Lady Gaga -

representations? stereotypes?
female- lyrics show that she is trying to be strong


narrative?

Lady Gaga's Star image?
solo artist- shown as she is singing alone
getting ready for a show
someone doing her makeup for her



how has she changed her image?
Less sexualised dancing
More conventional costumes, hair, makeup

and why?
She has been able to discover herself
she feels that her view on acceptance has come across to her audience

Lady Gaga controversial character has been questioned in the media, she feels that she needs to focus on her music and not about publicity . However, she has changed her image from her earlier music videos, including Born This Way and ........ , this is evident as she is wearing more conventional costumes in her recent music video for Million Reasons. Her earlier videos, especially the video for Born This Way, had her in very limited clothing and was very sexualised, this was controversial as this juxtaposed the other things happening throughout the music video.




Representation of Femininity -

Pink clothing
Shown as insecure - she is trying to run away - but we can see why she has done it (to escape her relationship)
lots of costumes being brought in behind her - she likes fashion - stereotypical of a woman
Designer clothes - expensive taste
Long hair, makeup
female support
she has got fear of leaving and being on her own
she almost accepts the fact that she is not strong and admits that she will be likely to stay in the relationship.

Goodwin's music video theory

Andrew Goodwin's theory of music video states that music videos contain some or all of the following elements:

A link between the visuals and lyrics (complement, contradict or amplify)
Genre characteristics (heavy meytal in industrialised settings; rap music in urban street context ect.)
Contain intertextual references
Contains notions of looking
Include objectification of females (male gaze)
Includes demands of the record label
Video will be performance, narative or mconcept based


Visual and lyric links-
opening the present that is a christian cross - lyrics "i bow down to pray"
holding one finger up - "all i needs one good one to stay"


Genre characteristics-
Usually known for her pop music - but she is playing a guitar and wearing a hat- similar to country music

Intertextuality-
Well covered that she has had a relationship that has broken down - popular trend
Wearing a pink suit- suits are known as a 'male' clothing item, but the fact it is pink shows that she Wants to show us she can be strong despite being a woman.
References to her documentary- behind the scenes access to her getting ready to perform

Looking -
Looking directly into a mirror
Singing to nobody

Objectification -
scenes where she is getting ready for a show - in a dressing gown that is hanging off her shoulders- could be a sexual reference

Demands of record label-
 she is wearing her own branded tshirt at the start of the music video


This video is narrative based


'Halo' - Beyonce music video analysis.

the music video is narrative based

Visual and Lyric links -
singing about her love for her boyfriend- who is also in the music video for the majority of it

Genre Characteristics-
expesnive costumes/ her boyfriend has an expensive suit, wealth is a common in the pop music industry
Intertextuality-
could have possibly been an issue between her and her boyfriend

Looking-  there's  a shot of her dancing in a dance studio and he is watching her.
they are sat on the sofa together looking in to each other's eyes.
when he is on top of her towards the end, they are again looking into each others eyes

Objectification- in the dance studio she is wearing a dance costume, suggestive dancing as she is grabbing her own waist

A million reasons - Lyric analysis 
stand out lines
representation 
links to her life?
links to video 


You're giving me a million reasons to let you go - potentially a boyfriend? relationship that could mean a lot to her? relationship struggles?
You're giving me a million reasons to quit the show 

You're givin' me a million reasons
Give me a million reasons
Givin' me a million reasons
About a million reasons 

If I had a highway, I would run for the hills
If you could find a dry way, I'd forever be still
But you're giving me a million reasons
Give me a million reasons
Givin' me a million reasons
About a million reasons

I bow down to pray
I try to make the worst seem better
Lord, show me the way
To cut through all his worn out leather
I've got a hundred million reasons to walk away 
But baby, I just need one good one to stay 

representing the internal conflict - to stay or leave her husband 

Head stuck in a cycle, I look off and I stare
It's like that I've stopped breathing, but completely aware
'Cause you're giving me a million reasons
Give me a million reasons
Givin' me a million reasons
About a million reasons

And if you say something that you might even mean
It's hard to even fathom which parts I should believe
'Cause you're giving me a million reasons
Give me a million reasons
Givin' me a million reasons
About a million reasons

I bow down to pray - religious? last resort, turning to god for help
I try to make the worst seem better
Lord, show me the way
To cut through all his worn out leather
I've got a hundred million reasons to walk away
But baby, I just need one good one to stay

Baby I'm bleedin', bleedin'
Stay
Can't you give me what I'm needin', needin'
Every heartbreak makes it hard to keep the faith
But baby, I just need one good one
Good one, good one, good one, good one, good one

When I bow down to pray - opens the box and there is a cross in it, we discover that she is religious.
I try to make the worst seem better
Lord, show me the way
To cut through all his worn out leather
I've got a hundred million reasons to walk away
But baby, I just need one good one, good one
Tell me that you'll be the good one, good one
Baby, I just need one good one to stay

Sound and Music - what ideologies/ representations are conveyed by:

the lyrics -
'always think twice,  (don't think twice) - internal conflict, he is doubting his own ideologies and views.
' The kid is not my son' - in the chorus
'then she caused a scene' - tries to draw attention to herself
'Then every head turned ..... that dreamed of being the one' - she was attractive and every man wanted to be with her.


the baseline -
quick - wants to get his message out of the way.
repetitive- the fact he needs to repeat his message


the song isn't really a 'relaxed' song - reflects his mood when writing the song - he is constantly on edge about the whole situation.



Editing- 

split screen with three pictures, 2 frozen while he is dancing in the third

zooms in oh his eyes when he sings the lyrics ' his eyes were like mine' - intertextuality of his situation
Homeless man's clothes change to white suit.

The Billie Jean music video has a varied representation of ethnicity that are created through stereotypes. Some of these stereotypes are placed on Jackson as he is a young black male who is out at night, meaning that someone is suspecting him of something that is not quite right, and we see this throughout the music video. We also see Jackson subverting some of these during the video.

The music video was filmed and released in 1982, and was ground-breaking for ‘black’ music.  This is because this video was the first by a black artist to be regularly played and shown on MTV. The music video has a story-line behind it and is very socially contextual as Michael Jackson was gaining a lot of coverage through media sources (ie. newspapers), for all of the wrong reasons. This is due to a potential relationship that he had with someone who claims that her son is Jackson's. This song is all about her and the Lyrics back this up as well as the music video. The fact that there is a detective/spy following Michael around shows us an ethnic stereotype as he is getting suspected of something for no real reason whatsoever. The fact that he is some sort of magical character who has ability to make the floor light up would have been unseen much before this, as there would have been a limited level of editing/ CGI when the music video was made.

The fact that the spy/detective can't provide any evidence of Michael's Presence throughout the whole video also emulates his real life problems, and the fact the woman has no proof that her son is also his. Despite virtually admitting that he has had interactions with this woman (we know this from the video as he gets into somebody's bed with them towards the end), he is clearly repeating that the "kid is not my son".  This shows us as the audience that this lack of evidence proves nothing and that he may have been right all along. This emulates the divide in the real world between Jackson and everyone else, something that is also shown in the music video when the shot is split into two halves, with Jackson on one side and the spy/detective on the other. This could show Jackson's loneliness and boredom of having to answer for things he hasn't done as well as the unwanted attention form the press and other people.

Jackson is shown to be an aspirational person to the BAME community and this is shown throughout the whole video. The floor lights up wherever he goes, this shows that he is some sort of 'god' or amazing person. He is also shown as wealthy, and generous, subverting the contemporary stereotypes of a young black male, something that all people want to be in their life, as well as fashionable.

Throughout the video, there is a lot of props that are used to try and emulate the desperation for proof that the detective/spy wants to get to prove something. The Polaroid camera is one of these. The picture is taken but when the picture comes out, you are not able to see Jackson in it. 


The video has a huge link to a theory from Alvardo, who provided four main types of representation. This is evident as the homeless man is pitied and he is shown as weak and vulnerable. Jackson is shown as criminal, or suspected to be criminal, and we know this as there is a detective/spy following him around as if he has done something wrong and he is trying to prove it. This character juxtaposes Jackson as the spy is shown to be the 'respectable white man' from Alvardo's theory.

Representations of ethnicity


the humorous, providing comic relief.

the exotic; other cultures presented as unusual and exotic in their traditions and ways of living

the pitied; objects of pity and vulnerability

the dangerous; criminal, gangster, usually coupled with a binary opposition such as the respectable white character 

Mise-en-scene - (Michael Jackson; Billie Jean)

Setting-
In the city- star image. ethnicity - diverse
Dark streets at night , mysterious, something going on
Dodgy hotel room- suspicions

Props-
Coin - symbol of money/ wealth
Newspaper - sign of news and press, Jackson is getting alot of coverage for the wrong reasons. typical of a 'star'
Poloroid camera- trying to catch him out.

Facial Expressions-
Shock, Homeless man's life is changed by Jackson, he is showing how he can help people who need it (charitable)
Deep in thought-
Tired - having to try and keep out of the public eye.

Lighting and Colour-
Night time, mysterious - low key lighting
Lamp post- the only real source of light - safety
Red hotel sign- red - warning sign to not go up there but he does anyway- not conducting himself in the way he should
Pink shirt- feminine color
Dark colors- drawing, sun setting,
Floor lights, on path tiles that Jackson steps on, shows how in some way he is 'magical'

Costume-
Leather suit - fashionable
Detective's outfit for the 'spy' who follows Jackson around - wearing sunglasses to hide his identity, ironic as he is trying to expose Jackson's(who is very open about his identity anyway), yet the detective is  not revealing himself.

Positioning- 
Looking down on the homeless man-still an element of power/ superiority
Lamp post acting as a division line between the detective and Jackson - good vs bad?, conflict between the two? loneliness
the light is folowing him - being followed by the press and star image will always stay together