Lady Gaga Essay

Lady Gaga - Paparazzi

Homage-

The Lady Gaga - Paparazzi includes the post modernist feature of homage, the way in which homage is used is the way the video is very similar to the 1950’s film Sunset Boulevard, both have similar narratives in the way celebrities have moved away into big mansions up a hill out of the way. Both also feature a death/murder. With the video featuring huge similarities to the movie it seems as if it is paying homage to the earlier movie.

Eclecticism-

Within the video, eclecticism is used throughout there is a range of genres combining within the video such as detective drama where we see pictures being taken of the body in a detective manner. Then we have a romantic film feel at the start where the couple seem to be deeply in love and happy together. We also get the sense of a advert feeling at the start almost like a fragrance advert, also to fit in with this we see the ‘Dior’ ring on her finger once again fitting in with the fragrance advert feel. Another genre feel that we gather is the action movie genre almost like a james bond reference within.

Elements of quirky fun-

The whole Paparazzi music video by lady gaga includes elements of quirky fun as that is almost what lady gaga is represented as always. She is represented as quirky due to the different and unusual dress sense that is adopted within this music video and always. Also when she is seen to be falling off the balcony we see the spiral appear and this is a quirky feature that is in the music video as before this point we are experiencing a very serious almost film like video then this quirky feature appears. One more quirky feature that is used is when she is dressed as a robot, i feel that this is quirky because it breaks the usual binary that people with a modernist view would believe of there is either human or machine not inbetween.

Pastiche -

Within the Lady Gaga music video there is elements of pastiche from lady gaga herself in the manner that her dress sense is very similar to that of madonnas, it looks as if she has styled herself on madonna. Along with the element of references back to previous movies which could be classed as pastiche.

Blurred boundary between high and low culture -

I think the only reference i see that could be classed as a blurred boundary between high and low culture is in the manner that the music video is actually set out as a short film, as it has a clear linear narrative therefore this could mean it is closer to high culture. However on the other hand it is actually made to be a music video therefore this is what could be classed as low culture.#

Camp -

The whole video includes the element of camp as it is largely extravagant and exaggerated throughout. The performance and dancing of Lady Gaga herself and her dancers are very exaggerated and camp. The rock band glam that is chosen at some points in the video is also a very exaggerated style. This is also the same ways in which a spectacle is created within the music video.

Sense of risk by practitioner -

Due to the large amount of extravagant actions and the unusual hodgepodge used there is the potential of ridiculing being involved therefore there is a matter of risk for Lady Gaga. This is an element to post modernism as usually post modern ideas go against stereotypical theories therefore there is the potential of ridicule.

Bricolage -

The only element of bricolage in Lady Gagas music video that i noticed would be the rock band glam we see in  a few parts this style almost looks to be a jumble of clothes been put on.

Exhaustion-

Exhaustion is evident within the music video because everything we see in the video is something we have seen before from someone else, it is not really knew materials and ideas that we are seeing. The only thing that we are seeing that is different is the way in which they are presented to the audience, the order and amount of things that we are seeing in one video.