The document analyzes the music video for Katy Perry's song "Teenage Dream". It discusses how the video portrays Katy Perry wearing little clothing to appeal to audiences. It shows a party atmosphere to depict teenagers having fun in the summer season. The narrative follows the lyrics of the song, portraying the feelings of living a teenage dream. Iconography like sunglasses and blowing hair symbolize freedom and summer. The setting of the beach is meant to seem like a happy, fun place for teenagers. Through techniques like lighting, sound effects, and slow motion, the video emphasizes the feeling of fun in the summer.

1. “Teenage Dream” by
Katy Perry

2. The song “Teenage Dream” by Katy
Perry came out in 2010, and since
then has been one of my top favorite
songs mainly because of it’s music
and beats. Secondly I am very fond
of Katy Perry’s looks, so I chose to
analyse her video.

3. Character
Appeal
The recognizable artist Katy
Perry has been placed in the
music video and is shown to
bare presentations, wearing
little clothing. Little clothing is
often worn in pop music videos
to make the artist stereotypes,
behavior , look and appeal to
audiences. Considering that the
target audience for her songs
are mainly teenagers and young
adults, a party atmosphere is
used as teenagers like to have a
good time and party. Parties are
also associated with Summer
which is the season the music
video has been shot to look like.

4. Narrative and Music
The narrative structure of the
song has an abstract feel. Showing
a variety of clips taken from
summer as conveyed in the lyrics
“You make me feel like I’m living a
teenage dream the way you turn
me on I can’t sleep lets run away
and don’t ever look back, don’t
ever look back”. Here we see that
the lyrics are being portrayed in
the video exactly as they are and
not figuratively.
Secondly the music of the entire
song goes from being soft to high
notes. And given the target
audience and the genre of the
song the song really builds on the
listeners.

5. Iconography
Iconography is at play here as
props such as, sunglasses, hair
blowing back in the wind from the
car gives the music video a
summer symbolic representation
and makes Katy look free. In the
video we see teenagers jumping
and running whilst taking parts of
their clothes off as though they
are heading to the beach. This
creates a fun atmosphere for the
music video. Props such as bikes
and skateboards have been used
to give a ‘young’ effect to the
video as these objects are usually
stereotyped for a younger
audience of teenagers.

6. Mis En Scene
The Mis en Scene of beach has been
chosen as a setting as audiences
associate the beach as a happy,
positive, fun place to be. The clip
shows teenagers running into the sea
having fun. There is lots of greenery
shown in this particular music video.
The fields/trees give a natural feel to
the video and suggest Katy Perry is
free. This would appeal to teenage
audiences as teenagers want to be
free and have independence much
like Katy Perry is shown to have.
Throughout the music video the color
has been dulled and the use of pastel
colors give a ‘dreamy’ effect to the
video

7. Mis En Scene
Conventions such as lighting, non-diegetic/
happy diegetic sound, sfx and
slow motioning od video has been
used to emphasize the summer ‘fun’
that they are having. Handheld camera
has been used at the start of the music
video giving it a more personal touch,
although handheld camera is not used
throughout.
Close-up clips of ice pops have been
used to again highlight summer. These
particular objects have been edited in
slow motion to reinforce what
teenaged like. The color red is fairly
dominant as the music video enters a
party atmosphere which symbolizes
love/passion or danger. Smoke and
bright colors are also used. These
colors are often used in pop music
videos, appealing to teenage audiences