John Stewart theory on music videos and examples of this

John Stewart conventions of a music video:

• The music video has the aesthetics of a TV commercial, with lots of close-ups and lighting being used to focus on the star’s face
• He sees visual reference in music video as coming from a range of sources, although the three most frequent are perhaps cinema, fashion and art photography.
• Stewart’s description of the music video as ‘incorporating, raiding and reconstructing’ is essentially the essence of Intertextuality, using something with which the audience may be familiar, to generate both nostalgic associations and new meanings
• The video allows more access to the performer than a stage performance can. The mise-en-scene, in particular, can be used to emphasise an aspirational lifestyle

Camerawork:

• significant impact on meaning
• movement, angle and shot distance should all be analysed
• camera movement may accompany movement of performers or stage performance
• close up dominates because of the size of the screen and desire to create a sense of intimacy
• lighting to focus on the artists face

Editing:

• mostly fast-cut montage
• images difficult to grasp on first viewing
• some videos slower pace and gentler shot transitions to establish shot mood
• digital effect like split screen and CGI

Intertextuality:

• post-modern text
• drawing upon existing texts in order to spark recognition in the audience
• short hand
• not all audiences will spot the reference
• pleasure
• some draw upon cinema, TV genre, other music videos or video games

Lady Gaga Telephone:

In the music video it opens with tv show like opening credits, there are frequent clips and images suggesting that it takes place in a prison as seen by the barbed wire and fencing, the fast cut montage of different areas which are joined by the opening credits detailing who will star in the music video. Mood is established during walk through the prison, it is more dark and gloomy with a few gaps of daylight, the tracking shot of the women in the prison cells who are attractive shows an aim to attract a male audience as well as addressing stereotypes of a women's prison. The surveillance video showing the women working out is another prison stereotype but the outfits counter this as the extras wear dresses and clothes, the kissing scene is another stereotype of female prisons portrayed by tv. The fight also adds to the tension as it conforms to violent stereotypes. The various tracking and wide shots establish the singers intentions as well as sexualise her due to the fact she is wearing very little. Once let out of the prison is moves to a wide shot of the main two singers in a vehicle, this is associated with leaving prison. This is where the featuring singer Beyoncé appears and shows her part of the song, she is also portrayed as being a troubled individual as well as her clothes sexualising her. This then transitions from a car journey to a diner, another singing clip takes place here in the kitchen. Overall the lighting of the video is reflecting of its location, the prison is more gloomy and dark until it becomes brighter once she leaves, this is then changed when moved to the diner kitchen where the brightness is shown as she is free. The sound is appropriate to each location, from shouting in the prison, to talking in the car and then the sounds of cutlery in the diner. Most of the shots are tracking however there are various wide shots that establish location and mid shots when the singer is one screen alone. There is eye-line match in the diner and clear slow motion in various sections of the video as well as the security camera effect. The costumes are chosen to sexualise the performers and the extras, the women are all attractive and sexualised to gather male audiences as well as young girls seeking to imitate the artist. The props used are everyday objects that anyone has access to that adds to the idea she wants people to imitate her.