Jonas Akerland is a Swedish film and music video director. his Madonna video "ray of light" won a Grammy for best music video at the 1998 MTV music video awards. In 1997 he directed "smack my bitch up" by prodigy. He has also worked with such music acts as Britney spears and Christina Algeria.
The video starts with credits, like the opening of a film. This is influenced by the blaxspotation genre, in 1970's, such as shaft.
This allows the video, to take a narrative structure. In the sense that credits are usually are shown through film. We then see Lady Gaga being assisted through a women’s prison, Lady gaga is wearing a black and white stripped dress, this represents she has done something wrong as this is what convicts wear, however with the dress she is wearing heels and sun glasses, this is un like a real prison so this is almost abstract. the women within the prison are all wearing black and white like convicts, but again they are wearing high heels like lady gaga, this represents them as 'sexy convicts' some of the women are wearing red lipstick, this is seductive towards the audience, therefore this appeals to men.
Lady gaga, is then stripped into a thong, A thong is seen as sexy, it is also stereotypical to women. We then see manly women, around 40 wearing a white dress, the white dress signifies ensconce, as the women is within a jail this is going against conventions, also lifting weights this is stereotypical to men, this is also un-conventional as it is showing the women to be manly, although she is dressed in a white dress and high heels, she also has long blonde hair, this is stereotypical of women. Lady gaga then comes into the impound with cigarette glasses coving up her eyes, this could be symbolising her blindness to the outside world, as she is in prison, she is wearing a thick silver chain, this could echo how she is trapped, and cannot escape. She then goes over to a table and kisses what we do not know if it's a man or a women, because although the subject looks like a man, she is within a women’s prison. She then takes out his mobile phone from his pocket, this echo's the title of the song "telephone" the speakers then announce that lady gaga has a call, which again echoes the title of the song. The video then cuts to lady gaga within a cell with many other women, There is then a fight, this shows characterises of men, but through women. Also the two women in heels fighting shows male sexual fantasy.
The phone then starts to ring, as the music starts to play, lady gaga walks over to the phone dressed in a studded leather jacket, with underwear on, and with cans in her hair. The studs on her jacket and underwear represent her as "hard" this echo’s that she is in a prison. she then answers then phone and sings:
Hello, hello, baby
You called, I can't hear a thing
I have got no service
In the club, you see, see
Wha-Wha-What did you say?
Oh, you're breaking up on me Sorry, I cannot hear you
I'm kinda busy
This is adding performance to the video, as it shows lady gaga singing, which is her performing, lady gaga then starts dancing, within a mid shot. this makes her centre of attention, which again adds performance elements to the video. The video then cuts to close up of lady gaga’s different dance moves, this echo are the speed of the music. throughout this there are many jump cuts to match the beat of the song, this makes the performance more interesting.
The graphic of an old fashioned telephone then zooms out this is an intertexual reference to the 1960's batman series. The batman series was created by William Dozier.William dozier is an amercian film producer.
The graphic telephone zooms to show to show another shot of lady Gaga, this time lady gaga is wearing just a bra, and she is shown through close up, The bra, and the red lipstick creates seductive technique. lady gaga then preforms to the audience by singing in to the camera, the camera then cuts to a long shot, were we see four girls (including lady gaga) within the shot. All of the girls are dressed in underwear and high heels, this again creates male sexual fantasy. sexual fantasy is then reinforced by a close up of a girls knickers looking in through prison bars. The four girls then turn into five and the girls carry on dancing through the isle of the prison, this could echo American culture, lady gaga could be saying there isn't enough punishments within American prisons. Throughout the video lady gaga shows Narcissism as she is dressed in her underwear, high heels and she is performing for the audience.
We then see lady gaga wrapped within nothing put police tape, this is also showing sexual fantasy.(bondage) We are then shown a long angle medium shot, the low angle makes the artist dominant, and the shot being medium allows the audience to focus fully on lady gaga. The letters on the police tape that lady gaga is wrapped in spell "sex" through this the artist is representing herself in a sexual way, which reflects both the artist and the audience. The audience emulate to become the artist, because they long to be "seductive" "sexy" "young" ect. (all the things the artist is representing herself to be)
Throughout the video there are references to other media forms, this is synergy, for example when lady gaga takes out her mobile phone the audience is represented a "virgin" logo, this is promoting virgin mobile, through means of another media text (the music video)
Lady gaga then gets into the "pussy wagon" this is influenced by Russ Meyer films in 1960's. Russ Meyer was the director of "faster pussycat , Kill, Kill" which was realised in 1966. The pussy wagon is almost a sexist remark against women, it is reflecting women in a bad way, as the word "pussy" is a frowned upon source of taboo language, this again reflects lady gaga, in the sense that is very controversial. Lady gaga then meets Beyoncé within the car, this is influenced by the film "Thelma and Louise" Thelma and Louise Was directed by Ridley Scott. The film's plot revolves around Thelma and Louise's escape from their troubled and caged lives, this echos the telephone video as the plot is about beyonce and lady gaga running from their lives.
Lady gaga and Beyoncé then eat food seductively, which again refers to sexual fantasy. the film then shows a milkshake, this could echo American culture in the sense that Americans are associated with food and drink.
Beyoncé’s hat upon her head echoes mickeymouse’s ears, this makes her seem incessant next to lady gaga, as she has just bailed her out of jail. Beyoncé then adds performance to the video, by singing and dancing whilst lady gaga is taking pictures of her.
The video then cuts to a diner, this again could represent American culture. Everyone within the diner is dressed dull, the lighting is also dull within the dinner, however Beyoncé is shown wearing a bright yellow dress, this allows the audience to be attracted straight to Beyoncé. A close up of Beyoncé’s boobs are then shown, this promotes the artist in a sexual idolises way. Throughout the time at the dinner there are many animations this is influenced by comic strips. This is reinforced later in the video when lady gaga and Beyoncé are dressed as superheroes.
We then see lady gaga within an industrial kitchen, Whilst Japanese and comic book like captions are shown, pop art references by Andy Warhol. Lady gaga challenges the view of the "perfect housewife" portrayed in 1950's pop culture.
Lady gaga then puts poison into the recipe, whilst the camera keeps jump cutting to Beyoncé dancing within a bedroom, Within the kitchen lady gaga is working in she is in the chief, and the men are the workers, this shows she is dominant, this represents women in a positive way, as it is saying women within the kitchen in charge of the women.
A Japanese animation of the recipe is then shown through the video, this is influenced by Japanese animation.
The women then watch the man as he eats he food, this is showing the women are dominant. The man is showed through a middle, medium close up until he is poisoned then he is shown within a low angle showing dominance through camera shot, showing the audience that lady gaga and Beyoncé are dominate over the male.
the camera then shows a close up of honey on the honey pot there is a child-like animated bee. This again refers to the Japanese influenced animations.
The video then shows lady gaga and Beyoncé dressed as a super hero, this is influenced by caption America and wonder women, these are influenced through American culture which echos the whole video, also showing the women as heroes makes the women gender seem dominant.
Captain America and Wonder women are fictional superhero characters within comic books published by marvel.
The video then shows a close up of a dogs face, then a close up of a man’s face within the same shot, this suggests that men are equal to animals. Lady gaga and Beyoncé then cover one eye with there hand, this is known through lady gaga’s music videos, therefore this reflects the artists identity.
The video then shows lady gaga and Beyoncé driving off in the "pussy wagon" with the diegetic sound effect of a car pulling away, this adds more effect to the car, and again Japanese subtitle captions are shown. We then see lady gaga performing as a kitten this refers to sexual fantasy, but it also shows lady gaga in a shofar hat, which shows she is the driver of the "pussy wagon" which could signify that she is dominant over women as well as men. The video ends with credits, which are influenced again by the film
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