a lot of colour in the music video, mainly from all the different costumes that are used. Conventional pop music video’s are seen to be filled with colour and energy, just like ‘Telephone’ is.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals

Throughout the music video, there is a clear relationship shown between the visuals and the lyrics, an example of this would be when Gaga sings ‘Telephone’ the shot shows her on the phone to somebody, before she starts singing, we see Gaga talking on the phone, having a conversation. Later in the video Beyoncé is dancing and when she sings ‘break up’ the camera jitters indicating the video is breaking up.

Relationship between music and visuals

There are a few outbreaks of dance in the music video and every time we see these intense, energetic dance breaks all of the dancers are in time with the music and go along with the reoccurring beat. The moves are quick and sharp giving a positive effect on the people watching. There is also a sound effect used of breaking glass of which the camera shakes.

Close–ups of the main artist In all music videos there are going to be close ups of the artist because that’s what everybody wants to see. Also the record label want to have close ups of the artist so they viewers are aware of who they are and will remember them. In the music video there are close ups of Gaga when she sings ‘Telephone’ and when she starts dancing.

Reference to voyeurismThere are some cases of voyeurism throughout the ‘Telephone’ music video. The first case of it is when we see Gaga being thrown into a cell and she has her back to us, unaware that she is being watched. The next case is when Gaga and all of the prison inmates are outside in the yard and there is a CCTV camera filming their every move, we get an insight of this and see what everyone is doing. Another, when Gaga is with Beyoncé and she takes photos of her, one of the photos she throws out of the window and the audience get to see a close up of the photo.

Intertextual references There are a lot of similarities in Gagas Telephone music video and the well known Tarantino’s film ‘Kill Bill’. Things such as the car titled the ‘Pussy Wagon’ that both Gaga and Beyoncé drive. The names that Gaga calls Beyoncé is also a reference, she calls Beyonce ‘Honey Bee’ throughout the music video, there are also characters in Kill Bill who address each other as ‘Honey Bee’ too.