CASE STUDY: Lady Gaga's Telephone
Hurts' Wonderful Life
Hurts' Stay
Christina Aguilera's Candyman
Audiences are no longer content with watching their idol dancing around and miming the lyrics to their song in the same fashion as a fan. Though the four music videos I intend to analyse run from the long established Aguilera, through the infamous Lady Gaga to the relatively new Hurts; the principle remains the same - integrating artists/bands into popular culture via pop-culture works. However the method in which the Music Industry is applying this theory is inherently reliant on the band's image. For example, Hurts who have been marketed with a cool minimalism which has been maintained fluently via their music videos, image and how they conduct themselves. Therefore the label has tapped into the typical fan base for such a band to create music videos that reference cult imagery that would be recognised by their audience. In the same way Lady Gaga's telephone is a 'sort of "all-you-can-eat" buffet for those who dine almost exclusively on popular culture.'1 The video glimpses an eclectic mix of snippets from popular legends and cult films to adverts and well-known comics. This is a crucial example of audience manipulation where the viewer can get more involved in the video through the use of recognisable iconography which may potentially be associated with that particular artist/video in the future. Christina Aguilera's Candyman plays on this also. It follows the stylised fashion that Aguilera's music videos always portrays however it is set in post WW2 America, encapsulating 1940s/50s imagery of returned soldiers but also drawing from popular war propaganda and was 'inspired by The Andrew Sisters’ “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”2
The Hurts' Wonderful Life video shows a scene of Theo Hutchcraft floating in a swimming pool that looks typically 1950/60s LA and is indeed reminiscent of Sunset Boulevard (1950) a cult film. Though the film is sixty years old, a shot like this typically adheres to a student audience who are likely to be aware of such references. Therefore this is a classic example of a film reference being used as a method of association, as Hurts project a very 'old-world' image and take heed of 50s iconography moreover expresses their minimalistic old fashioned image.
Hurts' video Stay references Grant Wood's famous painting 'American Gothic'. The reference appears relatively upmarket an perhaps splits viewers in terms of those who will recognise such references however it is a response by the label as to who is the band's likely audience. In this case it very much adheres to students who are likely to be knowledgeable on popular culture, the arts and film references.
The colours, the bold font, everything about this title screams Tarantino. It's a clever link to make as Tarantino is one of the most influential directors in modern film making and the outlandish violence, and heaving swearing in his movies make his audience predominantly the younger generation (those most likely or expected to respond to the humour and content of his movies). Therefore to begin a Gaga music video with a title sequence that is completely unarguably reminiscent of Tarantino's work is a strong way to ensure the younger audience, who is likely to be Lady Gaga's desired following , respond positively.
Two girls driving off into the unknown, it's incredibly evocative of Thelma and Louise (1991) and a reference to a well know American adventure film like this is very important. It will not only be familiar to those who have seen the movie, but the end of Thelma and Louise is one of the most well known endings and therefore leaves the audience questioning the fate of the two protagonists in Telephone. The music label is exploiting the audiences knowledge of pop-culture and merging it into one to create a music video that fulfils all the criteria. Thus this Gaga video has already become a well known piece of pop-culture simply by emulating existing trends.
The large comic strip writing tops off the stylised imagery in Telephone. Comic strips, though lacking in popularity, are one of the oldest forms of visual entertainment and the 'SMACK' and 'WROOM' in Gaga's video emphasise the pop-culture atmosphere that is created in this video.
As Candyman is set in the 1950s it caters to the typical iconography associated with that time, for example the classic American diner, which ties in the video with well known films such as Grease (set: 1959). It therefore provides a familiar standpoint for a fan base that is likely to be predominately young teenage girls, as Grease is generally associated with the same demographic.
Aguilera's Candyman draws from popular WW2 Propaganda (above: a 1940s poster to encourage Women to join the war effort.) It has become a popular piece of iconography from the time and symbolises the 'go-getter' attitude that many Women had during WW2, therefore it is relatively in-keeping with Christina Aguilera's usual message of 'girl power' that comes across in her music videos. This is a clever piece of marketing as it advertises Aguilera as a strong independent woman whilst drawing from popular imagery of the time to maintain the feel of the music video.
To conclude, the music video market is growing rapidly, thus so are the demands of the audience. Though original ideas are crucial to making any good music video and indeed promoting any band/artist successfully; audiences also want to be able to familiarise with the music video. This may be the reason why so many strive to not only promote an artist as an individual but integrate them into already successful popular culture by referencing cult films, iconography and images relevant to the feel of the specific music video. There is something inherently satisfying about spotting a shot in a music video and knowing the thinking behind it, therefore this strategy works to grab consumers' attention with the familiar but but a different spin on it. It keeps the audience focused on the music video and can also help to promote the artist/band in a certain way. This may be a tactic I employ when filming and editing my music video as it will make it successful in terms of audience participation but also will be good to show a certain period in history or convey a certain look to hold the viewer's attention.
1.MTV article (Lady Gaga’s review)
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1633858/20100312/lady_gaga.jhtml2. KOVIDEO (Candyman review)
http://www.kovideo.net/candyman-video-christina-aguilera-242063.html
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