Hot n Cold - Katy Perry

Institution

Album: One of the boys

"Hot n Cold" is a song by American singer Katy Perry. The song was written by Perry, Dr Luke and Max Martin and produced by Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco for her second studio album, One of the boys (2008). The lyrics address an unstable romantic relationship caused by a partner's mood swings.

Label: Capitol

Writers: Katy perry, Max Martin, Lukasz Gottwald

Genre: Pop, Dance Pop

Producer: Dr Luke, Benny Blanco

Track Length: 3:40

Since u been gone - Kelly Carlson

Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne

Who Knew - Pink

My life would suck without you - Kelly

I kissed a girl - Katy Perry

Dr Luke Aka Fottwald

Directors other work (part2)

Benjamin Levin professionally known as Benny Blanco, is a rapper, songwriter, record producer, musician, remixer and record label owner. He has written, co-written and produced songs for artists, including Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Maroon 5, Major Lazer, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Wiz Khalifa etc.

Moves like jagger - Maroon 5

Diamonds - Rihanna

Work Hard - Wiz Khalifa

Teenage Dream - Katy Perry

Tik Tok - Kesha

Representation

Representation (part 2)

Katy also shows that she the more dominant sex within the relationship, when the groom does not answer whether he takes the brides hand in marriage, she simply roles her eyes as if she expected it to happen, rather than show her emotional side. The camera angles prove this when a close up shot of Katy‟s face, this showed her facial expression rolling her eyes showing that she doesn't care. Within the lyrics Katy sings “But you’re no good for me”

There is a dominant ideology that Katy or women have kept things in control, as she is portrayed being the powerful partner and the male seen as cornered. For example when the women are surrounding the male in a ring and the two are arguing in the centre, familiar to a boxing ring perhaps. To reinforce this there are many shots where she is placed higher up than him, and one even the male on the floor. There is also the links between the Zebra and the male implying that she has control over him. The idea that she is dominant over the male and in control is represented through the multiple use of her looking directly at the camera highlighting her power and strength. This high shot also symbolises this idea as she is looking down on him and is in a high position.

Audience

This is also relating to a specific target audience of people in a relationship who also may find it difficult to cope with them who do tend to change their mind or opinion, and do think of wanting perhaps to react to them in the same way as displayed in the music video as well as said in the title of “Hot n Cold.”

The target audience for this music video would be from 15-18 year old this is because the artist is singing about how guys would change their minds, and at 15-18 people are most likely to experience this as well. The audience might enjoy this as it can entertain them with the dance choreography and the fun aroma the video gives you.

Genre charcteristics

Katy Perry is one of the most well known artists within the pop genre. Hot n Cold is one of her very well known songs. This is a narrative based video because it has a story line of two couple that is about to get married. This music video is a pop genre as it is shown through the mise-en-scene as there is use of pop colours and dance choreography through out the music video, and also the clothing and makeup is the key essentials in this video as the main character has many different outfit changes from a wedding dress to many more and her makeup as well changes along with her clothing for example her green eye shadow at the end.

Andrew Goodwin

Narrative/performance

Andrew Goodwin

Katy's performance throughout the video is very powerful. There is a vivid contrast in her emotions. She is clearly happier when shown with her husband in the flashbacks than with her new lover where she looks a lot more quiet and unhappy. When the new man tries to show affections, she looks uncomfortable and awkward. However up until near the end of the video she doesn't stop him; which finally shows she has realised that she is not yet ready to move on.

Performance

Instruments presented within the performance section is Katy Perry being the lead singer. The bass performer lead guitarist and the drummer. This band creates the performance section, but it still included the story line of the groom as he is carried to the stage by the jumping fans.

Amplifies the idea that he changes his mind a lot and blows hot and cold and is running away from the wedding as he cannot make up his mind. The concept is that if he says no he will get into trouble and everywhere he goes the bride will automatically be there too.

Concept

Lyrics and visuals

Relationship between lyrics and visuals. The visuals amplify the lyrics and the idea that her boyfriend blows hot and cold and changes his mind as they are about to get married.

‘You change your mind like a girl changes clothes’ is amplified by a change in her outfit, suggesting that she is mirroring his change in mood.

Katy Perry appears with a zebra at the end of the song  and it refers to a previous line ‘it’s black and it’s white’ and suggests that the male is dreaming.

 ‘You’re yes then you’re no’.

“I should have known better” engages with the scene when the groom doesn’t agree to marry her and then flees the scene.

'Over speak'

Music and Visuals

Relationship between music and visuals. The editing matches the tempo of the music and maintains quite a fast speed throughout the song as the locations and scenes also change frequently. The dance routine that the group of girls perform dressed as brides fits with the pace of the music and emphasises on the beat of the song.

When the visuals appear of the bride with her make up running down her face this shows the weaker side of the bride, the music here slows down showing that the bride is breaking down and is no longer angry with the fact the groom running away form her at the wedding, this therefore shows she is feeling vulnerable and lost without her other half. Due to the upbeat tempo to the song, this therefore makes it easier to include a lot of cut's and edits within the shots, giving the audience a true 360° perspective of the scene so they feel like they are in the video giving them a feel for the atmosphere.

The video begins with the vicar announcing whether both the bride and groom take each others hand in marriage. There is no music playing back at this point however when the groom does not answer the question and the brides eyes fills with frustration and the music begins. It is upbeat which could represent the brides heart beat as she is annoyed with the groom for leaving her at the alter.

Notion of looking

There are many references to the notion of looking such as at the beginning, an audience is watching as Katy Perry is supposed to be getting married but starts to sing the beginning of the song. There are performance shots of her on stage while another crowd watches encouraging the audience to look at her. There is one use of a screen within a screen as she is shown on the screen of a mobile phone encouraging the notion of looking.

Screen within a screen

Breaking the 4th Wall

Voyeurism

The whole music video could be seen as a voyeurism due to them looking into "what could happen‟ in their lives if the groom was to say no. The audience however do not realise that this is a voyeurism to begin with as the twist of the tale is not revealed until the end on the video, that it was all dream like; the audience were actually looking at pre-occurring events. However, Voyeurism was used to attract the male and make him realise if he doesn't say yes he will miss out on a lot of things like her legs, her body, her lips and the clothes are exposing some of her body parts.

Product Placement

Also, the music video makes discreet references to a Nokia mobile phone and Diesel sunglasses and belt. Although the video utilizes subtle product placement, which is more favorable than prominent product placement, the use of product placement may influence the audience’s attitude towards the video. However, the products do not sacrifice the integrity of the storyline or rhythm.

Star image

Katy Perry is shown supporting women empowerment in this video. She herself is acting as the feminist and empowering brides around her. Her image in this music video is depicted with the changes in the costumes and the props. However, its worth mentioning that Katy Perry's videos are very energetic and almost all videos have used bright colours. Also, Another thing is that she plays both the roles of an actor as well as a singer in her videos.

The font style of the every albums name has remained the same. Katy Perry uses a bubbly font which is like a recurring motif. 

Close ups

Close ups and star image motifs. There are many medium and extreme close ups of Katy Perry and of the male in the video highlighting emotions and reactions which supports the narrative of the video. The video has some comedic elements to it, suggesting that she is portraying herself as fun and is not taking herself too seriously. This suggests that she is acting as a role model as she is not putting herself on sexual display or encouraging voyeurism.

Intertextuality

The video is similar to her video to ‘Waking up in Vegas’ which also portrays her as fun and lively and have the same voyeuristic elements in it. The colour palette is almost the same and this video is also a crazy one, full of energy.

Male Gaze

Katy Perry and her female status is highlighted through the male gaze however she is using this to show her partner what he will be missing. In some way she is using the male gaze to her advantage to show how strong and dominant she is and how he would be nothing without her. She eventually wins and gets her man therefore in this music video she uses her femininity and the male gaze in her favour.

Types of Gazes. 

Intra - Diegetic Gaze

Extra - Diegetic Gaze

Spectators Gaze

Breaking the 4th wall.

Binary Opposites

Binary Opposition Is a theory by Levi-Strauss. He believed that the way we understand the meaning of words is not the actual meaning but the difference between that and its polar opposite. example good vs. bad, Villian vs. hero. In a narrative, we know a character is good because of the contrast with a bad character.

The two opposing forces are balanced out in this narrative through the male and female character. A clear reference of binary opposition has been made through out the song.

 Male : Untrustworthy  VS  a ‘let-down’ Female : Reliable, empowered.

Male: scared/nervous VS Female: Shocked as she thinks everything is okay. She is ready to be married.

Barthe's Narrative

Question is raised when the audience and characters within the video are waiting for the groom to answer whether he takes Katy to be his wedded wife?

This happens again when the  story line occurs of Katy chasing after the groom, waiting for him to answer the question, this however is not answered until the end of the music video. The video contains pre-figuring. (a flash forward). This occurs throughout the middle of the music video creating a impressionist narrative story line as it is  "dream like‟ and not actually occurring, the audience however do not realise this is a dream until the end of the music video when the scene of at the church is shown again from the same place at the beginning.

Enigma Codes

Action codes

The happens when the groom runs away. The audience is aware of the fact that something is going to happen.

Semic codes

Base ball bats, red leather jackets show what time of a person Katy is. Also, the red colour connotes danger.

Cultural Codes

Its a stereotypical view of the narrative that how the marriage takes place.

Advertisement

The artist is marketed as being a very powerful one and keeps everything under her control without putting in much effort. Such marketing is a forcible one and easier to watch and more pleasing to listen to, like and follow.

I believe that this is a great way of promoting and advertising the music video as there are many comments, reviews about the music video that are in favour of it. These are a few snippets that show what the audience feels about the music video.

Sven E Carlson

Commercial Exhibitionist

Television Bard

In performance clips the artist (artists) can be used as a commercial exhibitionist. Here, Katy Perry  has been used as a selling item who people would aspire to be like. High and low lighting key is used throughout and and use of different settings makes the video appear high quality throughout. As the commercial exhibitionist Katy Perry  wants success therefore evokes the charisma of stardom and sexuality.

Editing

 The speed of the cuts are relatively fast in order to keep with the pace of the song. The first main edit in the video is towards the end where the groom looks at his phone and we see a video of Katy Perry singing/crying on the screen. This has been filmed separately and edited onto the phone afterwards in order to give the effect that it’s happening during the video. At the very end we get a circle transition/ending in which the image fades out whilst a circle appears. This indicates that the couple got married and lived ‘happily ever after’.

The editing style conforms to the stereotypical representation of the Pop genre as the shots speed up as the tempo of the track does, There are many extreme close ups of Katy Perry's face, this is main for marketing but there are also many close ups of the male's face; this is for narrative purposes, it visually explains the males emotions, these close ups are perfectly timed with the lyrics for even more emphasis of the story.  

The fast-paced editing is synchronized with the beat of the music, therefore establishing rhythm. The quick beat of the song also correlates with the upbeat dance routine, and this coordination of motion and music further transmits the rhythm. Additionally, the editing involves straight cuts and minimal transitions, conveying a straightforward narrative and allowing the video to flow smoothly. The fluidity of the editing is a key element of the video, editing rhythm can influence a viewer’s perception of a video sequence. Viewers are more likely to understand a video with smooth rhythmic editing than one with discontinuity in editing.

Costume: 1st scene: Wedding dress (slightly pink with diamonds) indicates glamour, Light coloured bridesmaid dresses which contrast to the bright parts in the location, groom is smart wearing a pastel coloured bow tie. 2nd scene: short shorts, red jacket and sunglasses show Katy as a pop artists and her unusual fashion style on stage, the colours of the clothes can indicate either lust or anger. 3rd scene: a group of heartbroken brides with their wedding dresses on. We understand they are angry/heartbroken as their eye make-up has run from crying and their wedding dresses are all ripped and damaged. 4th scene: the costumes here are trainers, shorts, hoodies and tracksuits which link with the urban location.Katy's makeup is quite natural other than some liquid eyeliner to enhance her eyes and the slight use of silver eyeliner. These are all very typical outfits for women in the 1940's. The location of the music video is in a bedroom and outdoors. The camera switches between these two locations quite frequently.

Mise-En-Scene

Camerawork

The video actually breaks the 180 degrees rule. The 180 degrees rule is a guideline that refers to an imaginary line that cuts across the screen with respect to the camera. For example, if two people were having a conversation the camera would stay on one persons left side and the others right side. If the camera were to cross this imaginary line it could cause confusion and disorientation to the viewer. Here's a picture that demonstrates this rule
 

Camerawork

There are many uses of over the shoulder shots, which are found in films, this makes the storyline professional and easy to convey. Making it sufficient for the flow of dialogue. Mid shots are also found in the music video as it gives away what is happening in the storyline, whilst being a way to convey the emotions of the characters.

The first shot is an establishing long shot which automatically sets the scene, as there is a storyline it adds to the plot and the reader is given a glimpse of what will occur onwards. Close ups and extreme close ups are used during the opening at it is setting the scene and telling a story and so these shots easily display the feelings of the different characters.

These different shots emphasis the idea of mirrors that we, as a viewer, are watching her life, a story. The shots highlight this for example the low shot makes us feel as though we are slyly intruding in on their moment. The low angle shot creates the sense of awkwardness which represents the situation playing out before us, being someone being stood up at the alter. Whilst highlighting how he is in control either saying I do or not.

Camerawork

The mid shots and long shots were Katy Perry is making direct eye contact with the camera and lip syncing shows her confidence as she is also positioned in the centre of the frame showing her dominance. The wide shot showing her and the band is a convention of many music videos. This adds to the fun atmosphere.

Arial shot shows how she is confronting the problem and being surrounded by women suggests that she is winning and in control. There is many close up shots of the artist as they want to promote her as a band and people watch the music video for her. Low angle shots of just the feet to highlight the dancers which is commonly found in pop music videos.

Lighting

Natural high key lighting is used inside the church until the groom doesn’t answer. The lights begin to flash red/pink in time to the music. The colour could indicate love or anger as she loves him yet is angry he hasn’t answered. In the 2nd location the lighting is all red, again linking with the love at the wedding and the hate when the groom doesn’t reply. The lighting in the 3rd location is very plain. In the 4th location the lighting is natural again.

High key lighting

Natural/Dull lighting

Red Flashy light

Flash light

Text

Text

Text

High key lighting

Natural lighting

The colours are also a lot brighter which signifies happiness and excitement. The colour palette in the every location is different and is a lot more subtle with the use of creams. However in the flashbacks there is a variety colours which are heightened and bright.

 The 1st location is inside a church in which the wedding ceremony is held. The colours inside are quite bright /vibrant which allows the scene to stand out and become eye catching. This is a popular convention of pop music videos. The 2nd location is inside a music venue/club where the colours are black and red which will indicate love or hate for against the groom. The 3rd location is in an urban backstreet/behind a club/in a warehouse, which links with the part where the groom leaves the club and sees these brides. The 4th location is an urban area with graffiti on the walls.

Location

Church

Club

Warehouse

Urban Area

Flowers for the wedding, pink bike which she chases him on (the colour still sticks to the theme of pinks and pastel colours), mic stand and instruments to show a live performance. The 3rd location has a vintage car which links to a wedding theme and the brides are all holding baseball bats to show their anger/hatred. All the brides have a pink bike which they chase Katy Perry’s groom. Once the groom has hidden, he opens his mobile phone to call for someone but a video of Katy appears as she isn’t going to let him forget what he’s done. The main prop in the last location is a boom box which again links to the urban location and dancing. The last prop in just before the end is a zebra which can indicate that he was dreaming about what might happen if he did say no. This is when the audience realise he is dreaming.

Props

Conclusion

The music video was a positive one with a very strong message of women empowerment which was a successful one. The audience would've felt a sense of satisfaction when the guy said yes at the end of the video. However, editing and theories make the video more understandable and enjoyable.