2. Narrative
• The lyrics are clear she is singing about a man and how
she has been treated by him. “I guess I forgot I had a
choice” this implies that he is overbearing and dominant
which reflects in the video where he dumps his bags on her,
in which she has no say over.
• Throughout the video there are intertexual references to
Tarzan which help to tell the story. Tarzan initially started
off by himself and made friends in the jungle, by the end he
became the king of the jungle. This is similar to Katy Perry
however, she is a woman which shows female
empowerment, this illustrates the music since she is talking
about her relationship and how strong she has become.
3. Camera
• At the beginning of the video a high angle shot is used as an establishing shot to set the scene, this shows the
audience her surroundings and how isolated she is in this big wild jungle which makes us empathise with her.
• Up until the man gets eaten he has the most of the most screen time, this could suggest that he is more dominant. Also
a point of view shot is used when he takes a “selfie” which shows, how vain he is and allows the audience to establish
what kind of relationship they have.
• Katy Perry looks at the camera directly a few times which breaks the fourth wall, this helps her audience to engage with
her, it also makes the video more intimate leaving her vulnerable and open which mirrors the situation she is in. The
direct eye line matches also show her evolving and becoming stronger.
• Later on low angle shots are used to show her dominative presence and how she has evolved which reflects the lyrics
“brushing off the dust”, “dust” being her past
• Medium close ups are used when she is having a shower which is voyeuristic, invites the audience by looking directly at
the camera
• Close ups contrast from the beginning of the video to the end, at the beginning the close ups make us sympathise with
her situation, alone in a big jungle but as the video progresses the close ups become sexual with her looking at the
camera, also the frames were quite loose which shows that she wasn't confident, as the video progresses the frame
become tighter with her filling them showing her confidence and dominance.
4. Editing
• At the beginning of the video the opening closely resembles something out of a comic book such as
Tarzan, so before we even see the video you can infer that it is going to be a story; this appeals to a
younger audience as well as a more mature one.
• Heavy use of lip synching to amplify the lyrics
• “I see it all” - yellow eyes appear in the background but they then fade to reveal that they are fireflies and
form a lion. Fireflies are often associated with love so when they fade it shows that the love has gone
and she can see more clearly, the lion then resembles her strength and power further reinforcing female
empowerment.
• When Katy roars there is a sound wave which has been added to symbolize the power that she has, you
could infer that the message is that women should fight back and not be put down by anyone of
anything, all women have the inner strength you just have to find it.
• There is a small animation on a cave wall of a tiger tackling all these people, this could symbolise Katy’s
life and how she has overcome all these obstacles in turn making her stronger.
• There are various unrealistic scenes; Katy brushing the crocodile's teeth, painting the elephants toe nails
which makes the audience realise that it is still a story so don’t take things at face value.
5. Star image/ performance
• Katy Perry lip syncs most of the song so you could infer that it is from her own personal experience so the video is about her.
• She is a very bright character which can be displayed through the use of her eccentric costumes and body language. Her image is very “girly” with the typical
pop conventions of being;
1. Stylish/ Fashionable/ airbrushed
2. Happy/ over the top
3. Colourful / overexposed
4. Over exaggerated in everything
• These features are portrayed in almost all of her music videos
• The video is about her becoming stronger however, the stronger she becomes the more clothes she begins to lose which sort of contradicts the lyrics since the
more clothes she loses the more exposed and vulnerable she becomes and the video is about empowerment.
• Also throughout the video the image of a tiger is used, but she's is wearing leopard print which could suggest her mixed emotions or that she is as strong as a
tiger but as quiet as a leopard since when you think of jungle the most common animals which come to mind are tigers and lions as they are more dominant,
whereas leopard as more hidden.
