Textual Analysis of Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi

Gemma Davey

Introduction

• Short film title: Paparazzi• Genre: Music video/Drama• Year: 2009• Director: Jonas Akerlund• Producer: Rob Fusari• Source (web address): youtube.com

MICRO ELEMENTSCamera angle, movement and position

• A lot of close ups on her and her boyfriend: almost intrusive• Close ups on objects such as flowers, the water feature etc. – calm

atmosphere. A strong contrast for the chaos that later occurs

• sense of chaos: confusion is created with the upward shots of the paparazzi’s flashing cameras

Framing

Lady Gaga is centre frame

‘We love her again’.

Editing and special effects

• Use of fades• There are quick edits• When she kills her boyfriend at the end, there are quick

edits of close ups of her and her boyfriend• To show the passage of time during the police

investigations, editing is used here where the people disappear and reappear having moved on in their investigation

• The flash of a camera to change the shot, complementing the paparazzi that are obsessed with lady Gaga

Mise en scene

• Many different forms of media: the camera’s of the paparazzi, newspapers, reporters and microphones etc.

• Lady Gaga is wearing costume that audiences would never wear

SoundDiegetic sound: the birds tweeting, the rustle of the

wind, the water fountainThe major scale on the piano: • Soft• Rhythmic• Regular• hypnotic effect indicative of normality.However this changes to a minor scale again,

foreshadowing something bad may happenThe song – non diegetic?

Titles/Institutional references

• The titles are in keeping with the comic-like feel of the whole video because of the font they are in and bright colours

• ‘The End’ - quite a traditional idea

MACRO ELEMENTSTwo narratives

• A girl who appears at first sweet and innocent who is betrayed by her boyfriend and she kills him

• The second , the lyrics of the song which shows the portrayal of the media:

‘we are the crowd’, ‘need that picture of you’

‘this photo of us, it don't have a price’

‘I'm your biggest fan I'll follow you until you love me’

‘chase you down until you love me papa-paparazzi’

‘I'll be your girl backstage at your show’

‘my lashes are dry, purple teardrops I cry it don't have a price’ – purple is the colour of mourning

‘we're plastic but we still have fun’

Representation

Lady Gaga:• Principal character• At the beginning: quiet and ‘loved up’, dependant on her boyfriend’s

love• At the end: a very different person• She also ‘plays up’ to the camera whereas before she was ‘camera

shy’

The media:• This short film shows the power of the media – a critique of the

media• Manipulative: they influence the public on their view of Lady Gaga

Audience

pop music

Scenes of a sexual nature – not for younger viewers

Themes/Messages

Critique of ‘the Media’ and ‘Celebrity’

The constant theme of chaos