Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga is an American recording artist and the song ‘Bad Romance’ was released in 2009, the first single on her album ‘The Fame Monster’. The album is said to have a etymology throughout the song about the different monsters such as ‘Bad Romance’ is the fear of love monster, and the song ‘Speechless’ is the fear of death monster. The music video was directed by Francis Lawrence, a film director.
The music video for bad romance is primarily concept based as there is a hidden message behind all of Lady Gaga’s performances. There is a plot surrounding the Russian Mafia, drugs, health and a brothel. However, when you watch the video, it is hard to recognise the codes and conventions which explain the plot without having to look it up. Also, the synopsis of the song is close to the dark side of the music industry which is hard to recognise in the video. The music video is mainly performance based with Lady Gaga dancing, singing and acting as a victim.
The relationship in this song is mainly between the visuals and the synopsis. Without knowing the synopsis it would be hard to relate the song with the visuals. However, there are some references in the video which shows a direct link. Such as at the beginning when Lady Gaga sings “I want your drama, the touch of your hand, it shows a close up shot of her stroking her leg. Also, when she sings “I want your psycho, your vertigo stick”, she mimics a stick in her hands in her dance routine.
Camera and Editing
The relationship in this song is mainly between the visuals and the synopsis. Without knowing the synopsis it would be hard to relate the song with the visuals. However, there are some references in the video which shows a direct link. Such as at the beginning when Lady Gaga sings “I want your drama, the touch of your hand, it shows a close up shot of her stroking her leg. Also, when she sings “I want your psycho, your vertigo stick”, she mimics a stick in her hands in her dance routine.
Camera and Editing
The video takes place in a fluorescent white bath house. The video begins with lady gaga sitting on a white throne in a brightly lit room. Throughout the video, Gaga puts on a sexual display through the use of confrontational dancing, minimal clothing and scenes on partial nudity. The use of minimal clothing links directly the synopsis of the video. This is shown for the part of the song about a brothel. This music video can be seen as a piece of exhibitionism as Gaga is an artist who is not bothered about being exploited and putting across her opinion in her own ways. When Gaga begins to sing, we see a mid-shot and over the shoulder shot of Gaga looking into a mirror. This introduces the artist to the audience. This uses a low angle shot which doesn't show us the supermodels faces as they are standing up however Gaga is seen sat down. This could imply that she is more superior than the others.
Then we see a high angle shot of Lady Gaga looking helpless and weak. She has a minimal amount of make up on as to her usual look, which represents that she is lifeless and the audience should feel sorry for her. When the chanting starts, there is a use of high angle shots of Lady Gaga surrounded by dancers. This represents that she is surrounded by evil as the low shots show the audience the dancers towering over her. We then see an over the shoulder shot of Lady Gaga from the Russian Mafia's view. It then cuts to an extreme close up of a vodka bottle which shows the importance of it in the video.
It then cuts to another scene of Gaga surrounded by the Mafia, however this time it doesn't look as if she is surrounded by evil. The camera uses a low angle shot panning around her as if to show she is powerful and in control. The camera cuts back and forth from Gaga to the Mafia men and her dancing. The quick jump shots show the fast pace of the song. The song then finished with a high angle shot of Gaga lying down on the burned bed as the camera zooms out.
Lighting
There is a high usage of lighting in this video. The cameras emphasise on the lighting which focuses on Lady Gaga to make her the centre of attention in the video. In the beginning of the video, there is a shot of a bright light which looks like the sun. This represents a new beginning of something in the video. The light then shines through to show the pods and the setting. The spotlights pan around the room to show the peculiar objects used in the video. It looks as if a door has been opened to reveal the light.
The lighting varies throughout the video but seems to get brighter towards the end of the video. As Gaga is in the bath, the lighting is high but when we see her in the mirror the lighting is low. The lighting tends to be brighter when Gaga is seen as being more dominant and powerful.
Colour
There is a huge use of white throughout the video. This is used to make lady gaga, the people and objects in the room the centre of attention. As the lighting gets brighter the colours get bolder which emphasises the importance of Lady Gaga. There is also a lot of use of silver and diamonds which represents wealth and sophistication.
Then we see a high angle shot of Lady Gaga looking helpless and weak. She has a minimal amount of make up on as to her usual look, which represents that she is lifeless and the audience should feel sorry for her. When the chanting starts, there is a use of high angle shots of Lady Gaga surrounded by dancers. This represents that she is surrounded by evil as the low shots show the audience the dancers towering over her. We then see an over the shoulder shot of Lady Gaga from the Russian Mafia's view. It then cuts to an extreme close up of a vodka bottle which shows the importance of it in the video.
It then cuts to another scene of Gaga surrounded by the Mafia, however this time it doesn't look as if she is surrounded by evil. The camera uses a low angle shot panning around her as if to show she is powerful and in control. The camera cuts back and forth from Gaga to the Mafia men and her dancing. The quick jump shots show the fast pace of the song. The song then finished with a high angle shot of Gaga lying down on the burned bed as the camera zooms out.
Lighting
There is a high usage of lighting in this video. The cameras emphasise on the lighting which focuses on Lady Gaga to make her the centre of attention in the video. In the beginning of the video, there is a shot of a bright light which looks like the sun. This represents a new beginning of something in the video. The light then shines through to show the pods and the setting. The spotlights pan around the room to show the peculiar objects used in the video. It looks as if a door has been opened to reveal the light.
The lighting varies throughout the video but seems to get brighter towards the end of the video. As Gaga is in the bath, the lighting is high but when we see her in the mirror the lighting is low. The lighting tends to be brighter when Gaga is seen as being more dominant and powerful.
Colour
There is a huge use of white throughout the video. This is used to make lady gaga, the people and objects in the room the centre of attention. As the lighting gets brighter the colours get bolder which emphasises the importance of Lady Gaga. There is also a lot of use of silver and diamonds which represents wealth and sophistication.
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