Waking Up In Vegas - Katy Perry

"Waking Up In Vegas" by Katy Perry is a conventional pop song that is primarily about Las Vegas. Because of this, the most noticable theme is that of vegas, which features the constant and different scenes of casino's, show girls and the general city of Vegas. Throughout the video, Katy Perry is seen in various different outfits and scenes with a male actor, apparently acting out a couple achieving success and losing it all in Las Vegas. By using the various different scenes, along with shots that often change from fast paced to slow to accompany the songs beat, the video is able to highlight the fast paced and fickle life of living in Vegas. In consequence, the video works in a circular motion with one of the first establishing shots featuring at the end possibly to highlight the repetition of a life in Vegas, or how fast paced and similar all lives are there. Frequently, though in random, short moments Katy Perry looks directly into the camera into what is usually a close up shot. Whilst doing this, she mouths whatever lyrics are being played at that moment in time and by doing so, Katy Perry allows herself to connect to the audience directly. Though the video is precarious in the emotion it evokes from the audience, (for example, how the establishing shot starts off slow with Katy Perry looked sad and defeated and then into the video she starts to look more powerful and content) mainly because it shows the high and low lights of living in Las Vegas, Katy Perry is never seen without glamorous or expensive looking dresses on to both imply the feeling of empowerment onto the main artist, aswell as to draw on the idea of Las Vegas' glamour and expense. In that sense, Katy Perry becomes a symbol of the city itself, drawing upon the good times, bad times and general glamour of the infamous city. Apart from the city itself, the only intertextual references seen are from Katy Perry's music where there is a small shot of her album cover on the front of her phone. Whilst this implicitley promotes her album, it also links in with the music playing as if she is hearing it herself.