Telephone - Single Cover Analysis

The layout for this CD cover is quite simple. The picture is very central in the layout, with the text central but at the bottom of the page. When following the route of the eye, we first see the statement hat on Lady Gaga's head, this immediately relates to the average young adult of today as you think that it is Gaga due to her statement hats and costumes. We the see her face, clarifying this assumption, and finally see her name and the title of the song.

A Black and White colour scheme is used on this CD cover. This is very simplistic and would stand out from all the other colourful covers on the shelves in a shop. Lady Gaga is known for being different and therefore using this colour differentiates her from other CD covers.

The font used is a simple font, all in block capitals. This font is in white to apply to the colour scheme and keep the total look of the CD cover as simple as possible. All that is state is the artist, song title and the featuring artists.

The image shown on this cover is a mid shot of Lady Gaga, wearing nothing but a hat, her arm is covering her breats to make sure that nothing is too indecent for sale to all ages. In this image, Gaga is wearing a wig that is very extreme. The bob is straight cut along the bottom and has been styled so that it comes out at the bottom.

Lady Gaga's style is very unique and therefore this CD cover relates to it's target audience very well. The iconic style of Gaga is recognised by all her fans so even though the cover is very simple it is still very relatable to fans.

Telephone - Video Analysis

This pop video isn't like any other normal pop video; it is made to look like a short film. The entire video is 9 minutes and 31 seconds, but only at 2 minutes 53 seconds which gives the video a very long introduction although this is typical of Lady Gaga's eccentric and original pop videos challenging the norm.

Mise-en-scene is used to set the scene of an all female prison where all the characters are wearing revealing underwear. This use of costume is very characteristic of Lady Gaga’s music videos. In the opening scene Gaga is wearing coke cans as rollers in her hair and glasses made from cigarette glasses. Lady Gaga’s videos deter from the conventional themes of pop videos. Later in the video we see Gaga dressed ‘caution tape’ in her prison cell. The modern youth are the main target audience of this video and this is clearly shown in this clip as it shows people acting against the norm, which is the representation of youth that is portrayed today. However this video also may give the people the confidence in themselves to bring out the individual personalities. The props used in the video range from a car named the ‘pussy wagon’. This closely relates to a program on Channel 4 called ‘The Inbetweeners’ where four sexually interested boys name their car the ‘minge mobile’. This means that the video could be related at a similar audience of youngsters. Another prop is a crucifix which Gaga wears over her nipples. This gives the sense that religion is important to her; older viewers may find this inappropriate. The main prop in the video is the repeating use of a telephone, to emphasise the title of the song. Lady Gaga wears heavy make-up throughout the video which secures her femininity. There is also a separate location to the prison in the short film. This one is a bedroom, which appears to be in a hotel. In pop videos this is a conventional location. In this scene Gaga’s costume changes. This time to a formal jacket covered by an American flag, showing love for her country.

Various types of camerawork are used throughout this video.  The first scene is a long shot of Lady Gaga being walked to her cell, this shows a glum prison and people wearing outrageous outfits. Other shot types include: a mid shot of Lady Gaga emphasising that she is the main character of the video. Later in the video there is a two shot of Gaga and Beyonce, this shows that Gaga is the main character, closely followed by Beyonce who is the featuring artist. A tracking shot is used to show the car driving off, shortly after it turns into a long shot showing the car driving off into the distance. There is an over the shoulder shot from over Beyonce’s shoulder showing the audience the view from her perspective.

 

In the video many types of sound are used to portray an interesting and different video. The first main use of sound is the sound of the female prisoners talking, this dialogue is a diegetic sound and is followed by the ambient sound of kissing – this shows that sexuality is considered in the video and therefore relating to the target audience of youngsters. A voiceover is used over a loud speaker; this is predictable of a prison for announcements. When the song begins, both diegetic and non-diegetic music is used. The audience hear the song and the characters dance to the music. There is a mixture of these sounds and other dialogue scenes between Gaga, Beyonce and Prison Guards, some of this language is offensive and this would appeal to the target audience as swearing has been linked to the youth in various media sources. A range of ambient sounds are used in the video including: draws being opened, doors being opened and slammed, keys rattling, footsteps (including high heels) these are all stereotypical sounds of a prison and the high heels relate to the femininity of the all female prison.

A lot of different speeds of editing are used throughout the video, cutting from fast to slow paced at different points of the video. An example of fast paced editing is when Beyonce and Gaga speed off in the car and Beyonce sings her solo. Shapes are used for some of the fade in transitions, one shape being a circle and another being a telephone, this relates to the name of the song. A series of shot reverse shot is used when Gaga is wearing the caution tape in her cell, this shots flick between the corridor and the cell. When Gaga is first seen with Beyonce a fast black wipe is used as Gaga lifts her head, to reveal Beyonce, a well known artist of today who will appeal to the audience.

This video ends saying to be continued….

Lady Gaga is an iconic artist of the modern day music. She has created an iconic style and this is reflected through her music videos. The language used connects to the younger generation and the outfits are unique, teens try to be unique. The location of a prison doesn't represent all young people, but relates well to the negative representation of youth.