Katy Perry - Hot n Cold video analysis

Katy Perry- Hot n Cold

Cinematography
The first shot we are given is a long, high angle crane shot of a wedding ceremony. This could also be seen as an establishing shot. We then get a fast insert cut to an over the shoulder medium close up shot of the bride, played by Katy Perry. Throughout the first part of the video we get lots of these shots and vice versa with a shot of the groom. This could also be shown through shot reverse shots. We also get a fast cut to a two person, side on frame of the vicar and the bride and groom. The bridesmaids and guests reactions are shown through medium long shots. Towards the end of this scene we get an extreme close up of the grooms Adam’s apple, indicating he is nervous and unsure. There is also a low angle looking up at the groom, which can indicate his power within the marriage and the situation he is in. After we get a crane shot again showing Katy Perry singing and the guests ‘dancing’ or moving slightly to the beat which is then followed by a low angle showing the groom running off, again indicating his power. We begin to get tracking shots of the groom running and Katy Perry running after him. At 1:58seconds the scene changes to Katy performing on stage and we see this through a low angle, as though we are in the crowd. She is also directly addressing the audience. The scene changes once again to broken hearted brides dancing and we see this through long shots and close ups. The dancing is very conventional in pop music videos. These brides are also holding baseball bats, which are emphasised through close ups and extreme close ups which indicate heart break and anger towards the guy. We then begin to see the groom through high angle to indicate his loss of power and weakness against the other brides. The scene changes again, however the shots are the same and we see choreographed dancing. The end shows Katy Perry through an extreme low angle, as it is representing her power over the groom who was pushed over onto the floor. The final part cuts back to the opening scene in the church with side on medium long shots and close up shot reverse shots. Here we learn that he was imagining of what he could do and what would happen if he did.

Editing
There isn’t much editing in this video, however the speed of the cuts are relatively fast in order to keep with the pace of the song. The first main edit in the video is towards the end where the groom looks at his phone and we see a video of Katy Perry singing/crying on the screen. This has been filmed separately and edited onto the phone afterwards in order to give the effect that it’s happening during the video. At the very end we get a heart transition/ending in which the image fades out whilst a heart appears. This indicates that the couple got married and lived ‘happily ever after’.


Mise-En-Scene
Costume: 1st scene: Wedding dress (slightly pink with diamonds) indicates glamour, Light coloured bridesmaid dresses which contrast to the bright parts in the location, groom is smart wearing a pastel coloured bow tie. 2nd scene: short shorts, red jacket and sunglasses show Katy as a pop artists and her unusual fashion style on stage, the colours of the clothes can indicate either lust or anger. 3rd scene: a group of heartbroken brides with their wedding dresses on. We understand they are angry/heartbroken as their eye make-up has run from crying and their wedding dresses are all ripped and damaged. 4th scene: the costumes here are trainers, shorts, hoodies and tracksuits which link with the urban location.

Location/s: the 1st location is inside a church in which the wedding ceremony is held. The colours inside are quite bright /vibrant which allows the scene to stand out and become eye catching. This is a popular convention of pop music videos. The 2nd location is inside a music venue/club where the colours are black and red which will indicate love or hate for against the groom. The 3rd location is in an urban backstreet/behind a club/in a warehouse, which links with the part where the groom leaves the club and sees these brides. The 4th location is an urban area with graffiti on the walls.

Lighting: natural lighting inside the church until the groom doesn’t answer. The lights begin to flash red/pink in time to the music. The colour could indicate love or anger as she loves him yet is angry he hasn’t answered. In the 2nd location the lighting is all red, again linking with the love at the wedding and the hate when the groom doesn’t reply. The lighting in the 3rd location is very plain. In the 4th location the lighting is natural again.

Props: flowers for the wedding, pink bike which she chases him on (the colour still sticks to the theme of pinks and pastel colours), mic stand and instruments to show a live performance. The 3rd location has a vintage car which links to a wedding theme and the brides are all holding baseball bats to show their anger/hatred. All the brides have a pink bike which they chase Katy Perry’s groom. Once the groom has hidden, he opens his mobile phone to call for someone but a video of Katy appears as she isn’t going to let him forget what he’s done. The main prop in the last location is a boom box which again links to the urban location and dancing. The last prop in just before the end is a zebra which can indicate that he was dreaming about what might happen if he did say no. This is when the audience realise he is dreaming.