To begin with the music video is among the pop genre because the audience can immediately spot the high key lighting and bold costumes which is a convention of this genre.
In this I am going to analyse the ‘Poker Face’ music video by Lady Gaga, as it is within my chosen genre Pop. I am going to analyse the meaning produced from the use of media language through the mise en scene i.e. props, costumes, lighting, setting/décor and performance.
The ‘Poker Face’ video displays typical generic conventions found in Pop music videos, therefore fitting the Pop genre. For example the video involves Lady Gaga and backup dancers. Another convention is Lady Gaga being the main focus in the video, as she is the main artist and is lip-synching throughout. Furthermore the artist is filmed in several costumes and positions. Two visual elements that suggest it’s a Pop video are the dancers and artist in the majority of the shots throughout the video.The setting of the video is outside a modern mansion in America, thus fitting with the modern look the artist portrays. Setting the music video at a mansion connotes to the audience that the artist wealthy and extravagant. This fits in with the song for the music video as it is called ‘Poker Face’, the director took the literal meaning of the song title and instructed the artist and extras to play poker. Thus connoting to the audience the extravagant lifestyle associated with poker i.e. mansions, money, friends. I think the setting does fit within the genre of the video. This is because Pop is about current trends and in recent Pop music videos its modernised with showing mansions and luxurious lifestyles.
Lady Gaga’s costumes in the video were flashy and modern, making her stand out amongst the extras. In the video she wore several different costumes, this is a generic convention of a Pop video as the artist usually wears more than one costume. The director decided for the artist to wear these costumes as it coordinates with the video theme I.e. flashy and extravagant. The image that Lady Gaga portrays is different to the other Pop artists in the music industry as she is eccentric. Thus resulting in her videos being eccentric to suit her image as it is expected from her.
In the video the director has chosen to take the literal meaning of the song by using a poker table, playing cards, poker chips etc. Another prop used in the video is the big light behind the artist, connoting to the audience that she is the star and the focus needs to be put on her. There are also mannequins used in the video that are out of place on the setting. This could be denoting the artist Lady Gaga’s eccentric image as she doesn’t fit in with the norms and is out of place in the music industry. In Pop videos certain themes are used to fit the song meaning.The body language and movement is sexual since the artist’s audience is older e.g. above 16 years. For example there are several extras kissing and caressing each other throughout the video. Both the extras and the artist’s movement within the video is upbeat and energetic as the song is fast-paced. However the artist is more enthusiastic with her movements so the focus is on her. The artist is important in the video because its her song.
In the video there isn’t a strong narrative as there are mainly performance shots of the artist. The narrative emphasises the meaning of the song which is about being bisexual, as there are people kissing and caressing each other. The video conveys the actual message of the song to the audience by connoting it through actions used in the narrative.
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