By Ria Manzanero

POSTMODERN MUSIC VIDEOS

Lady GaGa is a perfect example of a postmodernist. One of her music videos that illustrate this perfectly is Telephone by Lady GaGa featuring Beyonce.

DECONSTRUCTION OF LADY GAGA MUSIC VIDEO

This music video is hugely cinematic, which is one massive postmodern element. Linking to Lyotard’s famous description of post modern condition. This basically refers to the use of a grand narrative, that doesn’t have a clear message or narrative. Which is evident in this music video, as the song is talking about how someone keeps calling GaGa whilst she's out at a club, and she doesn't have any reception and she's busy so doesn't want to answer. Whereas, the actual video begins in a prison, and follows two villains as they go and kill lots of people using poison in a café. Which is clearly postmodern as it has absolutely no link to the songs lyrics. The video attempts to take on conventions of a film, for example, it has credits at the end, however they are scrolling upwards, a postmodern twist on the normal conventions of a film.

Throughout the music video there are huge amounts of intertextual references. From the very beginning, after being stripped to her underwear in prison, one of the guards say “I told you she didn’t have a dick” – which is linking to actual real life news reports that were claiming Lady GaGa was a man. Therefore, she was using the video to settle rumours also, whilst being witty about it. The fact there is swearing in the first sentence made is a flattening effect. This basically means that swearing is used to shock the audience, highlighting how postmodernism aims to be different. However, it might also be considered to try and make swearing less offensive and more casual in use, as it is used a lot in the video, in general conversation. Intertextuality is also used in the link to “Plenty of fish” dating website, used to mock the guards, making them seem alone and unable to find anybody that likes them in the real world. The car used is called the “Pussywagon”. Which directly links to Quinton Tarantino’s Kill Bill. The outfit’s used at the end, are also a direct link to Thelma and Louise. All of these intertextual references are what make up the video, and are smartly used not to be a parody, but a celebration of media products. They might also be used as it attempts to make the audience feel smart every time they spot another intertextual reference, getting them more involved in the video.

ANALYSIS OF VIDEO...

Another postmodern feature that is hugely memorable when watching Lady GaGa’s ‘Telephone’ is the consumerism. This is the way the camera might deliberately linger too long on consumerist products, however this is not intended as parody. The self-reference might be very conflicting, as in a way by showing brands such as Coke-a-Cola and Vodaphone it might be suggesting that society is within a consumer’s culture. However, by using these brands, GaGa is conflicting what could have been a grand narrative suggesting reality revolves around a consumer society, as she will have been paid to have these brands shown in her video, which might have funded a lot of this video, as it is hugely cinematic so would have been expensive to produce.

In terms of identity based struggle Lady GaGa’s video is interesting in the way that it attempts to portray feminism and power between herself and Beyoncé, whereas the outfits she dresses in, such as the underwear and tape wrapped around her body is very suggestive, and doesn't conform to her usual concept that women are subjects rather than objects. Within the video, Lady GaGa and Beyonce both dress in American Flag outfits. Beyonce’s nails are painted in the American flag. This is hugely open to interpretation, as some might say it is a symbol of GaGa’s patriotic towards her country. Whereas some might argue it is criticising America, as the video portrays nasty characters and absurd actions. It might also be a symbol for the women in America, as the video appears feminist, so could be portraying them as powerful and fighting back.

Lyotard’s famous description of the postmodern condition applies here also: !Incredulity towards metanarratives”. This is basically saying that postmodernists are against grand narratives, which is shown here in the way the hugely cinematic video has no real message, just episodic pop culture references but little else.

ANALYSIS OF VIDEO...