Task 2.1- Reseach into existing products (moving image) Lady Gaga Paparazzi

Lady Gaga is a globally famous music artist, her work is known for being unique and different from any other artist out there. Video's such as 'Paparazzi' convey this in a range of differing ways.

To begin with the video gives a calm and tranquil atmosphere, the digetic sounds of birds and the sea and the non-digetic quiet and slow music in the background creates this. The first few shots add to this idea of peacefulness:

The above establishing shots and close up allow us to understand that the video is probably set at a beach house in a hot country. The calm atmosphere, big house an nice location create a foreboding feeling for the viewers as it almost seems to good to be true. The actual house and the interior show wealth which indicates probable fame, the title of the video being paparazzi also adds to this idea. Fame and wealth are usually the basis for negative situations and as we saw in the Johnny Cash 'Hurt' video, having money and fame doesn't always have a good ending.

The 1940's style opening sequence alludes to a time when many successful Hollywood films were made. Gaga uses this to try and connote how successful she is and to make the video more like a short film as to attract a wider audience. This style of video is new for Lady Gaga which isn't surprising as she likes to try new things often and to challenge expectations. She does this not only in her video's but in many aspects in her life such as fashion. Gaga likes to try and encourage her fans to try new things and be different which is portrayed through her music and her life.

As the music video continues we see that Lady Gaga is, as expected, very famous and rich. This is shown through the fact that she has money with her face on it. The money is scattered about and the room in general is quite messy. This leads us to believe that Gaga probably doesn't really care about her money and she lives quite a rich lifestyle perhaps having many parties and living like a usual A list celebrity.

Gaga and her boyfriend are talking in Swedish at the beginning of the video. Lady Gaga is American so therefore her speaking a different language is unexpected. However, by doing this Gaga again shows that she can be diverse and can therefore connect with a wide range of fans. In addition to this speaking in a different language could be seen as romantic/dangerous. the danger comes from her being in a different environment.

The hidden paparazzi start to take pictures of Lady Gaga and her boyfriend, by looking straight into the camera it is thought that her boyfriend knows that they were there and is trying to get himself famous/make himself money. As Gaga realizes what has happened she begins to struggle and slaps the man. As things between the two get more out of control the rate at which the pictures are being taken speeds up until finally Gaga is thrown off the balcony.

As she falls the camera's are still taking pictures rather than helping. This shows that the media doesn't actually care about Lady Gaga as a person but as a product which they can make money out of. This idea is shown through the headlines 'Lady Gaga is over' and 'Lady Gaga hits rock bottom'. As these headlines are revealed the song begins insinuating that this event is the reason behind the song.

By showing Gaga at her lowest point to begin the song we can assume that as the video continues we see how the paparazzi effects her attempt at trying to rise to the top again. This is shown in the picture below where Gaga, wearing one of her usual unique outfits, uses a wheelchair and crutches to try to walk. By doing this Lady Gaga shows that no matter what happens to her she will always continue to be herself and that she will rise to the same fame she always has. This could also be a message to her fans or the viewers telling them that no matter what happens as long as you pick yourself up you will succeed.

In addition to this, Gaga also highlights  differing problems in her video. Her boyfriend throwing her off the cliff shows domestic violence which is also portrayed later on in the clip with many women seeming to have died or committed suicide. One of the reasons for the suicides/deaths could be because of domestic violence being a problem and the video shows the women and Gaga as being a symbol of this. Another reason could be that everyone that gets close to Lady Gaga (all of the women work for her) dies, this links in with the money and fame that she has being deadly. The ending of the video (her boyfriends murder) also fits in with this idea.

Another issue that Gaga highlights in her video is sexuality. Worldwide many of her fans are gay and lesbian meaning that it is unsurprising that the artist should use sexuality at some point in her video's. In this video she is seen kissing both men and women leading the viewer to believe that she is bisexual. By doing this Gaga is again addressing the idea that it is okay to be different. She is also attracting a wider audience by doing this as she shows that she supports gay and lesbian rights.

 In the above shot you can see Lady Gaga dancing with some fellow dancers copying her. The dancers are doing the exact same moves and wearing a similar costume. This could represent Gaga being a celebrity in which many copy and follow. Her fashion taste has been widely copied in particular over the past few years and she has become quite a big fashion icon. Despite this, she has had many negative comments from the press. These criticisms could be one of the reasons behind this song and video as she is trying to tell people that no matter what they read or think she won't change and people will continue to copy her and love her,

Nearer the end of the video a headline is shown on a magazine saying 'THE NEW IT GIRL' this shows that Gaga is no longer the best in her business and she has been thrown aside by the media, After this she uses poison to kill her boyfriend. She does this to get some more attention on herself. Once she has killed him she calls the police and confesses as well as leaving her glasses on him. She does this things so that she can get recognized again for being outrageous and to be loved and famous once more.

During this scene Lady Gaga is wearing yellow and black. Yellow is a happy color which detracts from the black as being a sign of death. The clothes represent her mood and personality at the time, she wants to be back as the most loved out there but she is also dangerous with it. 

Later on you see the paparazzi crowding round Gaga once more and there are many headlines shown such as 'SHE'S BACK' this is what she wanted from the beginning to be back in the public eye and loved once more despite the consequences.