Bad Romance

Media Meditation #5

The first time I saw this video was on Perezhilton.com, a celebrity gossip blog that has a huge following. Perez posted a trailer of the video on his blog and announced when the full-length video would premier. The day it premiered I went to youtube to check it out, proving to be a technological shift. As soon as the music video began I instantly thought Lady Gaga is crazy and I love it! The video was so much more than a video; it resembled a mini motion picture due to its “production techniques.” The video was visually stimulating, used “repetition” of “symbols,” “pacing, timing,” had a good beat and featured “beautiful people,” bottom line, it was entertaining! Lady Gaga is known for being very out of the box with her clothing, videos and performances, which is why so many people like her. She is different and has what people call “shock value.” Lady Gaga’s image makes me wonder how much say Lady Gaga has in her career choices? I wonder if she picks out all of her clothing and the themes behind her music videos. According to Media and Society written by David Croteau and William Hoynes, “the ‘promotional demands’ of music videos help determine what the videos actually look like. In particular, Goodwin focuses on the control of the video by the record company and its chosen director, rather than the musicians. The video versions of songs, in most cases, are the result of marketing decisions made by record companies, not the artistic expression of the musicians” (73). Music videos are also utilized as an advertising platform. In the “Bad Romance” video, Lady Gaga is not only promoting herself, but fashion designer Alexander McQueen as well. Alexander McQueen used “Bad Romance” in his Spring/Summer 2010 runway show and Lady Gaga wore his clothing in her music video. This shows how everything media related is connected. It also shows viewers that they are being advertised to constantly without even realizing. We as consumers are no longer safe from advertising, it will find us!

McQueen Shoes

Gaga in McQueen