Goodwins theory

Analysis of Katy Perry – California girls.

Katy Perry is a pop artist, her target audience are both male and female, and due to her attractiveness males listen to her music, and where as young teenage girls aspire to be her. This particular music video is concept and performance based as throughout the video we can see Katy Perry discovering this candy world, the concept of this music video is that California girls are the best girls in the world and that California is the place to be. The purpose of this particular music video is to entertain the audience, attract a fan base, show the different conventions of a genre, audience to remember the music video, make a song available to a wide audience, build a relationship with the audience, the audience to understand more about a song. Music videos are split up into three categories performance, narrative and concept.

In Katy Perry’s music video, she portrays Hollywood as being a place of gamble, you can either make it or not. Katy Perry’s target audience is young girls as she is the stereotypical pop singer. However even though her music appeals to a younger generation of girls, she is sexually appealing for young men, therefore attracting a wide fan base. Katy cleverly does this through her music videos, a good example is the one in which I’m analysing as, one part of the music video she is laying on a cloud made out of candyfloss without any clothes on. The performance of this video is about Katy Perry portraying Hollywood to be a wonderful place, almost like a dream this is shown through the use of props, the setting is sweets and uses a lot of bright colours. The Narrative of this music video is about Hollywood and how much of a great place is it but a different side can be seen as, Snoop dog who is featured in the music video is controlling what happens he throws the dice and Katy Perry walks around exploring this paradise place “Hollywood”, the other side is seen when there is a girl trapped in a bubble, this portrays the idea of Hollywood and the media controlling the people in the industry but Katy Perry who in this video, comes across as being new to the experience takes her high hell off and pops the bubble saving her. The lyrics and the music video doesn’t come across in a serious manor, the concept to this song is that “California girls” are the best and inspirational, the lyrics create an image of what these girls look like, also towards the end of the video we are introduced to what they look like. Whether this was intentional or not Katy Perry creates the image of California girls being vein and infatuated with fame and Hollywood and care about their appearance a lot as this is what they seem to be known for.

Camera shots are used throughout Katy Perry’s music video to portray different things, for example the shot below is a Long shot, and this is used to exaggerate and show how wonderful this place is that she is describing; Hollywood. The long shot helps the audience realise what is actually going on, Katy is surrounded by sweets and wrappers, in soft bright colours connoting it being a happy place. The use of sweets help get the image across that it is a happy place too. This camera shot helps portray the idea that this particular music video is targeted at her audience very well, as young girls want to be where she is in this place and have everything that she has. Katy is telling everyone that this is the place to be and that anyone can make it but you have to give It a try. Mis en scene also plays a massive part in this video as it sets the whole image, and uses intertexuality relating the lyrics with the video. Katy is wearing soft pink tights with a dress made of sweets on, her hair is a silvery colour, the video is far from being realistic, which could also connote the idea that Hollywood may be too good to be true, and that this video is making fun of materialistic girls that live in California.

This shot below helps connote the other side of the argument, which is that everything may be too good to be true as, she makes out everything there is brilliant and the people are lovely, however this particular part of the video Katy walks up to  gummy bear and it swears at her. This helps connote that in that particular industry and area you’re going to come across people that aren’t nice and will try and put you down and that you just have to ignore them and carry on in life. This message is not just all about how great California girls are and the area but also how generally, in life you will come across people that aren’t as decent and others and that you just have to ignore them and don’t let them get you down.

Relating to Goodwin’s theory it is clear that this music video demonstrates the genres characteristics. The image below helps prove this as, the genre is pop and the surroundings of the video is full of candy and sweets, both of these relate with eachother well, not only this but to also the target audience.

As Andrew Goodwin believes there is a relationship between the visuals, there are many situations where this happens throughout Katy Perry's Calafornia girls music video, below is a screenshot of an example. The lyrics are "Greetings loved ones, lets take a journey", as Snoop Dog says these lyrics heh places Katy perry on the gambling board, next to her is a sign saying start. Here we can defintley see a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals as Katy Perry is going on a journey in this magical world.

Goodwin also noticed that there are relationships between the music and the visuals. This particular music video follow this rule. Below is a print screen of it, Snoop dog kisses the dice, as this happens the beat is in the same timing for when his lips touch the dice. This has an effect on the audience when they watch the video, it makes the video seem as if it is running smoothly.





The demands of the record label will  include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which occur across their work. The screen shot below is a close up of Katy Perry, throughout the music video there are various close ups. These are done so that it is clear who the artist is throughout and to gain recognition, the reason the record labels in particular have this demand is so that the record sells.

The target audience play a massive role in this music video, as it is created to their wants and needs. Katy Perry (the artist) creates a relationship with the audience as she meets the codes and convetions of a music video for her genre in which the target audience watch. As she creates pop music she is dress appropriatley for this. The whole music video is associated with pop, as its very innocent bright colours are used. Katy perry begins to make a relationship with the audience as she performs to the camera and meets the conventions.

When creating our own music video we will use goodwins theory to a certain extent. We will make sure that we have links between the lyrics and the visuals, and our music video will be performance and narrative based.