Analsys of Katy Perry Roar

Narrative

At the beginning of the video, Katy Perry and her boyfriend have crashed in their plane into the jungle. He is shown making her carry the bags. A tiger eats her boyfriend and Katy Perry changes from a screaming woman into a self-possessed powerful female who eventually repels the tiger who ate her boyfriend by her own powerful roar.

The story tells of the self – empowerment of the female. It is very much about survival and inner strength. There are instances throughout the video of Katy Perry making herself look beautiful – she takes an elephant spray shower, makes herself a leopard skin outfit, applies lipstick made from berries. This is stereotypical of a pop genre video as the girl is made to look sexy and glamorous. She poses for the camera and looks alluring, which would satisfy the demands made by the record company.

By the end of the video she has become an independent woman who does not need a man to survive. She finally wears a crown on her head to show she is the queen of the jungle.

Setting

The video is set in a jungle. She makes friends with the animals and makes the jungle her home.

There are shots showing a connection between this video and Indiana Jones. There is one shot of the inside of a dark cave, again reminiscent of Indiana Jones. This also references the story of Tarzan who was brought up in the jungle to live like and animal.
Much of the action takes place around a water hole, which is the source of all life so gives a connotation of new life within the jungle.

Number of shots

There are 114 shots

Transitions

The video uses rapid editing to fit with the fast pace of the song. There are numerous jump cuts and cutaway shots which connote time passing while she survives in the jungle. There are several cut-away transitions which show Katy surviving in the forest against numerous dangers. Later on in the video the transitions become faster paced and each shot becomes shorter in length. This connotes that she has become a part of the jungle and is no longer fearful of it and is able to overcome any obstacle.

Representations

At the start of the clip there is a stereotypical representation of the male dumping the luggage onto the female which gives the stereotypical view of women being the males’ helper, which diminishes their role and objectifies them. This is also stereotypical as the male is seen to be the dominant figure. The woman is quiet and reserved.  
 
As the video progresses Katy becomes empowered. She faces on the role f he tiger and is prepared to take on the world. Katy makes herself a new outfit which is quite revealing. This is also a stereotypical representation of females wanting to create a stylish and revealing outfit. Also she begins to accessorize the animals by painting their nails and placing some jewellery on them. This is another stereotypical representation as females are often seen to glamorize anything and everything they can so they have a good look to them, mainly using diamonds or the colour pink. 

This is a music from the pop genre, and by studying the generic conventions used in this video, I will be able to incorporate these conventions into a music video of my own in this genre.