Music Videos

Lady Gaga- A Million Reasons 
Michael Jackson-  Thriller

Lady Gaga 
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta
American 
More provocative songs and videos 
She started of mainstream and then turned weird and has recently turned normal again
Intertextual references- Kill Bill the car from Telephone 
Counter stereotyping females- strong
Lady Gaga is a symbol for feminism 
She has very strong views 
Her music videos and outfits are sexualised 
Some elements of the music videos can be seen as disturbing 
Woman are portrayed in media in ways that they think males want woman to look so Lady Gaga could be over exaggerating this 

I will analyse all film using
•CINEMATOGRAPHY – (angle, composition, etc)
•SOUND
•EDITING (& SPECIAL EFFECTS)
•MISE EN SCENE

Million reasons
Tribute to her aunt who died at 19 from lupus
Relationship with her ex fiancé  
Unstable relationship with her fame 
She doesn't give the one reason she can stay for allowing it to be applied anywhere 
Head in a cycle and looks of and stares- needs help


Bartes narrative code
Open or closed

Stereo type production is based on simplification, exaggeration or distortion, generalisation, cultural attributes 

WHAT GENERAL STEREOTYPES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH WOMEN?  LIST 3 THINGS.

They cook and clean

Dress in a feminine way for a males benefit

Dont do any hard working jobs

WHAT STEREOTYPES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH WOMEN IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY? ?  LIST 3 THINGS.

Plastic surgery

Sexual outfits

Lots of makeup 

In Advertising and Magazines

They are shown as…

•Young

•Slim

•Overwhelmingly white

•Conforming to our image of ideal beauty (perfect skin, hair and alluring gaze)

Representations of women across all media tend to highlight the following:

•beauty (within narrow conventions)

•size/physique (again, within narrow conventions)

•sexuality (as expressed by the above)

•emotional (as opposed to intellectual) dealings

•relationships (as opposed to independence/freedom) 

Women have often suffered from a Narrow set of representations in the media

They are often linked to the domestic situation

– Women as housewives or mothers.

–OR as sex objects (sexualised and objectified) represented to entertain and titillate the male 

Stereotypes within Million reasons

    Stereotype of women needing makeup at 1:13 she has a lot of heavy makeup on. Her mask of an over sexualised pop star and when she is getting her makeup done her towel is low down and revealing 

   The stereotype of the all pink outfit at 1:50 

  Looking down is a stereotypical idea of her needing help or being the damsel in distress  and when she is in the middle of the dessert all alone and her friends come and find her and help her-fragile 

   When she is plying the guitar she seems strong because she the trousers and suit are stereotyped to be what males wear 

    

  Masculine stereotypes are being strong and powerful 

  How does lady Gaga use the iconic representation of the cowboy as a counter stereotype representation of femininity?

   The cowboy is Americas stereotype, it is seen as a male who is strong and independent. She is saying that men and women are equally as strong. She is counter stereo typing because she is wearing the typical cowboy outfit but in pink which is the stereotype for women. 

Counter stereotype of women because she also wears hardly any makeup when the stereotype is that women wear a lot of makeup 

She is counter stereotyping the idea of celebrities having the perfect life because she is emotional and wants to stop being a celebrity. 

In what way is the representation of an all female crew a countertype representation of the media industry

Crews typically have male and females because the women are typically the ones who are in charge of the makeup and hair and the men are usually the bodyguards because males are usually bigger and stronger than females. The wide shot shows that she is surrounded by an all female crew which is counter stereotyping. 

In what way is the video depicting the musician as a musician on the road, representing the drudgery behind the glamour of performance

Lady Gaga appears to be upset which portrays that life isn't as good as a musician as we think. She is seen in the close shot in the desert of her crying and when she is getting her makeup done she is also looking down and using a close shot allows you to easily see her emotions. In a wide shot you can see her friends jumping out of the car and running to her to give her hugs from her friends which shows that she is stressed out and they are supporting her.

Identify key aspects of the text which represent Gaga as “the vulnerable female”

'I bow down to pray' this shows that she is vulnerable because she is praying to get some help. 'I only need one good one to stay', she is leaving it vague so any one reason in any way can make her stay which shows that any little help a make a big difference. 

If You know about Propps narrative theory… In what way does this link to Propps character roles “Princess” ?

Characters are split up into categories, Hero is usually a male, Princess is usually the damsel. This is linked to Lady Gaga because she needs to be saved by someone and is the damsel in distress in the form of wanting to leave her unstable and dishonest relationship. She is emotionally vulnerable. 

Identify key aspects of the text which represent Gaga within the narrow conventions of music videos “a young and conventionally attractive, star”

She is seen with conservative and sexualised outfits in the beginning when getting her makeup done.  She is seen as attractive because she is blonde and is skinny which is what the media world view as attractive. The heavy makeup she wears as well is what typically is attractive to stars. Being made up into the glamorous world.  When they walk into the dressing room she has a lot of clothes all round her on the clothes racks so that they hav a lot of different options with her crew as well.         

How might this representation have negative implications.

They can get too involved in wanting to become what they think they world wants to see them as for example being skinny. 

Symbols that support the idea of her being vulnerable and how does it help establish her story 

The cross because it symbolises religion and she needs to find some help through some way. This links to the story of her being unstable and needing the support that we as an audience don't typically see. The idea of being expressed in the symbolism of the cross and rosary. 'I bow down to pray' is linked to the symbol of religion. The central message is that she expresses her self and finds support through the religion and momentarily escaping from the world. You can tell that she is under a lot of stress in the scene when she is crying and is linked to Propps theory because she is the damsel in distress and is the 'Princess' needing to be rescued.