Andrew Goodwin’s 6 key features of a music video Lady Gaga (Telephone)

What is Andrew Godwin’s 6 features Andrew Godwin is a director of music and notes how music

videos feature certain elements. He had come up with 6 features to demonstrate a music video and its now known as Andrew Godwin’s 6 features which are:

Genre characteristics Relationship between the lyrics and visuals( the lyrics are

represented with image)

Relationship between music and visual. ( the tone and atmosphere of the visuals reflects that of the music)

The demand of the record label

Reference to nation of looking e.g. screens, within mirrors stage

International references

Genre Characteristics

Lady Gaga is a well known artist and is popular for her catchy, upbeat pop songs and is famous for her weird and crazy style and dance. Within the music video “Telephone”, there are three dance scenes consists of many backup dancers with Lady Gaga. This is very common in the pop industries for the exotic fast pace dances. This connotes excitement and emphasizes the upbeat and catchy song making the audience want to join and dance like Gaga also creating energy for the audience.

Another key feature of lady Gage's song “telephone” is that there are many close up shots of lady gaga looking directly into the camera. This shows that lady gaga is trying to connect directly to the audience and making the audience feel more involved with the music video. This is a common characteristic of a pop music video as they all want to involve the audience and feel as if they are communicating with the audience.

In Lady Gags music video ’’telephone’’, the temp of the music goes faster and faster, as this happens there are fast pace shot been taken and the non- diegetic music which is the beat increases. This creates excitement and interreges the audience making them want to dance to it and become energetic. This up paste music technique is commonly found within the pop genre.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals Lyrics and visuals

’’Your not gonna reach my telephone’’. Visual of a telephone making the audience think that no one can reach her phone because she is turning it off.

’’Hello Hello baby you called I cant hear a thing”. Visuals that she picks up the phone making the audience think that she is having a conversation on the phone to someone else.

“And I am sick and tired of my phone ri-ri- ringing”.Visuals of lady Gaga shouting from across the phone shows she had enough of her partner ringing her constantly as she is getting annoyed . Her repetition shows that she is trying to stick it in our heads that she is frustrated that her phone keeps ringing.

“ Tonight I’m not taking no calls cos I’ll be dancing. Visual of Beyoncé on the bed with the telephone next to her shows that she will rather have fun and dance than to talk to the person trying to call her

Relationship between music and visuals

In the music video of lady Gaga at this scene we see her dancing very fast with the back up dancers going at a same pace with the music creating excitement for the audience making the audience want to join in

Music and visuals We hear a diegetic music playing quietly whilst the police offers talk to lady gaga being released. The quieting of the music highlights a change of atmosphere. This shows the audience that it is a serious and keeps the audience at ease and creates tension almost at the edge of their seats .

In this scene lady gaga is singing “ I am sick and tired of my phone ri-ri ringing”. As she says that the screen vibrates imitating the vibration of the phone when the person calls her making the audience feel how annoying the vibration is when someone calls you and you don’t want to pick up the phone

Beyoncé continuously repeats “eh eh eh eh”, due to this she repeats the same dance moves corresponds in time to the music. This emphasises the point that they have had enough of the continuous calls they keep receiving and want the audience to know this very clear.

Demand of the record label

Throughout the music video “Lady Gaga Telephone’’ uses many close up shots of both lady Gaga and Beyoncé in nearly all the scenes of the music video. This shows that they are the main characters of the music video and when they blur out the backup dancers and put the main characters in front of the camera making them the center of attention. In pop genre it Is important for the artist to be in front of the camera to show the audience and make it clear who is the main character/s in the music video and whom is the one taking center stage making the audience know them well and know their style and theme.

Frequent reference to the notion of looking and voyeuristic treatment of the female body

Voyeurism takes place in almost every music video, they usually use this to sell the artist music through their sex appearance which in this cause this is what lady gaga and Beyoncé in the music have done to bring in pleasure and excitement for the audience in order to integer them in order to create profit

In the music video “Telephone” we see a close up shot on Beyoncé's breasts when she is sitting opposite a man when she's about to poison him. This shows that Beyoncé uses her feminism in order to make it more appealing for the men and shows that she has power and attraction because of what males find attractive such as the breast. It makes the audience think that the female body can get the men wrapped around their fingers and now in society the majority of men only go for the sex appeals such as the boobs and bum.

Also in the music video “Telephone” we see lady gaga butt naked and low cut outfits as well in a prison cell setting. This links to Laura Mulvey’s theory of the ‘male Gaze’ that produces and highlights to audience certain sexualized parts of the male body. Throughout the music video it is clear that voyeurism has been taken place and it is common in pop music videos as it is clear in media and modern society that sexual references sells music and helps make a good amount of profit.