Telephone is the continuation of Gaga’s Paparazzi, picking up from where the music video last left off, both music videos being a hybrid of narrative and performance. Telephone opens with Gaga entering the ‘Prison for B*tches’ after killing a lover who did her wrong, at a Medium Shot we see her being dragged in by two hench-looking ladies, all 3 wearing revealing clothes, but they aren’t the only ones. We view Gaga from a low-angle shot, and she takes off her sunglasses revealing she's staring down at us, putting the audience in the position that she's a powerful woman. The women in the cells - which we are revealed by the shaky camera that pans along, almost like we're looking through Gaga's eyes - appear to be seductive and maybe dominant looking, also wearing revealing clothes and acting seductively, suggesting this is how society portrays women within music video, and them being encaged in cells could also symbolise the effects society has on women. Gaga playing as herself in the leading role showcases her style of fashion and acting, and could be a possible way of the audience getting to know her better.
She is thrown into her cell and stripped of her clothes, leaving her vulnerable and naked, her sexuality being visible to audience and she’s helpless behind bars. This could be a symbolic code that society is entitled to comment so freely on her sexuality, or it could be criticising the music video industry for the way it portrays women (the way they reveal so much skin), or it could also be symbolic of the trappings of fame. The prison guards walk away, with one of them commenting “Told you she doesn’t have a d**k”, referring to the rumours Gaga had upon her sexuality.
Next our star of the film is seen being led into a prison yard, in which this scene she is wearing chains and glasses covered in cigars. The choice of costume could again symbolise the trappings of fame or even so her emotions. The very long shot reveals Gaga seeming small in the prison yard with all the other female prisoners. In the background we hear another one of her songs playing which is ‘Paper Gangsta’ – a song about girl power aswell as a sort of 'rant' towards pernicious men. A possible referential code to the Paparazzi video, in which her once-lover did her wrong, which lead her to kill him in revenge. It could also be an enigma code for the audience, are the other prisoners in there for the same reason?
After that, the next scene is Gaga is waiting until she gets a phone call from Beyonce and then Gaga begins to lip-sync to the audience as well as dancing. There are edits in the video, in which Gaga sort of ‘glitches’ as though an old telephone would do, very symbolic of the title of the song as well as the transition to the next scene, being an old-fashioned telephone. In this scene, the 4th wall is yet again broken for the audience with Gaga dancing with 4 other women while she stares and lip-syncs into the camera and the camera angles jumping from a very long shot, medium-long shot to a medium shot as well as a medium up-close – getting a view of all angles as the women dance and act wildly by climbing on the bars.
Comments