The document discusses the concept of postmodernism and analyzes Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" music video. It summarizes that the video uses techniques like pastiche, homage, and intertextuality to reference popular culture and blur boundaries. Specifically, the video acts as a short Hollywood film highlighting celebrity fame and tragedy, making references to films like Sunset Boulevard and Vertigo through its narrative and stylistic elements.

1. Post Modernism
What is postmodernism?
A complex text with several meanings which usually involves emphasis on the self reflexity of contemporary culture
and media
Postmodern media rejects the idea that any media product or text is of any greater value than another
Lady gag paparazzi is a post modern video
Pastiche/Homage
Generic conventions of a ‘golden
age’ Hollywood film
Referencing popular culture: reference to
Minnie mouse
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Narrative and stylistic similarities and
intertextual references.
Intertextuality and the blurring of
boundaries
The breakdown of distinction
between binary divides
Lady gaga as a humanoid Hitchcock Homage
Makes reference to the film vertigo
Pastiche: An artistic work in a style that imitates another type of work, artist or period
Homage : Imitation from a respectful stand point
Intertextuality: one media text referring to another

2. The video acts as a short Hollywood film which highlights the fame/tragedy (ups and downs) of celebrities in
this music video it exposes numerous examples of situations some celebrities go through to be famous for
example death and sexual inappropriate gestures which are also the main themes to the video.
The video starts with quick shots of the beautiful elegant setting so the audience get a feel of the calm
atmosphere while there are shots of the setting names of the people who will be shown in the music
video or who created it start to appear on the screen one by one which links in with a normal Hollywood
film. After that there is a scene with tons of money and jewellery scattered on the floor by this you already
get the impression that Lady Gaga is going to be playing a powerful role in this video as if she’s in control
this also links in with the fact that they of house which is shown at the start of the video is similar to ‘The
white house’ this could symbolise that she feels as if she’s royalty because of her fame and the amount of
money she makes.
Medium close ups of Lady Gaga and Young gentlemen is being shown whom she is being intimate with is seen
lying on a bed talking in Swedish, subtitles are revealed at the bottom of the screen which is
stereotypically used in a Non-English film. They move to the balcony and start making out as this is taking
place there is a hidden photographer taking pictures of them, Lady Gaga realizes that her boyfriend has
set the paparazzi to photograph her and tries to stop him, he pushes gaga off the balcony. As Gaga is seen
falling a heartbeat sound effect is played and the image is of Lady Gaga against hypnotic swirl which links
in with the film Vertigo by Alfred Hitchock as in Vertigo Judy turns into Madeline and Lady gaga turns into
someone else the hypnotic swirl could also suggest that Lady Gaga’s emotions is turning her emotions are
bitter and she's out for revenge basically she’s changing as a person. Eventually after Lady Gaga has been
shown on the floor a few shots of newspaper articles appear on the screen reading ‘gaga hits rock bottom’
‘Lady Gag is over’ and ‘Lady no more Gaga’. The scene then cuts to Lady Gaga and her love interest(the
gentlemen who pushed her off of the balcony) is reading magazines on a sofa in their front room. In this
scene Lady Gaga is wearing a yellow jumpsuit with circular glasses and shoulder pads which has a hint of
symbols to do with Minnie mouse in it eventually we get a close up of Lady Gaga’s face who has an
intriguing venomous smile this automatically puts an idea in your head that something appalling will take
place. Lady Gaga gives the poisoned drink the gentlemen and the then he passes out while this takes
places Lady Gaga calls the police to say “I just killed my boyfriend” and then hangs up.
Throughout this video Lady Gaga does not represent the vision of mainstream pop videos her video is narrative
and extreme while watching this it stood out due to the fact that it was presented as a movie when its
actually a music video. By Lady Gaga doing video's like this she stands out from the mainstream view of