Katy Perry “Hot n Cold”

General Conventions Analysis

 • The video contains all three styles – performance, narrative, and concept. The concept is of a
wedding day going wrong, the narrative of the singer and her friends chasing the groom, and the
performance within the narrative in the video.
GC1: Lyrics • The concept of a performance within a performance is meta, and postmodern, showing self-awareness
of the conventions
and Visual • It is also a simulacra, as there are endless signifiers creating these meanings
• The video begins with an acting scene, and the song then transitions diegetically, which is uncommon
Narrative • The performance happens within the scene rather than a separate one
• The video ends with the same scene at the end, which is also diegetic, the loop encourages rewatching
 The corresponding
movements for
“speak” and “cold”
GC1: Lyrics and Visual
Narrative

• Carol Vernallis said that "music videos are a visual response to the narrative suggested in the song, which
means that was is happening onscreen reflects the lyrics". This is seen in the video in the dance
movements of the performers.
• There is a narrative created through the singer’s hero’s journey (Campbell), which also has a post-
feminist reading (Hall) as she is reclaiming her agency compared to her passive role in the church scene
• The final part of the video merges the different scenes from the previous verses, this matches the fast-
paced beat of the video and creates a conclusion for the narrative
GC2: Genre
Characteristics
• The genre of the song is pop, originally referring
to any music that is popular, which is often upbeat
and catchy
• The bright colours and oversaturation are a key
genre characteristic, also known as “colourpop”
• Multiple costumes and outfit changes, as well as
an emphasis on current or popular fashion reflects
the intention to appeal to a mainstream audience
• Artists need to be marketed, and are typically
presented as the hero or star (Dyer), seen in the
singer’s hero’s journey (Campbell) in the
narrative
• The song is about love, which is a very marketable
topic, and is left vague on order for it to be
mainstream
GC3: Intertextuality and
Postmodernism

• The music video is postmodern as the narrative

is fragmented, and looped
• The self-awareness of the pop star performing
image seen with the performance within the
video is also a simulacra (Baudrillard)
• The initial wedding scene is an intertextual
reference to a soap opera, which can be
denoted from the bright lighting and dramatic
wedding scene
• Various friends of the singer and her parents
make cameos in the video
GC4: Representations
• As it is a pop song, the aim is to market the artist as broadly as
possible, according to Mulvey’s male gaze theory, the singer
is wearing short skirts, showing her cleavage, as well as
having long hair and makeup to attract a secondary male
audience
• The feminine portrayal of the singer using bows, pinks, lace,
and skin-tight clothing also appeals to the primary female
audience
• There is also a counter-hegemonic (Gramsci) element of the
singer’s appearance, as the narrative progresses, her and the
bridesmaids appear grungier with messy makeup and dirty
clothes
• This is also seen in the counter-typical role of
reclaiming agency and chasing the groom, rather than
remaining passive
• The groom is stereotypically masculine in his avoidance of
marriage, but his long hair and no beard doesn’t anchor this
as much
• He is also conventionally attractive, which appeals to an
aspiring male audience and desiring female one
GC4:
Representations
• The final verse’s urban setup further appeals to a larger
audience who may not be the conventional audience
• The same scene also features tween girls dancing, this
is an element of Katz and Blumler’s Uses and
Gratifications Theory (U+G), as they can personally
identify with the actors and are the target audience
for the singer
• The church pews also feature a large variety of people,
strengthening the four-quadrant approach
• There is a queer representation in the seemingly male
bridesmaid, with long hair and a beard, which is quite
negative and would no longer be deemed appropriate
GC5: • The editing is fast paced with a large amount of shot variety to
accompany the fast-paced rhythm of the song

Cinematography • The colours are over saturated for them to appear brighter and
pop out more

and Editing
• The bright lights at the beginning anchor the intertextual
reference of a soap opera
• The shots are all very bright and well lit, as there is no mysterious
element, but a fun/upbeat one
Notable Marketing
• There was product placement by the brands Diesel
and Nokia, which were done subtly and are often used
in mainstream music videos
• Dancing included so UGC can be created
• The song was debuted on NBC Today (morning
show) and the video released shortly after
• The singer recorded a version of the song in Simlish,
for ”The Sims 2”
Possible Influences
• The use of colour and oversaturation
• The product placement for verisimilitude
• Changing between distinct scenes and outfits
• The video loop