Lady Gaga Saves Polaroid

[Frank Petronio]

http://www.popcrunch.com/lady-gaga-polaroid-business-card/

Our 545s may be saved after all, by a pop-star with Roids....

[MIke Sherck]

No offence, but I've heard her sing. I wouldn't get my hopes up.

[Len Middleton]

Following the link resulted in a warning from my computer protection software that the web site was trying to change my settings.

Maybe the software was being overcautious, but you should be aware...

[Frank Petronio]

Here is a safer bet:

http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2010/01/08/lady-gaga-named-creative-director-at-polaroid/

[Brook Martin]

They have a better chance with Lady Ga Ga than they did with convicted ponzi scammer Tom Petters.

[percepts]

LOL....

She's on the "same page" as polaroid. Oh so cool...
And she's going to "bring back the lifestyle of taking photos". Where's she been whilst the digital revolution has been happening?

Sounds like the last act of a very desperate management to appeal to the teeny marketplace. Now what sort of cameras do they use?

I guess they needed someone to do their chimping for them...

[Len Middleton]

Thanks Frank,

That works without complaint from my protection software.

I think I will refrain from buying Polaroid 545 holder futures though...

Len

[Robert Hughes]

Say what you will about Lady Gaga's songs or talent (I think she's fab on all fronts) but keep in mind a couple things:

1) Gaga is a bigger film user than just about anybody here - all her music videos (I believe) are shot in 16 or 35mm camera origination. That's thousands of feet of film per video, all seen by the masses.

2) Gaga is a market mover, and a big player in product placement circles. Have you heard of Nemiroff "Lex" vodka (http://vodkaemporium.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/nemiroff-vodka-a-true-contender/)? It shows up, full screen, 17 seconds into her Bad Romance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrO4YZeyl0I) video on YouTube - which, as of today, has had 69,881,899 views! Imagine what could happen for Polaroid if millions of Gaga fans suddenly demanded the camera they saw on her next video.

[Darin Boville]

This sounds like it has potential to me. A camera for young people with an emphasis on social networking. She's exactly right that Polaroids real appeal wasn't it's instant aspect but it social aspect. They can still do that part in the digital age--can't believe camera companies have ben so slow in this area...

--Darin

[Gene McCluney]

You can only make money on a consumer product through volume sales. By appealing to the "youth" market, and believe me, Lady GaGa is "big" in pop culture whether you are aware of it or not, the people behind Polaroid are betting that enough sales can be generated to make a profit. Now, with "The Impossible Project" making the film, this will help them as much as it helps the Polaroid brand, as Polaroid does not have any factories left to make film in. If enough profit can be made thru marketing cheap instant cameras and film to a broad range of consumers, then some of that money can be invested in coming back with more professional films which would never sell in such quantites. As of now, the FILM part of the business is a separate company totally, but the POLAROID brand is totally dependent on them for film for their re-released cameras. POLAROID can't make film, they scrapped all their factories except the assembly plant that "The Impossible Project" leased. Interesting to note, that was an "assembly" plant, and does not have the in-house ability to coat film, hence they partnered with Ilford for b/w, and another undisclosed plant for color.

[jb7]

It remains to be seen, exactly what she's going to do for Polaroid,
although, as has been mentioned, it will be more than the last Polaroid did-

Lady Gaga is fab, won't hear a word said against her-
and I didn't know that she was such an avid film user...
though, according to the statement on her site, she does mention digital crossover-
so we really don't know what it means yet.

[William McEwen]

I say bring back James Garner and Zarabeth...

[Wallace_Billingham]

do a Youtube search for "Polaroid Swinger" (I would and post it but they block it on my work PC)

It is a groovey B&W ad featruing the musical stylings of Barry Manilow. Barry and Lady Gaga shoud team up

[Eric Rose]

Now if we could just get her into doing Weegee stuff with a Speed .......

[Drew Wiley]

Sorry Wallace, but Barry Manilow is what Homer and Marge Simpson relax to when
they're munching Krispy Creme donuts beneath their Kincade wall picture, you know,
the one thumbtacked right next to their black velvet Elvis Rug. Don't want to disturb
their Springfield sense of Middle American security with anything like Lady Gaaaaag
(did I spell that wrong?)

[dsphotog]

Hmmm...
Think we could get her to use readyloads in that Speed Graphic?

[Jim Noel]

why is this link allowed????

[Gordon Moat]

Definitely cool! Nice to see a real effort at getting the Polaroid name out there, and into heads of the public. I even saw a clip about it on the financial news. Seriously, Polaroid probably could not have purchased such PR in the last ten years.

[SamReeves]

If Gaga were a lady. I think she or he's carrying around two roids!

[Dave Jeffery]

I think she has a chance to revive instant film.

I saw a small Japanese instant film camera that produced small prints about 2 x 2.5 inches (just guessing) and they seemed too small to catch on in an American market but I could see them being a hit in Japan.

It seems like it would be fun to give someone a small instant gift that they can show others, rather than just letting them look at the pictures on the LCD screen of one camera, or emailing the image to someone.

Few people that are into the club and social scene currently ever get prints made, and many instead post pictures on Facebook where the images can eventually be socially damaging in the eyes of employers etc. When I signed up at my last job they asked if I had a Facebook page and it wouldn't take much for them to look so employers are using Facebook for profiling now. Facebook is still in it's infancy as is using it as a tool against someone. People could easily be led to undersatnd why instant, and possibly intimate pictures could be a more private medium than electronic ones.
Young people are also "sexting" each other and that can be dangerous as well due to the ease of mass emailing or texting the photos. If you give a photo to someone you know who had controll of it.

A small camera that creates instant prints that can be given to people that you trust the most could be marketed as a safer and cooler alternative to electronic media. Sure they could be scanned but it is much less likely than someone just easily posting a link to a damaging picture online.

I think with the right marketing, size and price point there is a great product possible and the prints can be used in a number of ways. It's better than looking at the back of someones camera or looking at a computer monitor - pass the small prints around. I don't think you'll see the square boxy cameras of old but instead a smaller flat camera that produces a smaller more refined print than the old Polaroids.

I think it is a great possibility and if the MTV crowd accepts it this will be the new buzz. The equivalent of "Sexting" and intimate shots may make it work.

?

[D. Bryant]

If Gaga were a lady. I think she or he's carrying around two roids!

http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2009/08/lady-gaga-hermaphrodite-picture-sparks-rumors/

[Dave Jeffery]

Synthetic chemicals that immitate estrogen during the critical six to eight week gestation period for humans can cause gender distintion problems. If Lady Gaga is in fact a hermephrodite she may be a victim of pollutants that affected her development. We hear about the frogs with four legs etc. and the same thing is happening to humans as well.

There is a book called "Our Stolen Future" that focuses on this and there is a review below. We are very vulnerable to chemical inbalances at early stages of development in the womb.

When I studied coral reefs a mere .014 ppm of nutrients would harm the reefs.

Lady Gaga may be a victim unfortunately.

More here
http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/Basics/chapters.htm

[Gem Singer]

Last night, Sat. Night Live explained why Lady Gaga is the proper person to represent Polaroid.

Both are very similar. You have to look at them for a while in order to figure out what they are.

[JRFrench]

I think Lady Gaga is one of those people who is extremely intelligent and rather normal outside of their Public Persona, the ridiculous props and makeup probably has something to do with separating her public face and private life. She has just created a character she believes will appeal to the masses, and it looks like she got it right. She certainly has a lot of weight in certain markets, lets hope she can put it to good use.

[welly]

Who is she? Am out of touch with that stuff and have never heard of her. What does she sing?
If she can help provide money and leadership for Polaroid it is a good thing for the photo community.

A rather run of the mill pop singer. More famed for her crazy outfits than her singing. Think Britney Spears in Madonna outfits.

[Drew Wiley]

Feining wierdness for the sake of money and attention? Heck, these musicians sure
have it easy! In the visual arts, even cutting off an ear doesn't seem to work.

[Robert Hughes]

Who is she? Am out of touch with that stuff...
Agreed! :p

[Dave Jeffery]

She could continue to be a flashy MTV entertainer for a while or not last much longer as most pop stars typically fade quickly.

One problem with the old Polaroid cameras using black and white film is that the format is unforgiving for face shots and hopefully color is better. A friend who was a scout for a major New York modeling agency would always shoot a Polaroid of a potential model to look for flaws in the facial structure. After meeting with a potential model he showed me a head shot which she had sent to the company that was amazing, which earned her the opportunity to be considered, but when my friend showed me the Polaroid shot of her face it was not symmetrical. The picture she sent in was incedible but the Polaroid B+W film was unforgiving.
Hopefully the new Polaroid product will not be the same or the odds of success are lower.

It will be fun for me to see how the marketeers handle the advertising for the film camera and how long Lady Gaga can keep her slice of the airwaves. It could work, or much more easily fizzle but let's hope for a revival of interest in film.

If you don't know who she is don't bother looking.

[jb7]

Perhaps I've missed the point about the face shots Dave,
but I really like T55 for portraits-
maybe you were referring to another type...

Lady Gaga has grabbed the attention, both here and elsewhere-
although nobody has much idea of what will be done with the brand.
After all, it's only an announcement, not a launch.
What she'll be selling will no doubt hold no interest for large format shooters anyway.

As has been shown by the knee-jerk reactions in this thread,
perhaps this isn't the target demographic.
although many of you should be applauded for being able to raise a knee at all.

Perhaps if these guys had been the poster boys for Polaroid you might have been a bit more open to the idea-


http://img-1.h-img.com/media/img/s/s/h/R/shR-1581453.jpg

[Frank Petronio]

Not that it really matters, since pop is pop, but I think that this Lady Gaga is one of those pop stars who will have a longer career, people compare her to Madonna in terms of brains and ambition. She may not be the prettiest or have the best voice, etc. but she has a spark that the usual engineered, produced pop singers are lacking.

It's funny to note that the "real" fashion designers are copying her outfits and ideas, not the other way around.

Kudos to Polaroid, I think it will work for them. All you have to do is walk through an Urban Outfitters and see them selling film and cameras for jacked up prices to realize that kids want film these days.

[Paul Kierstead]

If, instead of listening to pop music you wave your hand at it and dismiss it all as just pop music, you might miss the differences easily enough. Lady Gaga may or may not manage to stay in the charts, but she definitely is not just another manufactured pop starlet. Certainly she has crafted a look and image to sell, but behind that is genuine talent, both at the music and at promotion. And, it seems, she is talented at being talented (often a lacking quality).

For interest, before she made her Lady Gaga persona and style, and was just doing the talent show circuit, here is Lady Gaga before she was Lady Gaga (http://boingboing.net/2009/11/21/video-lady-gaga-befo.html).

[percepts]

The difference between gaga and the bulk of pop stars is that she is manufactured by herself and not by the record company. She writes/composes her own music and lyrics and does her own design. That puts her in a different league to most "pop stars". Her music may be crap but its selling which only says my tastes are different to others.
She also has long history of performing live in NY clubs. i.e. She has paid her dues and learnt her craft the hard way. She is reaping the rewards now.
What has any of this to do with photography? Sweet FA.

[Robert Hughes]

She claims to have performed in every club in New York and bombed - then she stripped down to her skivvies and people paid attention.

[percepts]

She claims to have performed in every club in New York and bombed - then she stripped down to her skivvies and people paid attention.

And what does that tell you about New Yorkers:D

[pocketfulladoubles]

She could continue to be a flashy MTV entertainer for a while or not last much longer as most pop stars typically fade quickly.


I think I agree with you that in the past they faded. I'm out of touch too, but it seems like Brittany Spears and Jessica Simpson should have signed off of their 15-minutes a long time ago, and yet they still sell out huge shows and appear everywhere, and we're wayyyy past 15-minutes with these two. I wouldn't rule out Lady Gaga either. Underestimating people is a great way to look foolish.