Analysis of Music video;

Katy Perry, Roar.

BY BETHANY STEPHENSON

The use of the shot type within this freeze frame is a loose frame which shows both Katy’s reaction to the situation she is in and also the reaction of the male in the background. The use of this shot type shows us as the audience that she is isolated and alone from the other character due to him not caring about the fact that they are in a jungle and they’ve crashed, he is more interested in taking a selfie. The use of high key lighting on the male in the background shows that he is happy and that he feels like he is safe in that environment, however, the use of the low key lighting on Katy gives us as the audience that she feels in danger and unsafe, this supports the typical stereotype that women show fear towards new and unknown locations that she is within. The way that Katy’s hair and makeup is done within this shot shows us that she has self confidence and is willing to fight, on the other hand the body language in which she shows as is quite negative and gives us the feeling that she is scared and confused and is trying to gain sense of what is going on. In within this freeze frame, we see Katy as a typical stereotype of the female gender as she shows us worrying but is still glamorous, this shows supports the male gaze theory as the clothing she is wearing emphasises her breasts and the skirt she is wearing reveals her legs.

The shot shows us a sense of notions of looking through voyeurism as Katy has no idea that we are watching her and we are gaining pleasure from it. It is as if we are watching her from a far, as if we are hiding in the trees like a tiger . ( We are watching her through the eyes of the tiger). (Goodwin)

The male in the background subverts the stereotypes of males because is shows him in a feminine light because he is taking a selfie which a typical thing for females to do not males, this helps subverts the typical stereotype which Katy should show, however she doesn’t, she shows us that she is the male of the relationship they have and that she is the strong and ‘dominate male ‘ which the the male should show but he doesn’t.

20 seconds

The shot that is used here is an over the shoulder shot showing us as the audience what she is doing; making a spear using a tree branch and a heel off a high heel shoe. This shows significance and supports the stereotype of a women. The lighting on Katy is low key which shows that she is untrustworthy and shady and that the animal she is going to attack is in danger, this subverts the hegemonic stereotype we have towards women, it shows us that she is taking the role of the male and being dominate and taking on male roles like killing animals for food.

The lyrics used in the scene are illustrative which means that the visuals literally represent the lyrics;

‘Now I'm floating like a butterflyStinging like a bee I earned my stripesI went from zero, to my own hero’

The use of the words ‘ floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee’ shows us that the song has intertextual meaning. The words show us her dominance and that she is taking on the role of a fighter/ boxer, we also gain this feeling because these are words said by Muhammad Ali who is famous boxer (supporting the intertextual meaning). Also the use of the words collectively together, it shows us her growth for her being scared of her surroundings to now where she's brave and she's ‘earned her stripes’ to have her part in the jungle rankings.

1;46 seconds

The shot used here is a medium close up which shows just above her breast, this makes us as the audience feel involved in what she is doing, even through we’re not. Because we are watching her from behind a tree, it gives the feeling that we are the tiger hiding from her and watching her as if she is pray to eat, it also supports the male gaze theory as we are seeing her in the way males would want to see her and that we see her as pray for males. We know that it is male gaze because she is naked and having a shower which shows that she is overly sexualised, in the same way the male is in the coke advert where he is soaking wet and has no top on which we see from the female perspective.

In relation to Goodwins theory the lyric of the song during this scene are disjunctive and the meaning of the song is ignored.

The shot used is also a loose frame as there is a lot of empty space surrounding her, showing us that she is alone and isolated from human society and has only the companionships of animals to keep her sane.

From the shot before the type of editing that has been used is continuity editing to keep the images moving in a chronological order to emphasis the real-time narrative and to create a sense of realism for the viewer by giving the impression of continuous filming.

The lighting that is used on her is high key making it seem as if she is in a friendly and safe environment, which contrast against scenes where the lightening is low key on her showing her fear and the danger around her on the environment.

Image of male from the coke advertisement.

1:57 seconds

The use of the low angle shot within this frame, this emphasises the size of power in which she has. The shot is also a wide shot which shows us the surrounding area and tells us that she is isolated from people.

The clothing that she is wearing as well supports Laura Mulvey’s theory of the Male gaze, as she is wearing a bra top that emphasises her breasts making us as the audience look at them, it also shows us her femininity and supports the typical stereotype of the female population that like to show off they’re best features.

The use of so much green in the background makes her more eye catching to us as her skin colour is so pale against the dark green colour. The high key lightening that surrounds her gives the feel that the environment is now safe and happy, this high key lighting also makes her stand out more.

The lyrics in this scene, at first glance, don’t relate to the visual in which we see making them disjunctive and the meaning of the lyrics are ignored by the visuals. However the lyrics done relate slightly as she is saying ‘ you’re gonna hear me roar, louder, louder than a lion.’ this does in a way relate to the visuals because lions are typically seen standing on a high rock watching over his kingdom, just like Katy is, this makes the lyrics illustrative as they represent the lyrics. This is also a use of Amplification as the audience is being manipulated into believing she is watching over her kingdom as if she a dominate male Lion.

The scene is also following a narrative cause-effect sequencing, as we see her in a cave watching some caveman drawings which are telling the story of the native lion, after that we seem to believe that she has gained inspiration from the drawings to find her inner lioness and how to over come her fears in which as has . The use of a crane shot allow the camera to drop, showing us her power . It also shows us that the tiger (our point of view) he dropped in ranking against her and that he is no longer the dominate lion in the community. This is also supported by the fast paced cutting also emphasises the rate that she has become more confident and the control she has not only over herself but over her ‘lion pride 'which she is now the leader of.

2:19 seconds

The shot that is used here is a wide shot showing the location she is in, showing us her dominance through the use of mise-en-scene , the flamboyant colours surrounding her and chair she is sitting in. It is also an establishing shot that is used to show the start of a new scene or a new beginning, it shows us as the audience her relationship between her and the location and the characters within the scene ( Katy, an elephant, a monkey and the lion) . The relationship she has with the location is that she controls it and the characters is that she is the dominate one and has power over them, they are by her sides showing they’re appreciation for her and that they will protect as if they are her bodyguards.

Her body language has changed throughout the music video as at the beginning as was sacred and worried compared to now, she’s sitting in thrown and with her legs apart like a male would, this shows us that she has gone back to her roots, becoming alp like and her body language subverts the typical stereotype we have for women as they typically sit with their knees together because she subverts that stereotype we think that she has become male-like. However the use of the flamboyant colours behind her help us relate her back to a female as it is mainly made up of pink and red which typically females like or prefer.

The use of the hat next to her, reminds us of her past and her relationship with the male at the beginning of the video and that she's moved on from him and has found another male, which is within her, her dominance and confidence.

3:15 seconds

The use of the loose shot shows empty areas around the lion which make us feel that he, the lion, it shows loneliness and that he maybe isolated from his community as he has lost his dominance and control over them. They also use a close up shot emphasises the tag the lion is wearing.

The use of the tag the lion is wearing shows us Richard Dyer’s theory of ‘pop stars are constructions’. It shows us that Katy’s ‘pop star’ role in todays community is down to star status and her followers. The use of the tag also supports Andrew Goodwin’s star image theory as it is a promotion of the star herself using frequent close ups and using motifs that represent her. The use of the lion promotes Katy herself because she is known for being lion-like as she’s a fighter and has no fears.

The use of the lyrics in this scene directly link to the visuals that we see, meaning that they are illustrative. The visuals show us the image of the Lion and the lyrics are ‘ and your gonna hear me roar’.

Throughout the song, there are elements of intertextuality related to being ‘winners of life’ which is also heard in two others famous songs; * Eye of the tiger by survivor and * We are the champions by Queen. Intertextuality can also be found by listening to the lyrics of roar and Eye of the Tiger, both of these videos contain lyrics that talk about having the ‘Eye of the tiger’ which supports the idea of intertextuality as lyrics in both songs cross over.

3:26 seconds