Riptide

Film VS Music Video

Film:

Usually over 90 minutes long
Usually a range of cast members
A clear plot with typical character roles 
Much more distinction between genres
Shown in a cinema

Movies

Between 2-5 minutes long usually
Only one clear cast member for solo artist in conventional music videos
For groups there would obviously be more than one person, but there would only be a focus on the 'artist'
Not always a clear character role or plot
There is a lack of distinction between genres
Accessed by streaming platforms such as youtube 

Lady Gaga music video.

How is she constructed as a celebrity?

• The mise-en-scene of her costume differs to the dancers behind her, this distinguishes her from the others and creates the narrative that she is unique. This provides Lady Gaga with a sense of superiority as she has the confidence to be different, reinforcing the idea that she is a celebrity as she is unique to the rest of the world.
• The inclusion of an elaborate costume, constructs her to be a bold person. This reinforces her celebrity and star-appeal.
• There is a choreographed dance routine, this is a stereotypical and conventional approach to a music video, which allows the audience to relate to the idea that she is a celebrity, because the conventions are identifiable
• The mise-en-scene of her and the other back-up dancer's elaborate costumes shows that this music video has high production values and therefore there is a higher budget which relates to her importance as a celebrity.
• The camera-angle is often straight on, allowing for a centralised focus on Lady Gaga
• There are also occasional low-angle camera shots, which could connote the idea of superiority, implying that she is better than them.

Riptide:

• The colour red is featured frequently during this music video. This acts as symbolic coding for blood and violence, as towards the end of the video blood is featured on the woman singing.
• This theory can be proven in multiple ways. For example, towards the end of the video upon the lyrics 'lump in my throat', the girl is pictured with blood running down her throat and onto her hand. This could suggest that in fact he killed her.
• The images and film shown upon the saying of the lyrics. For example, on the lexis of the word 'green', the film changes displaying a dollar note, which is also green. The editing and cuts between scene changes via the lyrics, opposed to the beat.

• The woman's makeup also becomes more and more smudged throughout the music-video, the mise-en-scene of this could suggest that he ended up ruining her. It could suggest how the relationship wrecked her, and helps to reinforce this narrative
• The mise-en-scene of the woman's swimming costume on the beach is arguably suggestive, but because the camera angle only reveals her back, it does not overly sexualise her as we cannot see the alternative side of the view. 
• Other than that, the costumes are arguably normal, reflecting real life.
• The colour pallet is not particularly colourful, it is slightly dull. This could be to reflect real life, as this seems to be the narrative the video is trying to represent.
• The location focuses mostly on the setting of a beach, following the theme of a holiday.
• The woman's red lip-stick (which could act as symbolic coding for love or passion) gets more and more smudged throughout the video. It comes off by the end of the video, acting as symbolic coding for the narrative that their love has ended.
• The mise-en-scene of the colours of her nails at the start are white, acting as symbolic coding for purity, yet by the end they are red.

The narrative of this song via the lyrics:

I was scared of dentists and the dark

I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations

Oh, all my friends are turning green

You're the magician's assistant in their dream

• The lyrics "All my friends are turning green", the lexis of the word "green" acts as symbolic coding for jealously, and creates the narrative that all of his friends are envious of his relationship with this girl.

Oh, oh, and they come unstuck

Lady, running down to the riptide

Taken away to the dark side

I wanna be your left-hand man

I love you when you're singing that song and

I got a lump in my throat 'cause

You're gonna sing the words wrong

• "Taken away to the dark-side." Shows how this girl is doing things which are wrong and bad after they have met, and she is easily influenced by this 'dark side.' She is pictured often via the mise-en-scene of the music video, holding the prop of a cigarette which could represent this 'dark side' of her. 
• He prefers her when they are on the same level. "When you're singing that song." 
• But he knows that they are not the same anymore.
• He is afraid to admit he know they are not the same, and therefore... "I got a lump in my throat 'cause you're gonna sing the words wrong."

There's this movie that I think you'll like

This guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City

This cowboy's running from himself

And she's been living on the highest shelf

• The reference to a 'movie that I'll think you'll like." Incorporates a sense of fantasy, and suggests that the plot of this movie is the girl's dream as she finds it desirable.
• The plot is that 'this guy decides to quit his job'. This could relate to how she wants him to change and quit the way he is. This is further reinforced by the lyric, "The cowboys been running from himself." It shows he is running away from who he truly is to fulfil her dream and fantasies to make her happy.

Oh, oh, and they come unstuck

Lady, running down to the riptide

Taken away to the dark side

I wanna be your left-hand man

I love you when you're singing that song and

I got a lump in my throat 'cause

You're gonna sing the words wrong

I just wanna, I just wanna know

If you're gonna, if you're gonna stay

I just gotta, I just gotta know

I can't have it, I can't have it any other way

I swear she's destined for the screen

Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen, oh

• He is worried that she will leave him to go onto bigger things, because he cannot run away from himself.
• He says that 'she's destined for the screen', which could imply her beauty and show that she's too good for him, because she can be famous and he's just a regular guy.

In the music video, the mise-en-scene of the blood running down her neck towards the end of the film, and the symbolic coding of all of the previous imagery turning to red could suggest violence and blood. This could create the narrative that he killed her to keep her the way that she was. The lyric 'left hand man' could have a polysemic meaning:

Some may believe this is a reference to marriage, whereas others believe the saying 'left hand man' has reference to:

Right hand man- protects and cares for the person there protecting 

Left hand man- protects and tortured and hurts the person

The woman's red lip-stick (which could act as symbolic coding for love or passion) gets more and more smudged throughout the video. It comes off by the end of the video, acting as symbolic coding for the narrative that their love has ended.