Music Video deconstruction 3

Band: Katy Perry
Song: Fireworks
Director: Stargate and Sandy Vee
Year: 2010
Genre: Pop/rock
Audience: 16-24

Perry opens the video gazing down upon the city from a balcony. As she sings into the night, fireworks shoot from her chest and soon inspire young people throughout the city to overcome their fears and insecurities, in the process igniting their own fireworks. A shy overweight teenager, playing the role of wallflower at a pool party, finds the courage to shed her clothes and jump in the pool. A leukemia patient at a children's hospital proves to herself that she can show herself out on the street and in public despite her loss of hair.(also sees a pregnant woman with fireworks coming out of her chest as she goes into labor). A struggling young performer walking home in a dark alley uses tricks from his magic act to win over a group of street thugs who were trying to rob him. A boy confronts his fighting parents and pushes them apart because their shouting is upsetting his little sister. A young man finds the courage to approach the guy he is interested in and kisses him, igniting his firework within. Soon the youth of the city along with Perry are converging upon the courtyard of Buda Castle, dancing and lighting up the night with their own fireworks. Source: Wikipedia

• The video starts with 'katy Perry' stood on a balcony facing a large city at night.
• Then we get a side on view of her and fireworks shoot from her chest. This links to when she starts to sing the qourus with the lyric 'firework.'
• We then see a selection of narratives of people overcoming their fears;
• There is a boy with cancer, an overweight girl at a party, also a young child walking home being surround by bully's, a male then gets the confidence to kiss another male and a child who is scared of their parents always arguing.
• Slowly throughout the music video we see the people gaining confidence and achieving what they really want, this sending fireworks out of their chest. It is also provides anchorage to the song name 'firworks.'
• The young boy with cancer gets the courage to walk outside the hospital, even though he has no hair.
• The girl at the party gets the confidence to jump in the pool even though she is self-conses of her weight.
• A young boy walking home shows no fear and stands up against the bully's.
• Two men get the confidence in public to kiss, this standing up against the stereotypical view. They don't care about what people think.
• A child who is cuddling their younger sister as she cries because her parents are arguing, gains the courage to stand up infront of his parents and make his point.
• The meaning of this video is to show that no matter what society thinks. Do what makes you feel happy.