MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS TELEPHONE BY LADY GAGA FEATURING BEYONCÉ

GENRE CHARACTERISTICS

There are numerous characteristics that structure a particular genre. In terms of pop, there are several features that are suited predominantly to this genre. Initially, synchronised dance routines continuously occur in pop music videos as the rhythm tends to be optimistic and energetic. Many of the routines are staged and the cast may break out into dance at any moment throughout the song. The dance cast typically consists of the main artist/s and female dancers, which applies to Laura Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' theory. 

GENRE CHARACTERISTICS

Outrageous, bright costumes are conventional for a pop music video as the artist/s want to stand out and target their specific audience. Vibrant and lively coloured costumes intrigue audiences to watch and makes the entire music video more appealing. Additionally, the outfits selected are constantly fashionable and in trend as the artist/s want to be up-to-the-minute and stylish. Lady Gaga is identified for her exceptionally outrageous outfit choices, so the costume department is crucial for her. By keeping up her recurring representation, she is able to be recognised by audiences.

GENRE CHARACTERISTICS

Likewise, an additional key feature of a pop music video is the narrative. In reference to 'Telephone', the significant storyline begins where 'Paparazzi' left off, after Lady Gaga was arrested for killing her boyfriend by poisoning his drink. In the opening of the music video, Lady Gaga is being released from a women's prison by Beyoncé, they then proceed to visit a diner and poison Beyoncé's boyfriend. The plan takes a wrong turn and Gaga ends up poisoning everyone in the diner. At that point they instantly leave, taking a drive onto the highway.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS

In several music videos a clear relationship between the lyrics and visuals is conventional, this relates to the target audience as they are able to understand the song and its significance. Initially, in the music video ‘Telephone’, Lady Gaga holds a telephone to her ear each time the chorus comes along: “And you’re not gonna reach my telephone”. An alternative example is when Gaga first picks up the phone and begins to sing: “Hello, hello, baby you called, I can’t hear a thing, I have got no service in the club, you see, see”. This depicts that she is essentially having an actual phone conversation with someone, linking to the narrative of the song, as she is trying to avoid the unidentified person who is ringing her. Furthermore, Beyoncé raps at one point when they are in the ‘pussy wagon’ truck driving to the diner, when she says the word “faster”, the truck automatically speeds up. This connotes the danger they may be in or about to get into. Moreover, when Gaga is having a phone conversation she says: “Wha-Wha-What did you say? Oh, you’re breaking up on me”, at this point the screen shakes and her voice sounds unsteady, as she is resembling the phone-line breaking up.  

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUALS

In various pop music videos, it is conventional that there is a strong relationship between music and visuals. In regards to ‘Telephone’, the beat of the song corresponds with the dancing, as each time the chorus comes along, the entire cast breaks out into dance which is in time to the rhythm. This suggests the atmosphere of the song to be energetic and blissful, engaging the target audience to sing along and dance.

CLOSE-UPS OF THE MAIN ARTIST/S

Conservatively, close-ups of the main artist/s are vital as their record label demands them to be noticed, therefore audiences are able to identify their favourite artists. In reference to ‘Telephone’, Lady Gaga has many close-ups where we can see her makeup and facial expressions. This implies that she wants her audience to see her facial expressions, thus understanding the importance of the song lyrics.

REFERENCE TO VOYEURISM

In the music video ‘Telephone’, there are numerous references to voyeurism, most of them referring to Gaga. Initially, the establishing shot demonstrates Gaga being dragged into a cell and having her clothes ripped off, she is then left lying on the bed unclothed and we see her through the cell bars as if someone is watching over her, emphasising that Gaga is being sexualised without her knowing, through the use of camerawork. An additional example is when other women in the cell are fighting and we watch them through the CCTV camera which is recording all the action going on at the current point. Lastly, the scene where Beyoncé and Gaga are in the truck heading to the diner, Gaga pulls out a Polaroid camera and we see Beyoncé rapping through the camera. Voyeurism is conventional as it often contributes to selling the product and creates audience interest.

INTER-TEXTUAL REFERENCES

‘Telephone’ embraces many inter-textual references, contributing to advertising the music video. The ‘pussy wagon’ truck that Beyoncé drives, has been seen previously in: “Kill Bill Vol.1 (2003)”, when Uma steals the exact same truck. Furthermore, Gaga refers to Beyoncé as ‘honeybee’ in reference to the character ‘honey bunny’ from “Pulp Fiction (1994)”. Within the music video, there are many product placements that appear. At the beginning Gaga is seen with diet coco-cola cans in her hair, and uses an LG phone to text, Virgin Media appears on the screen of her phone too. Additionally, the police officer is seen using Dr Dre beats laptop, this is comparable to Gaga’s previous music video ‘Paparazzi’, where the officer is listening to music using Dr Dre headphones. Too, Gaga uses a Polaroid camera to photograph Beyoncé when she is driving in the truck.