Analysis of the music video by katy perry, Roar. Includes theory's by Andrew Goodwin, Richard Dyer, Simon Firth. A2 media course work/ advance protfolio.

1. ANALYSIS OF MUSIC
VIDEO;
KATY PERRY, ROAR.

2.  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

3.  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 butterfly
Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes
I 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

4.  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

5.  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

6.  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.
E
3:15 seconds

7.  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