T2: Lady Gaga textual Analysis

In 2009, American artists Lady Gage released the music video for her song "Bad Romance" which behind a catchy tune delivers metaphors of women within the music industry, mistreatment and objectifying of her own body through clothing and suggestive actions/behaviours

The song opens up to a wide shot of all the cast members featured with Lady Gaga posed on her throne in the centre. Levi Strauss binary oppositions are distinct as the females are dressed in a pure white in different costumes and the men in black fixed in various positions. This gender binary opposition suggests the men are the bad part to play in this whilst the women are good as the colour white has connotations of purity and goodness. A large white dog is also amongst the people, and noticeably all animals in this video (the small hairless  cat who appears later) are white which could be suggesting an animalistic feel about women. As the song begins, we are presented with a low angle shot of 3 bottles of Vodka called Lex Nemiroof. This informs us of the music videos topics addressed and its associated areas (drinking) as well as showing us the video is a very post modern text with some product placement.

The reoccurring semantic of white can create a blank canvas feel as futuristic females crawl out of white pods (labelled as Monster) which are not human and distinctly science fiction/alien like. the white latex suits worn by them are not individual and could be a a visual metaphor for saying the women in the current era within the music industry are what the audience wants them to be rather than them making a career that concerns themselves.  As the connotation is a monster/non-human creature, these figures could be directly addressing the unique non-passive Lady Gaga fan base.
 Gaga is force fed a liquid by two females who are dressed similarly to those in the pods. This physical struggle could be a reference to her early career  in the music industry where her audience/fans defined who she is and perhaps the overwhelming influence her fans impose on her and along with the music industry trying to mould her into their own sexual icon; something that is mocked towards the end of the music video. The body language of Gaga shows naivety when we see a wide eyed Gage in a bathtub which is used to create an innocent effect suggesting when she started out she was a naive young girl and complicit. These shots occur after and in between the force fed which could be to show it was her newness and vulnerability to the fame that led her to do drastic acts and act out of social norms.

It is also important to notice the women are not handling her with care and could be, ironically, manhandling her. Halfway through the video some of her layers of clothes are pulled off and the she is revealed to the men, who wait sat down on chairs. The viscous nature of this stripping of her is symbolic of her having no choice to do this in order to get the attention yet she is then in a better situation for her career than when she started as she has an ownership over men, refereed to in the line "cause you're a criminal as log as you're mine". This also opens up a very clear divide between the two sexes and perhaps is Gagas way of hitting back at her criticism for being outlandish as it is primarily men who view her as this icon of which she could be seen to take advantage of in order to benefit for herself. s the men are wearing golden coveted masks to over/partially cover their face, this connotes wealth and or/secrecy so perhaps the men in past life have been these figure types, as referred to in her other music video Papparazi.

The movements of Gaga in this sequence change to her crawling along the floor which is somewhat animalistic and can be compared to the fur less cat seen earlier; The cat is bare visually, open to see yet very noticeable due to its distinct bodily feature of having no hair whilst Gaga is open to see in her fame, her music could be argued as typical/basic yet her physical appearance in the dresses and style she wears make her very noticeable therefore it is appearance alone that gets noticed in a culture where a picture/image conveys a message due to having an  audience which can view and see their music icons instantly.

At the end of the video, Gaga is seen holding a fur jacket, from a white bear whilst in the background fire engulfs the man who she was in front of. By wearing this across her body, it resembles a proud look as i f she has slain an animal and wearing it's fur for comfort/protection. This could be seen as reversing the views in the music industry. Instead of women sometimes being seen as the pieces of meat, or animals, Gaga could be delivering the message it is in fact me who are the real animals and have primal outlooks. The polar bear is also significant in that is endangered so by Gaga claiming this as her own, it could be a message to her critics to say she is prepared to stamp her dominance as a female singer and will fight her way through anyone or anything no matter how high or much their value is. The man who is assumed to be burning behind Gaga is briefly seen lying on a bed, burnt to a skeleton next to Gaga which indicates that Gaga has won and does not care for men.

T2: Textual Analysis - Writing Frame

The opening of"Louis Theroux: Behind Bars" begins with an establishing shot of the prison from a fade out from black to a real interview between a prisoner and the host of the documentary which we witness through a handheld camera point of view as the camera pans between the two. Towards the end of this snippet of the interview, there is a brief shot reverse shot when Theroux ass what it is the-prisoner has done to end up with a sentence of over 500 years.


As Theroux enters into the inside of the prison building, the BBC logo fades into the bottom of the screen accompanied by upbeat, slightly optimistic background music which is contrapuntal to the scenario of thousands of serious criminals in prison. By using the BB logo, connotations of trustworthy and objective journalism can be interpreted. This sets up a montage of Actualisation from within the prison such a prisoner in a mask and cuffed which indicates a serious tone for the documentary. During the montage, a voiceover explains the prisons reputation, and provides an insight into what the programme is about. Diegetic sound such a metal doors being opened and locked create a typical setting for American prisons especially when we hear the sound of a basketball during the extract of the interview at the start; Prisons in America being famous for the courtyard of free time where men can be seen to play basketball or spend time working out in the boundaries of the court. Before going to the cells, Theroux is asked to wear a protective vest and rather obviously asks   what this is for. As well as acting as medium for the audience, this forebodes the danger surrounding the environment he is in and adds rick to the documentary as we learn there also attacks within prison on guards.

After this montage, we are taken to an open spaced yard where the prisoners, through personal choice, are segregated into groups by race, Here, Iconography of the orange jumpsuit reflects the severity of the crimes here as this is often associated with prisoner son death row and also the vast size of the prison as there are a lot of convicted men in shot. Medium shots are then used on the body of Theroux when talking to the white group of prisoners. This is because he is the main person of the documentary who acts as an authoratative figure to the audience as he is a recognisable filmmaker for the BBC. At the end of the programme, a metaphor for the programme ending and perhaps some for the prisoners life outside of prison is seen when Theroux leaves the prison through the bars with the view from within the prison. He the exits the prison doors to an iconic sunset outside making us realise that life not behind bars is much brighter than behind them

Christian Metz (Language & Cinema - 1974) Model of Genre Development to "Music Videos"

1. What camera angles, shots, movement & position, are still used today from the “Hard Day’s Night” performance music videos.

There are features still used today from the Beatles album, A Hard Days Night performance videos such as filming in a studio where the Beatles perform as a live band in a studio. The camera angles are medium shots such as on John Lennon and the other band members paying their instruments. There are also some close ups on the drummer whilst playing the drums. This “experimental phase” is still used today in music videos from artists such as Adele and One direction. Pan shots, as used in the Hard days nights video “If I fell”, are also used in artists today such as James Bay – Scars. This is filmed in a studio and shows the whole band but with main focus on the singer James Bay. We see some medium shots but the focus is on pan and rotates around the front of the band like in the Beatles Hard Days night performance videos. Similarly, black and white is used but in the James Bay music performance, It is a filter and used to draw our attention solely onto the artists ability of playing the guitar and captivating him. This is also the case in Sia’s music video for her song “Cheap Thrills” which deliberately depicts a black and white TV.

James Bay - Scars Official Music video

2. Discuss what the appeal was of MTV in the 1980's? Analyse in relation to Thriller/Video killed the radio star

MTV was successful in promoting the careers of performers such as Prince, Duran duran, Michael Jackson and Madonna where there videos played heavily in its early stages. The concept of a video clip to accompmany ana rtist or band was important in advertising and promtoing their careers and influence the viewer to then consume merchandise and CD's.

 Buggles "Video Killed tha radio star" was the first ever music vidoe to appear on television, on MTV in 198. The success was due to the channel appealing to the youth culture. The video, directed by Russell Mulcahy strred composer Hanz Zimmer on the keyboard

3. Discuss what elements of the Marilyn Monroe musical scene are borrowed by Madonna? Think in terms of the similarities of Mise en Scene: location, setting, costumes, props, body language etc.

The musical scene of Madonna’s “Material Girl” takes inspiration from Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds are a girls best friend”. This “deconstruction” share similarities in the location of filming. A stage full of men in tuxedos surround the one woman (Monroe) with the main colour red (holding red love hearts) and a very feminine pink outfit which highlights her being a woman. The colours are significant in both to make the women visually appealing. It is clear Madonnas outfit is almost identical  to that of Monroes as both wear a soft pink dress with jewellery around the neck and arm. By wearing this, we associate Monroes as a figure of class and wealth thus empowering women. Madonna copying this creates a materialistic image of women as she is said to be living in a “material world”. 

Short Film: Comparative Analysis (Draft)

A short film relies on a "show don't tell" approach and using language in a visual way, (little amounts of dialogue). The camera does the work to reveal parts of the scene and often shots used don't reveal; the full image of what is going on. This helps to give a"slice of life" into a specific culture, region or group of people. This means there isn't necessarily  a beginning, middle and end and sometimes requires the viewer to interpret what they have just witnessed to their own ending or shape a new outlook on stereotypes/prejudices the audience may have before on the focused time era.

In Lynne Ramsays "Gasman", the economic trouble of the working class in Glasgow is portrayed through a family where the father does his best to see both of his children from separate mothers, without the daughters being aware of their relation. Although not gripping and full of plot twists, the drama still exists but the very real concept is told via a slow, show don't tell approach where the narrative is revealed through clever camera work such as close ups of the two girls hands indicating their sibling relationship the are currently unaware of. Throughout, the film plays at a real speed but is briefly manipulated when the camera deliberately alters and the frames slow down to reveal the inner thoughts the girl is having when looking at the other girl who looks very similar. This is brief and stops when the brother asks who they are. The narrative told only exists within the working class and during an economic downfall when perhaps some families in Glasgow struggled to provide for their children so this could of been different a decade later.

The lack of dialogue within the film makes me as the viewer question where the father is taking the children and I particularly like the long shots such as when the camera cuts from the house to the wide uphill street which lingers on the kids following the Dad. This gives you the potential viewpoint as if you were following them or looking on (the mothers view) and also hints at how empty the area is. Initially, I was surprised at how little Ramsay reveals of the characters and I liked how we saw the girl doing what she enjoys (dancing) and not the characters face as we are drawn into the typical dialogue of the mother getting her daughter ready.

One class is portrayed throughout the film, the working class where the children are seemingly happy and enjoy playing together. The struggle the father faces economically is not apparent to them and the kids know no better as this is the only environment they have grown up in. The place (Glasgow) is presented as rundown and bleak through the lighting which is tinted on the camera throughout. A darker saturation of colour suggests this was a place with bleak prospects in the time era.

Ramsay grew up in a setting similar to some of her short films such as "Ratcatcher".The strong accent left in the films was left in to add authenticity. Because of this, she can give insight into the time era and show a childhood from Glasgow from a personal account. In her New York times biography, the work of hers is described as "gritty, realistic visual style that demands attention". This is certainly true for her cinematography.

Aspects of Mise en scene help to convey a dark time for Glasgow as the screen is darker and the grass, withered and not growing as they walk to the Christmas party. This gives a very melancholy outlook. The image is much darker and there is focus on the girls body language which is slightly withdrawn and ponderous at times to show the audience she is suspecting the girl could be her sister.



Similarly, Ramsay explored childhood in other short films such as Ratcatcher which was her debut feature film winning numerous awards and  a BAFTA for British Newcomer (2000). The film follows a young boy James, who was play figting with another boy who drowns. There is innocence in the clip we watched as he explores the potential new house his family could move into.

The point of view shots enable us to step into the child's world and look more cinematic than that of Andrea Arnolds work. The still taken from this clip below is a very heavy image of meaning. Perhaps the this is a metaphor for opportunity and delivering the message of the grass being greener on the other side as we know from the start of this clip, the child lives in an impoverished area. The reaction of the boys face also provides us with wonder which doesn't come from dialogue or exclamation  such as " wow".