The music video begins with Katy Perry about to get married. However, when asked to say his vows, her fiancé Alexander hesitates, disrupting the ceremony. Katy chases after him as the song starts. She finds him in different outfits and locations, appearing angry, upset, and happy. At the end they return to the church, resuming right before Alexander hesitated, implying the chase was imagined. The video uses the narrative structure of equilibrium, disruption, attempted repair, and re-equilibrium.

1. Narrative in Music
Videos
Katy Perry – Hot AN Cold

2. Summary of Music Video
The music video begins with the bride (played by artist) about to exchange
vows with her fiancé, Alexander. Everything appears to be running smoothly
as Katy says ‘I do’. However, when Alexander is asked, he appears shifty and
does not respond immediately, leaving everyone feeling uncomfortable and
on edge.
The music begins as he then runs away from the alter and Katy chases after
him. He ends up being trapped by Katy in different places and different outfits
such as a crying run away bride, club singer in leather and in bright street
clothes. She appears to be angry, upset and happy at the same time which
shows a conflict in emotions.
At the end, they are back in the church, resuming at the point in which
Alexander is about to take his vows before the music had previously started. It
is implied that the chase could have been a fantasy in the heads of either
characters. (Imagination running wild)

3. Todorov
• He suggested that stories begin at equilibrium
where opposing forces are in balance. This is
then disrupted by an event or events.
• This is then fixed in order to achieve
equilibrium again
EQUILIBRIUM > DISRUPTION > RECOGNITION > ATTEMPT TO REPAIR > RE-EQUILIBRIUM

4. Structure of Music Video – Equilibrium
• The music video starts off in a church
during a wedding ceremony. Everyone is
happy and waiting for the couple to be
married. We also know that the focus in on
Katy Perry (bride).
• Lots of short reverse shots are used in
order to show the expression of the
characters as one is being addressed. There
is also a shift of power between them and
allows the audience to instantly see the
conflict just by the facial expressions. This
is done through the use of MCU and CU
shots.
• The girl is shown to be in brighter, high-key
lighting with exaggerated happiness in
contrast to the boy who has a much duller,
low-key lighting despite being in the same
place. This could be reflective of their inner
feelings. They are not on the same page.

5. Structure of Music Video - Disruption
• This happens after the vows as
Alexander does not respond. We see a
shot of the people at the wedding
who are looking on nervously at his
failure to answer. This is the disruption
as it shocks the viewers, putting them
on edge. This creates suspense
because it is not how the wedding
ceremony should have panned out.
• Comparing it to the lyrics, despite the
song not starting, the ‘hot and cold’
suggests that the groom cannot make
his mind up as Hot is the polar
opposite of Cold.
• Plenty of straight cuts are used here in
order to create suspense and show
how everyone is reacting to the
groom not responding.

6. Structure of Music Video – Recognition
of Disruption
• Katy realises the potential
problem. We can tell this because
of the use of a CU shot which
shows her rolling her eyes as she
looks away. Perhaps this is
something she is used to.
• The CU shot is powerful as we
don’t even need speech/lyrics to
express how she is feeling.
• At this point, the music also starts
and tells us that the narrative is
about to reach a much more
engaging and intense stage.

7. Structure of Music Video – Attempt to
repair disruption
• In most narratives, the attempt to
repair disruption is what creates the
most of the engaging plot line. In this
music video, the attempt to repair is
when the bride chases her groom out
of the church and to different places.
• There are various scenes and settings
used such as a crying Katy in a car park
who is shown to be everywhere the
husband is. This perhaps symbolises
that Katy is constantly on Alexander's
mind and he cannot escape it.
• There is the use of a group of dancers
dressed as crying run away brides. This
is used to target the audience who
would potentially be able to relate and
this could also be seen as a way to
show girl power as they are all
supporting each other. This would then
appeal to the target audience.

8. Structure of Music Video – Attempt to
repair disruption
• In this clip, Katy is seen to have
mascara around her eyes, showing that
she has been crying.
• She is singing along to her song and
her facial expressions do not seem to
be reflective of her being upset. This is
intriguing for the viewers as they can
start to question why she doesn’t seem
as upset as she should be.
• In her song, she directly refers to the
boy throughout. She refers to her
relationship through words such as
“you” and “we”. This can also be
shown through the clip where she
directly sings to the boy in such an
aggressive way to try and remind him
of their relationship.

9. Structure of Music Video –
Re-equilibrium
• Here we are back at the church as bride and
groom are getting married. It resumes at the
point in which the priest asks Alexander if he
would take Katy to be his wife. The editing
here is almost like an action match in which
the ending at Equilibrium picks up where Re-
equilibrium starts.
• This suggests that the bride was performing
the song in her head due to the fear that her
fiancé would say no as he has been indecisive.
• The clip ends with the married couple running
down the aisle, out of the church. This is
where equilibrium is restored as it has ended
how the scene at the start should have.
(Wedding = Marriage)
• The editing used to end the video is a
transition which circles into a black screen
suggesting the end of the story. This has a
catoon-esque feel to it, reflective of the
exaggerated narrative in imagination of the
character(s).

10. Binary Opposition
• Is a theory by Levi-Strauss. He believed that the
way we understand the meaning of words is not
the actual meaning but the difference between
that and its polar opposite.
e.g. GOOD vs. BAD
VILLIAN vs. HERO
In a narrative, we know a character is good
because of the contrast with a bad character.

11. Binary Opposition
• The two opposing forces are balanced out in this narrative
through the male and female character. A clear reference of
binary opposition has been made through out the song.
Male : Untrustworthy, a ‘let-down’
Female : Reliable
HOWEVER…
Male : scared/ nervous (cold-feet)
Female: shocked as she thinks everything is okay. She is ready
to be married

12. How does the narrative link to the
song?
• Lyrics are reflective of the train of thought of the bride as she sings to her
husband.
• At the start, “You change your mind, like a girl changes clothes” suggests
that she is used to the fact that her fiance is indeviviv and once again has
let her down after proposing as he gets cold feel and has doubts about
being married.
• The lyrics in the song uses plenty of binary opposition to felect the status
of their relationship and also the narrative. There is plenty of conflicting
issues which are addressed.
“You’re yes then you’re no”
“You’re wrong when it’s right”
“It’s black and it’s white”
“You don’t really wanna stay, no. But you, don’t really wanna go”