Analysing Lady Gaga's 'Telephone'

 There are numerous conventions of the music video genre evident within Lady Gaga’s Telephone, these conventions can be associated with other videos, for example Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ and Greenday’s ‘Wake me up when September ends’.
   One convention used is the cinematic conventions, this is when the video practices conventions of film, for example the titles and credit that appear at the beginning of the video. Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ has also adopted this convention. In both videos all diegetic sounds are emphasised, this convention is used to code the atmosphere and the setting, this is evident as the footsteps along the prison in ‘Telephone’ are highlighted to create fear of being in prison, and in ‘Thriller’ sounds such as the footsteps and heavy breathing to convey the horror genre.
  The music video of ‘Telephone’ opens with a series of short establishing shots, consisting of barbed wire, prison cells establishing the initial setting of the scene and what the audience are to expect.
  Along with many other music videos, for example Greenday’s ‘Wake me up when September ends’, there is a narrative within the video, a story either related to the lyrics of the song or to evoke a response from the audience. Both videos open with the narrative as dialogue is shared between characters, which are established through their relationships, costumes, mise-en-scene and dialogue. In Greenday’s video the narrative is between a young couple (two actors), whose love is shown throughout the video through a series of montages and action happening within the narrative, which is separate to the band performing. However in Lady Gaga’s ‘Telephone’ Lady Gaga is performing in the narrative as a provocative protagonist, who she is coded as through the use of costume as she is dressed in leather , wearing fishnets and tattoos on show, representing her rebellion. However through the video there are constant changes of costumes which is a convention of music videos as they are not constant.
 Lady Gaga throughout this video is perceived as a sex symbol as phallic symbols are used to code that the two characters are emasculate, this is represented as she bites into the sausage snack viciously.
  This symbol is also achieved through a range of low angle shots. “Low angle shots are used more extensively in music videos, partly because they reproduce relations among the audience, performer and stage. Such shot confer authority upon performances and asserts their sexual charisma, often crudely, by highlighting the erogenous zones of performers”, these are constantly used to highlight the idea of Lady Gaga being a ‘sex symbol’ and to remind the audience that they are watching a performance.
  Along with low angle shots there are uses of extreme close-ups on the performers on the erogenous zones, to highlight her sexuality. Close-ups are also Lady Gaga’s and Beyoncé’s facial expressions, lips and eyes to remind and give significance to the performer.
  In both ‘Telephone’ and ‘Wake me up when September ends’ there is a break within the music and performance, this where more dialogue is shared and builds upon the narrative, this is evident when there is usually a change in the music along with the plot, in ‘Telephone’ where Beyoncé is involved in narrative, ‘Wake me up when September ends’ when the couple’s relationship is put in jeopardy.
  Within in both narratives in ‘Telephone’ and ‘Thriller’ there is non-diegetic music in the scene which is not the song which the video is for, this convention adds to the cinematic convention as more realism is added.
 “Music video editing bears a far greater responsibility for many elements than does classic Hollywood film editing”, this quotation from Carol Vernallis’ ‘Functions and Meanings of music in editing’, highlights the importance of editing within music videos which are obvious in Lady Gaga’s ‘Telephone’. Both the 30 degree rule and jump cuts, when the 30 degree rule is broken it is called a jump cut, a sharp awkward edit looks clumsy, the camera should move 30 degrees to avoid this,  are used in the video. The 30 degree rule is apparent in Beyoncé’s rap in the car and jump cuts are used when Lady Gaga is in the prison cell, these two edits keep the audience intrigued, and draws the audience’s attention to the techniques being used but allows them to remember that it is a music video and not a film, as jump cuts are not so apparent in film.  
  The 180 degree rule ensures that your audience is not disorientated as they should maintain a position between edits in terms of orientation. Within ‘Telephone’ this rule of editing is constantly broken; highlighting this technique being used also it gives the audience as different perspective of the action as Lady Gaga leaves the prison.
  Another editing technique used in the video is “quick cutting on the beat” this is when every edit in music video needs to be in sync with the music. This is reflected near the beginning of the video as Lady Gaga is on the phone and the editing is on a “rhythmic basis closely connected to the song” so as the song jilts, so does the staccato shots.
  Edits are clearly shown within the change of shots, for example the use of fade and the telephone image which zooms into the next shot of action. This keeps the audience keep that this is a music video and is not a film, as this type of obvious editing is not used.
  Many companies see music videos as a chance to place their products, this constantly evident within ‘Telephone’ as big named products such as Coca-Cola, Virgin, Chanel and HP computers have all been purposely placed within the video as they know that the video would become a hit due to its originality and success of Lady Gaga.
  Intertexuality, making reference to other media texts is made as references to Kill Bill, the car ‘Pussy Wagon’ and the plot of ‘Thelma and Louise’, this convention keeps the interest of the audience as they can make place with the movement of the video.
 As in Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ a dance routine happens within the narrative, these routines involve the performer(s) and actors. The routines become iconic to the song and to the audience as they can always make reference. Michael Jacksons ‘Thriller’ sequence is a break to the song however Lady Gaga’s is constant to the song and action.
  ‘Telephone’ is a very stylized when it comes to film and music video as it focuses on the style and not realism as films do.