Get Behind Gaga's Creative Team Lobster Eye

[yASSsss 35,510]

Joanne, by many standards, was not a typical Lady Gaga album, thanks in part to a new host of collaborators in the studio from the likes of Mark Ronson to Tame Impala. But peek behind the curtain, and there were some other additions behind the scenes on top of the Haus of Gaga troop. Ruth Hogben and Andrea Gelardin of Lobster Eye have been working on and off with Gaga since her Fame Monster days (including the video interludes from The Monster Ball Tour) but the duo's recently established creative direction studio was signed on to an exclusive contract to work on Joanne from inception to completion, including directing "Perfect Illusion," the first music video drop from the pared-down album. V spoke to the two about their collaborations with Gaga, and what the future holds for Lobster Eye.

Let’s start with when you formed Lobster Eye.

We worked with Gaga on her David Bowie Grammy performance, and Andrea and I had such a blast doing such a 360 visual with Gaga. It was something we wanted to pursue and stick with—we did TV ads, the performance and lots of tech. That was the first time that we worked closely on something that was so fully fleshed; lots of things to get our teeth into. And we’ve been working in Gaga in that capacity ever since. We’ve been doing the whole album [Joanne] with her; we’re not just doing stills and film anymore, we’re doing merchandise design, website design, social media and live shows.

You mentioned trying to match the visuals to the music. This album seems a lot more paired down; how much are you trying to match to the album while not letting go of Gaga’s history of visuals?

It was a progression—Gaga really wanted to not worry so much, at the beginning of the cycle, about what she was wearing. Instead of being this huge fashion icon, I think she was really interested in being a musician. A talented musician. Because we concentrate so much on that, the “Perfect Illusion” music video feels really stripped back, where she performs, because we were concentrating on the pitch of her voice and the story she was telling and the musicality of it.

Obviously Gaga’s been known for that expression [with] hair and makeup, but I think because it was so important for her on this album to go back to her roots, to her music, her family, and really concentrate on who she is and what makes her happy and what makes her songs work, I think that it was really important for her. She was letting go a bit more, being the artist who she is. It’s all very natural and nothing feels like you sit down and make an aesthetic decision about what it should look like and how she feels, because she’s human.

Read the full interview here

[Miracle 14,068]

They are kind of hit-or-miss but mostly hit so she can keep them. The Joanne World Tour visuals are A+ and the Perfect Illusion video, given they had to keep a stripped back concept, is great too. 

But...I hated most of the things related to the Bowie tribute. Bowie is my second favourite artist and they had to do that weird mix of poorly made techy related visuals to promote it. Yes, she looked amazing in those stills but that wasn't the point...

 

[2007 5,291]

2 minutes ago, Miracle said:

They are kind of miss-or-miss but mostly miss so she can fire them.

 

Fixed 

[Miracle 14,068]

1 minute ago, 2007 said:

Fixed 

They did the Monster Ball and the Joanne World Tour interludes what are you talking about

 

[Chromatic 12,177]

I love their work. Joanne-era have some of her best visuals. I hope we get to see them again on LG6. 

[Dayman 6,179]

1 minute ago, Miracle said:

They did the Monster Ball and the Joanne World Tour interludes what are you talking about

 

and Ruth did artRAVE!

[Miracle 14,068]

1 minute ago, Dayman said:

and Ruth did artRAVE!

That's, imo, a miss...During the artRAVE Gaga's energy was at its peak but creatively speaking, it was a mess

 

 

[Nino 12]

I love how GaGa is able to collaborate with all these super creative people but not lose herself in the process. 

[2007 5,291]

3 minutes ago, Miracle said:

They did the Monster Ball and the Joanne World Tour interludes what are you talking about

 

This era music videos are a big letdown, and they're responsible. Sorry I'm not here to sugarcoat ****. 

[Miracle 14,068]

Just now, 2007 said:

This era music videos are a big letdown, and they're responsible. Sorry I'm not here to sugarcoat ****. 

They only were responsible of PI

 

[August Blue 8,566]

I like their work with intros and visuals in the cure audio  

As about other things I dont know if its them or what gaga wanted to do. If its what gaga wanted to do then they're not to blame

[Babel 41,489]

3 minutes ago, 2007 said:

This era music videos are a big letdown, and they're responsible. Sorry I'm not here to sugarcoat ****. 

but still, even if they were a letdown the visuals for JWT are phenomenal, so Miracle has a point in calling them a hit-or-miss.

Even though I'd call them a hit-or-hit.

[Babel 41,489]

1 minute ago, August Blue said:

I like their work with intros and visuals in the cure audio  

for a moment I read the cure video 

[2007 5,291]

3 minutes ago, Miracle said:

They only were responsible of PI

 

And Millions reasons (aka one of the worst and most random MVs of this decade). Actually the ONLY decent music video from this era (Jonny Wayne) wasn't directed by them. 

[FfFfFfFF 55,960]

1 minute ago, 2007 said:

Millions reasons (aka one of the worst and most random MVs of this decade).

This is so dramatic.