LADY GAGAPOKER FACE

CAMERA- Movements, Shots and Angles

The camera zooms in and out in a fast pace which draws the audiences attention to her seductive movements.

Tracking shot – follows Lady Gaga into the poker game which establishes the scene.

CAMERA- Movements, Shots and Angles

Wide shots are used to show the glamorous location which reinforces the atmosphere Lady Gaga wants to create being luxurious and powerful.

The shot is also effective as Lady Gaga is to the right of the frame which effectively conveys the luxury of the location and also make her seem powerful as the viewers eye draws immediately to her.

CAMERA- Movements, Shots and Angles

Long shots to highlight Lady Gaga’s sexual appeal also to show the movements she completes.

Many close ups to promote the artist as this was one of the first music videos she had produced also to convey the lip syncing. It is also a way to enhance her sex appeal which attracts her target audience.

EDITING – Transitions and Special Effects

To enhance the fast beat of the music the editing is fast when she is emerging from the swimming pool. This reinforces the image of Lady Gaga and her music which is the weirdness and instability.

Although her movements are slow contrasting the fast paced editing it implies a build up as it is in the beginning of the music video.

EDITING – Transitions and Special Effects

A special effect used multiple times in this music video is a slip screen to add to the distorted atmosphere created by the music and also compliments the electro, techno, pop genre.

MIS-EN-SCENE

Great Danes are a strong and powerful breed of dog which could symbolise her power and influence however it could also be linked to men perhaps that they are dogs or should be treated like them. Even that they are easily manipulated and trained.

Beaded curtains suggest a sense of privacy or intimacy. It could also represent the distance or mask that is her poker face.

The colours used vary the bright blue of her costume follows the convention of a pop/electro song and the blacks and red suggest a sexual and dangerous aspect which is strongly conveyed in her song.

The clothes that Lady Gaga wears are very tight and show a lot of skin which adds to the sex appeal.

MIS-EN-SCENE The location is very luxurious which goes hand in hand with

the lifestyle she is trying to create. It also strengthens her message that she is dominant and powerful.

The masks and mirrors used highlight her poker face as her face and true emotions are hidden however she peals it away from her face which could also mean that it is easy to change and hide her emotions if she wants. Therefore meaning that she had the power. The glasses whilst fashionable too conceal a part of her face which are the eyes which reveal peoples emotions such as when they are lying.

The dancers are also commonly found in Pop songs amplifying the dance beat and party like atmosphere.

MIS-EN-SCENE

The use of Lady Gaga wearing only a bra and pants could suggest two ideas these are that it increases the sexual appeal which suits the target audience OR it could suggest that she uses her poker face through her seductiveness.

Ideologies There is a recurring ideology in that she is the

dominant figure. In this still she is in a strong pose and the male is meek and she is behind him which can highlight her betrayal in hiding her emotions with her poker face, he is portrayed as passive and needy. She is in control.

Lady Gaga is positioned as being higher up than the male figure which could reflect her power over him. He is being fooled and she is the one doing the fooling.

The mannequins could also represent her multiple personas.

The male isn’t the focus point Lady Gaga is the main feature as he is being passionate with her she is staring directly at the camera hinting at her secret which is her poker face, making the viewer more involved and feel as though they are aware of her secret.

Ideologies There are continuous links between the Great Danes and

her male lover which implies that he is easily manipulated and reinforces the overall idea that she has the control. He being oblivious to her poker face. This is dominant in the music video and enhances the message of the song.

Intertextuality

Bwin – world leading gambling website which could symbolise that Lady Gaga wants the best, inevitably highlighting the luxurious lifestyle presented. It is also sponsoring the brand.

Beats headphones are also expensive going with the glamorous theme and also the music.

Audience Reception: Stuart Hall’s theory of preferred reading.

Stuart HallStudied the role of audience positioning in the interpretation of mass media texts by different social groups, creating a model suggesting three ways in which we may interpret a media text. DOMINANT READING – Reader accepts the preferred

reading (audience will respond to the text the way the author intended)

NEGOTIATED READING – Reader partly believes the code and broadly accepts the preferred reading but may shape it to reflect their own position, experiences and interests.

OPPOSITION READING – Reader’s social position means they are in an oppositional relation to the dominant code, rejecting the reading and disagreeing with the text.

Why does this music video appeal to the audience?

The glamour, power and seduction of both the surroundings and Lady Gaga this could be a way of looking up to or aspiring to be like her – Escapism and idolising.

The up-tempo dance aspect of the video means that it can be played at parties and clubs which is the location suited to the target audience. It also allows for the audience to dance along.

Andrew Goodwin’s theory applied.

6 FEATURES OF A MUSIC VIDEO Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (eg stage

performance in metal videos) There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals which can be

either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting. There is a relationship between music and visuals where the tone

and atmosphere of the visual reflects the music. (Either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting)

The demands of the record label will include the need for many close ups of the artist who develops a motif or a visual style across their work.

Frequent references to the notion of looking (mirrors, stages, screens within screens) and a voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

Often intertexual reference for example films, TV programmes and other music videos.

Andrew Goodwin's theory applied continued…

Poker face demonstrates genre characteristics with dancing and bright colours often found in dance/pop music videos.

The lyrics are often linked to the visuals for example with the poker face a poker game is displayed.

The visuals are distorted to match the fragmented music but also the visuals are contradicting when the music is fast paced the visuals are in slow motion at the very beginning. Also the fast dance music is accompanied with dancing and fast visuals to complement each other.

Andrew Goodwin’s Theory applied continued…

There are many close ups to promote the artist. There are references throughout suggesting the notion of

looking also the female body is heightened to add to the sex appeal. Which increases the idea that we are also in on her secret and her poker face unlike her partner.

Bwin and beats headphones are advertised within this music video.

Laura Mulvey Theory Applied

Researched the representation of women in film and literature (also society in general) as being dominated by s male point of view.

Arguing that the cinematic apparatus of classical Hollywood cinema puts the spectator in a masculine subject position using the woman as a object of desire and ‘the male gaze’ Men having active role and women being passive.

The male gaze occurring when the camera places the audience into the perspective of a heterosexual man. The camera reinforcing this by lingering on the female body. The female is portrayed on two levels as an erotic object for both the characters on screen and the spectators/audience watching.

Mulvey continues by stating that in mainstream cinema the male gaze take precedence over the female gaze which reflects the unequal distribution of power.

Laura Mulvey Theory Applied continued…

Lady gaga uses her female status to show her power and the male gaze to her advantage to increase her control over the male. Who in this music video is passive and she is active.

Binary Oppositions – Levi Strauss

In every media text there are binary oppositions, or conflict between two opposites. The audience is aware of who they should side with which can also develop a political theme within. For example Good & Bad, Rich & Poor, Love & Hate and many more.

There is a strong theme of Female & Male which is constantly shown and the audience is to side with Lady Gaga as she is in control and the glamorous protagonist.