Director: Jonas Akerlund
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2smz_1L2_0
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Camera angle, movement and position
Throughout the short film the camera is positioned in a way that it is like we as the audience are looking into her personal life like the media do. We see her from all different angles and how this is portrayed through the paparazzi. The short film starts with close ups on flowers and chandeliers showing the high life that she lives, we are then introduced to Lady Gaga with a shot of a man looking down on her meaning that she has no power over what happens. Although the short film is very enjoyable it has a lot of hidden features about her life and how she has no power over the media, a variation of shots are thought out very carefully to make sure this is portrayed correctly. When the short film begins properly confusion is created with the use of upward shots of paparazzi’s flashing camera. The short film is all very quick and chaotic which is what a celebrities life is like. Lady Gaga is always centre frame which makes her the main focus at all times.
Framing
Lady Gaga is the main character and she is always centre frame, the meaning behind this could be that she is always centre of attention and is never just left to the side a little. By this being done it challenges the rules of thirds and how people are portrayed through the framing of each shot. Everything in each shot is bright and extravagant which is just another feature of not only Lady Gaga’s life but also her personality and style. This is done so that throughout the short film we learn more and more about her and really become involved within it.
Editing and special effects
Editing is used to create meaning through the fast pace of cuts between shots. At the beginning of the short film it starts quite slowly with lots of fades between different calm shots, this then changes into quick edits with the pace of the music showing the chaos in the character Lady Gaga’s life. With the mix of face paced shots, the flash of a paparazzi’s camera is used to change shots which is a clever idea of bringing in the media in this short film and the huge impact they have.
Mise en scene
The short film is set in a variation of places with a huge mixture of locations, this makes it busy and fun. Everything starts off very calm and with shots of flowers and glasses and a long one of the sea which symbolises calmness. The next shot is a mess on the floor representing chaos and mess. This is another part of the short film which has been thought out very carefully as a way of representing the main character Lady Gaga and the lifestyle that she lives.
Sound
The short film starts with diegetic sound of birds singing and the waves of the sea crashing against rocks. There is then dialogue between the main character Lady Gaga and a man, this starts the narrative off calmly not giving a great deal of the message behind the story away. There is then a song within the short film which is the part that really develops the narrative and makes it up beat and exciting to watch. There isn’t a moment in the short film where there is a moment of silence, this could be a way of saying that by the main character Lady Gaga being a celebrity she doesn’t have silence in her life.
Script
There isn’t a huge amount of script in this short film due to the sue of the song with the lyrics developing the story line. Dialogue is used at the start of the short film to start the narrative off, unusually the dialogue isn’t English and there is a use of subtitles at the bottom of the shot which puts a twist on the short film. The dialogue gives structure to the film and keys the audience into the storyline and what is happening within the narrative. Without any dialogue the short film could become a little to chaotic and very confusing.
Titles/ Institutional reference
The font type of the titles is very comic and bold which keeps the feel of the short film and the whole extravagant factor about it. The titles are placed in different places on the screen each time, they are always where there is less detail in the shot meaning it isn’t too busy and the audience are able to read it easily. The titles don’t stay on the screen for long but long enough for the audience to read them making it simple short and snappy.
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Narrative
The narrative is told from Lady Gaga’s perspective and what her life is like. Lady Gaga is shown to have two sides to her through the narrative, she is shown as a sweet innocent girl who is betrayed by her boyfriend, the other side of her is shown through the lyrics in the song and how the media affect her life. Although this could become extremely confusing, due to the excellent balance it is shown very clearly which is what makes the short film so unique and amazing.
Representation(s)
The short film is set in the present with the use of modern outfits and everything included in the mise en scene. Lady Gaga challenges stereotypes as she is very different and unique. This could be because she is a celebrity and wants to be new fresh and different which is what makes her such a huge hit and so popular with a huge age range of people. The short film has a very powerful way of showing the power of the media and just how strong it can be on peoples life’s.
Audience
The target audience are people who like Lady Gaga’s style of music, but it can also be aimed at people who like something challenging and different. The short film is constructed to appeal to this audience as it contains a song within it and it also holds a very strong narrative structure which lets us into a small part of the celebrity’s life. The audience are asked to identify with Lady Gaga throughout the short film and in a way this is the message behind it.
Themes/ Messages
The theme of the short film is a critique on the media and celebrities and shows the chaos they have within their life’s.
I think I can take an awful lot from this short film and personally I find it the most interesting to look deeply into. I love how they have created such a powerful short film with the use of a song in it and a small amount of dialogue to start the narrative off. All the shots have been carefully thought out with the lyrics, which is the most important part in order to make it work. I also think the use of quick cuts with the beat of the music works well and gives the short film a very good flow and stops confusion.
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