Throughout the video, there is constant intertextuality of different forms of media. This music video is a clear example of postmodernism as it references to lots of different art forms such as film and other artists.
This is shown through the video being based on the film "Thelma and Louise" through the way Lady Gaga and Beyonce become a duo and "punish" men for their behaviour toward women, as the film demonstrates through their toughening of femininity. There are also the shots of product placement such as the Coke brand as a means of advertisement. There is also the car used in the film "Kill Bill" that is also featured in the video.
There is a low angle establishing shot of barbed wire from a prison which is code for the hip - hop genre which reflects crime. The use of the low angle shot also gives the impression that the artist has authority over the audience and we can notget over the barbed wire as Vernallis says "Such shots confer authority upon performers".
The font at the beginning of the video is also reflective of the femininity trying to be portrayed by the narrative. The use of 1970's graphics that is bold in style and colour is also code for no nonsense and how femininity is changing, by becoming tougher, and that the font shows how the women do not care what people think of the change.
There is the high angle CCTV shot that looks down at the singer walking through the prison. This may resemble the audiences high position within the narrative. This shot also allows the narrative to progress as we are finally taken into the building. This fully emerges the audience into the narrative, which is conventional for some videos, but videos do not usually allow their audience to fall into the narrative.
There is also a point of view dolly shot as Lady Gaga walks down the prison corridor, the camera turns to the cells that Gaga is walking past to allow the audience to see what the artist is seeing. As Vernallis says "The dolly shot keeps the video moving, it starts invariably as soon as the video begins". This is a convention of a music video as videos want their audience to focus on the narrative, but not to be too emerged.
The mise en scene of the singer, Lady Gaga, is iconic in terms of her costume. This is flamboyant and overdressed which is conventional of a music video as the artist wants to make sure people understand why she is iconic in the first place and what makes her different. This links to the videos such as Eminem who wears the iconic white vest in his videos. Lady Gagas costume also links to the setting of the prison as it is black and white stripes. The mise en scene of the costume juxtaposes the realistic mise en scene of the scenery such as the prison.
There are also a mixture of still images in the video when the artist is in the car with Beyonce. The use of the still images allows the audience to see the bizarre and overdressed costumes that the artist has come up with. This once again links to the idea of the video wholly focusing on the artist which is conventional. Also, this makes the audience aware of the editing process of the video, not emerging the audience thoroughly into the narrative.
Also, there is the code for femininity being tougher which is also shown through the artist Beyonce eating a sausage roll in the car. She carelessly takes a chunk out of it and then the camera does a high angle shot of Beyonce chucking the sausage roll on the floor. This gives the impression that the sausage represents masculinity and that woman are destroying it, as the code shows and that the high angle shot makes the sausage roll look weak and vulnerable.
As the music begins to start, we see the artist on the phone and we become aware of the editing process of the video as the camera become jittery, flashing in time with the music. This is a typical convention of a music video as it gives a disorientating feeling to the audience and also makes the audience once again aware of the editing process.
As the artist begins to dance there is the frequent use of low and high angle shots on certain areas of the dancers and the artist. Vernallis says "asserts their sexual charisma, often crudely, by highlighting the erogenous areas/zones of performers" which is what the use of the shot implies linking to the message of femininity becoming more dominant.
The 30 degree angle is broken in the video as there are cuts that move below 30 degrees. This is not a typical convention of a music video. We see this happen when Gaga is thrown in the cell and there are jump cuts between each shot but moves very slightly less than 30 degrees, breaking the typical conventions of a music video. This allows the audience to see Gaga in an "uncontrollable state" and makes the audience aware of the editing process.
The 180 degree rule is also broken in the scene where Gaga is in the prison yard and the actor walks up to her. We see the actor from behind the artist and then we also see him from the position of being in front of the artist. This shows how the boundary is being broken and is not a typical convention of a music video, but is widely used nowadays.
There is also dialogue during the video as the song is playing which is unconventional of a music video. The dialogue interrupts the song, but plays the part of extensively portraying the narrative of the video. Also, with the scene in the cafe, the actors behind begin to dance with the artist, where before they did not. This sees the merging of the two worlds as the actors before were not a part of the narrative, this too is unconventional.
Really excellent, detailed analysis with incorporation of theory.
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