Thursday 23 June 2011

Video Analysis

Perrys video follows Todorovs narrative theory quite well for example, the equiliirium in the video would be that Snoop dogg has control over 'Candyfornia' an imaginary place where the video is set and the disequilibrium would be when Katy discovers this land, the recognition is when Katy realises that girls have been caputured by Snoop Dogg all over the land, the reparation is when she frees them all before Snoop dogg can interfere & the new equilibrium is when she and all the other girls are set free and they all stop Snoop Dogg & his men (gummy bears) and they bury him in sand.

Perrys video doesn't entirely follow Propps theory mainly because music videos last approximately 3mins long meaning not all characters can be represented although some have been in this video for instance, Katy would be considered the Hero as she sets the captured girls free, the Villain is obviously Snoop dogg, the gummy bears Perry encounters could be considered false heroes as she thought they looked sweet, but when she waved and smiled they swore at her.

If applying antagonism & protagonism Snoop Dogg would be considered the antagonist as he's holding the girls captive whereas Perry would be the protagnosit setting them free.
The video follows a clear linear narrative as Katy just wonders along the land and frees girls and then eventually defeats the villain. It's a pretty basic storyline with a slight multi-strand structure as they focus is not only on Katy but also on Snoop.

There aren't many enogma codes for the audience to decode other than that Katy is rescuing girls and what will Snoop Dogg to her as punishment, however there are many intertexual references for instance, Alice in Wonderland when Katy discovers 'Candyfornia', another would be Willy Wonka from Charlie & the Chocolate Factory & The Witch from the Wizard of OZ at the end when Katy sprays him and his men down using whipped cream which is a reference to when the witch in the wizard of Oz melts to the ground. An important intertexual reference is Katys cone-shaped bra that squirts cream, this refers to the fashion craze many artists have been seen in for example, Lady Gaga, Madonna and even Beyonce, but it actually dates back to a 1920's film called Metropolis.

1 comment:

  1. Well done Nina, you have shown that you understand the narrative theories and are able to apply them to the video. You have also considered how these theories are potentially not useful when looking at music video. I really like that you have considered the intertexual references too - I hadn't thought of some of those! To improve make sure that you also look at binary oppositions as these are important in music videos as a short cut to meaning, particularly in videos where the narrative isn't quite so structured. Also, check your spelling particularly media words e.g. equilibrium.

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