Music Video Analysis - Lady Gaga

Telephone - Lady Gaga
Directed by Jonas Åkerlun

This video was a cutting edge cinematic experience for all of Lady Gaga's fans. The total  video is 9 minutes and 30 seconds, showcasing Lady Gaga's talent as an artist, promoting her unusual twist on the pop world, and also addressing some of the bad press she receives.

It starts with a prologue, which goes on until 3 minutes into the video. The font colours are yellow and pink, bright colours highlight that it is a synthetic pop song, which encompasses the constructed artist that Lady Gaga and Beyonce are.

Multiple establishing shots, show the location of the video, a prison. The audience views many shots as a CCTV camera, this encourages the audience to think about the idea of looking, the camera within a camera method is effective due to voyeurism, as it is like looking into someone's private world.

There is intertextual use of rumours being dealt with, the quote used is "she doesn't even have a d*ck", as the press state that Lady Gaga is a hermaphrodite.

Lady Gaga's star image is established with her very elaborate, revealing and wacky costumes. She is trying to show that she is outrageous and controversial.

Lady Gaga is the focus of the audiences attention as the camera tracks her into the outside prison area, and then cuts to everyone looking once she sits down on the bench

Again she tries to be as controversial as possible, as she is seen to make out with another actor, the reason for the controversy is because the viewer is unaware if the person Gaga is kissing is a man or a woman. While Lady Gaga seems to rub their crotch, which puts the viewer on edge.

There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals as Gaga seems to change outfit and change location in a split second, while her name is overheard on a tannoy radio, She then picks up a telephone, where the song begins to finally start.
There is also a relationship between visuals and music, as Lady Gaga lip syncs to the camera while editing makes it seems as though the beat has been made after the video.

Discontinuity editing is then used between shots from the Prison Cells to the holding room, we also don't see the prisoners breaking out of their cells, which a film would show. This is just one example of ellipses throughout the video.

The performance element is a major part of any synthetic artist, and Lady Gaga exhibits this in a grand way. The video contains multiple dance routines, which is editing in time to the beat of the music. Which allows for the viewer to feel connected to the artist even more.

More discontinuity editing is used this time from the outside the cells to inside one of the cells wrapped provocatively in Police Line Tape, highlighting her sexuality and her body.

Another intertextual use of a movie is with the vehicle 'Pussy Wagon', Beyonce also wears a bright yellow dress which is iconic of of the movies Kill Bill Vol 1&2, and another moment is from the diner which is a pastiche to the Natural Born Kills opening sequence. The reason for the use of these intertextual moments is because the director is good friends with director, Quentin Tarantino.

Use of a gratuitous cleavage shot highlights the male gaze, of the male characters view.

More shots show Gaga cooking in the kitchen, on the side of the screen there are instructions on how to make a sandwich, this is a message to how girls are treated and how men make them feel.

Lady Gaga again makes humour of herself by wearing more Telephone paraphernalia, with a phone style hat, and a phone hair peace, which acts as an eye patch.

Split screens are used to create discontinuity within the narrative.
And Beyonce has shots in the diner mixed with shots in an empty motel room, which just allows for the director to add more costume and set design changes in, to make it more fun and enjoyable for the viewer to watch.

The last shot is Lady Gaga and Beyonce holding hands just before the 'Pussy Wagon' goes off into the sunset, this is an intertextual moment of the final scene in the movie, 'Thelma and Louise'. Both Lady Gaga and Beyonce are wearing full length black outfits which symbolise their mourning, as they could be about to drive their car off a cliff, just like 'Thelma and Louise' to get away from the authorities.