Madonna vs. Lady Gaga class notes
Madonna’s music videos:
Like a prayer- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79fzeNUqQbQ
Lady Gaga’s music videos:
Alejandro- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niqrrmev4mA
In order to keep her audience interested Lady Gaga has to be
even more revolutionary with her music videos than Madonna. Although their
styles are strikingly similar, as Gaga has been influenced by Madonna’s style,
Gaga continuously needs to give her audience a higher shock value in order to match
with today’s expectation of what a cutting edge female artist should look and
behave like.
Both artists have achieved their status by breeching the
standards set by the media through the use of unconventional and original mise-en-scene.
An example of this can be seen in the choice of used costumes in the videos
Vogue ad Alejandro. For example, both artists wear provocative outfits which
reveal more skin then is appropriate, thus having a shock value which keeps the
audience interested in the music video. Hoever, as stated above, Gaga had to be
even more revealing than Madonna in order to achieve this response from her
fans.
Another example can be seen when both Madonna and Gaga wear
clothes more suited for males. Most female artists are expected to dress in
more feminine attire. On top of this, both clothes have been sexualised to
reveal as much skin as possible without seeming too offensive. However, Lady
Gaga has made her costume more suggestive to have more of a shock factor then
before,
Other similarities not regarding the provocative nature of
the videos (Vogue & Alejandro)
Lighting: Both videos have a dark hue with Vogue being black
and white and Alejandro a bluish tint and dark lighting.
Opening sequence: panning over stationary actors
Shots: frequent switches between performance and conceptual
clips
Actors: all male dancers
Madonna, like a prayer:
*provocative clothing and religion
*race- black Jesus, black choir
*burning cross, other religious imagery
*promiscuous in church with a Black Jesus
*dark- black, red, orange, grey, maroon
*Just like a prayer, I’ll take you there, I’m down on my
knees
*Madonna's critique of her religious heritage and the more
general issue of the relationship between sexuality and religious imagination.
Gaga, Judas:
*White and Hispanic
*red, yellow grey colour palette
*Very revealing clothing
*Clothing- Mary
*Stops song for a short video clip
*Cleopatra costume
*Focus on water. (Madonna focused on fire)
*purple- anti virgin
*motorbikes- connotation of breaking the law, Hell’s angels
*Judas- metaphor for choosing the bad guy.
* "She is trying to rip off Christian idolatry to shore
up her talentless, mundane and boring performances," says the president of
the Catholic League.
*Seen riding behind “Jesus” is none other than Mary
Magdalene, whom Gaga takes on the role of, with a scruffy Judas not far behind.
*“I believe I was put on this earth to cause a ruckus,” she
claimed, which indeed she appears to be faithfully and most ostentatiously
doing.
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