Goodwin Theory

he video I have chosen to analyse for Andrew Goodwin’s theory is Hot n Cold by Katy Perry.

The genre of her music is pop and the characteristics of the genre that it possesses are:

Dance routine
Dance oriented beats/rhythm
Lyrics focus on simple themes, such as love and relationships
Beauty shots
Bright colours
Flashing lights, creative setting and backdrops
Modern, stylish clothing

What is the relationship between lyrics and visuals?

In this particular example, the lyrics are illustrated by the visuals and also amplified.

 The lyrics to the left tie in with the narrative about how her boyfriend is always blowing hot and cold and changing his mind about them getting married and therefore he runs away.

In the video, there seems to be multiple shots of the boyfriend running away, and escaping through doors, this illustrating even more the fact that one minute hes yes and then no.

The lyrics to the right  are illustrated through her sudden change of clothes and how she is mirroring his mood through her costume.

Another relationship between lyrics and visuals is the lyrics below.

Throughout the video, it seems to have followed this colour scheme for example, the clip below with all the girls dressed in white with the contrasting black car.

Also, the zebra ties in with this colour scheme. Here, the lyrics to the whole song are amplified as this zebra and the random rainbow suggests the man is actually dreaming the whole thing, which we learn to be true at the end of the song.

What is the relationship between music and visuals?

Throughout the song, the the video mainly cuts to the beat. Also, the visuals correspond to the beats in the music. For example, when the music is pulsing, the people in the video are moving their heads in time with the beat and in the same rhythm like in this scene below.

Also, there are bright flashing coloured lights which change colour with the music in time with the beat.

For example, in the two clips above, you can see the colour change from pink to red. These changes happen throught the whole of this scene in time with the music.

The visuals also illustrate when there is instrumentals in the music. In the clip below, the male is being lifted up and bounced along by the crowd. At this point, there is no singing, just music and he is being moved in sync.

Throughout the song, the music pace is constant along with the video and editing. The editing is made up of quick cuts which all stay in time to the beat which helps emphasise it.

Are there close-ups of the artist and star image motifs?

Throughout the video, there are close ups of the artist in the different scenes.

She has been made to look glamorous and attractive. The first image is an extreme close up and the focus is on her eyes. This draws in attention and is made to captivate the audience as if they are looking directly at her. This would attract the male audience who who find her very attractve. In the second image, her eyes are covered drawing the attention to her whole face. Her haircut, outfit and accessories all give her that popstar look and would appeal to young girls who can aspire towards her. The record company is using the artist to sell the song by using Katy Perry's looks in order to target the audiences.

This video is similar and different to her other videos. It's has a similar style with the narrative which ties in with a few of her other videos, but it is also similar as most of her other videos also use her looks to sell the track.

For example the videos below

Is there reference to the notion of looking?

In this particular video, the artist isn't as much on sexual display as she has been in previous videos however there are still signs. In one particular scene, where the girls are dressed in wedding dresses, there are cuts to just their legs which gives the sense that the artist and other people in the video are on display and are being used to sell the video and appeal to the male audience.

Also, throughout the video, the artist is wearing skimpy clothes or short shorts which also puts her on display. However, these shots are not major and are edited in pretty discretely which shows that being on display was not the main attraction of this video.

There is also the reference of looking with a screen within a screen shot.

 Other references include when there is an audience in the video and they are looking at the artist.

Are there intertextual references?

In this video, there are no noticeable references to tv programmes or films however there are slight references to the artist's other videos such as 'Waking Up in Vegas' due to the fact that in this video, she is also portrayed as fun and lively and there are similar scenes such as a wedding.

Is this music video performance-based, narrative-based or concept-based?

The music video is majority narrative based. At the beginning, there is talking and also at the end, to start and end the story which takes place throughout the video. There is also a little element of performance during the second verse where she is singing on stage.