Kahn does always his sheathings (showing what the singer is singing, is sheathings the right word for this?) - but, yeh: that's how kahn works. katys song is definitely not as catchy as "hot n girl" & "i kissed a hot", but that's not how katy works: the catchyness define their songs.

         

not bad besides, i find this concept more appropriate for the artist than the treatment written by floria sigismondi+stephens

         

Katy Perry is intolerable.

         

Small appearance by Penn & Teller.

         

the point of this video seems to be to make it look like they spent as much money as possible. and I think all those cell phone closeups helped them achieve that goal. you can see why a label would be happy they got a really expensive looking video, but nobody else like this video

         

Best video of the year so far? Yeah, I'm going to throw it out there.

(Also, why do commenters on the ville automatically hate anything that looks like it had a good budget?)

         

Budget: no. Just... no.

         

4 Reasons why this video is better than you think:

1. It elevates Katy Perry to A level pop star status. Even though the new era of music videos has resulted in a lot of cool techniques and viral concepts, it's mostly ignored one of the most important reasons to make a video in the first place: To make the artist a star. This video is the most compelling argument ever made for why Katy Perry should be your little sister's generation's Britney or Christina.

2. Even with a big budget, it has a sense of fun and whimsy. In between telling a massive story, the whole video is packed with fun little personality pieces. You can't watch Katy and her love interest skid down that bowling alley at 2:45 without cracking a smile. In short, this video makes Katy Perry sort of likable as a person- which is a stunning achievement.

3. The amazing level of storytelling. In 3:20 it delivers a story arc that could have been stretched into a 2 hour film, and it does it coherently and succinctly.

4. The video is a lesson in editing. The most forgotten element in music videos lately is what drives this piece over the top for me. The pacing makes this video go down easier than anything I've watched this year.

Is it a little goofy? Sure, but so is Katy Perry, and so is pop music in general. This video knows exactly what it is and it doesn't waste any time indulging in needless artiness or unnecessary messages. It's pure mindless pop that's aiming squarely for a demographic that loves pure mindless pop. It isn't Radiohead and it isn't a "omg never-been-done-before" viral knockout, but it does more for the artist than almost any other video i've seen this year.

If someone wants to make an argument for why this isn't good, I'm all ears. But other than a general hatred of mainstream music, healthy budgets, or Kahn/Perry, this is a hard one to pick apart.

         

spot on, budget

         

I like this video. Highly rewatchable. I've been on the 'ville for a bit and I still don't understand the hate for Kahn. He does great work.

         

KAAAAAAAHHHHHNNN!!!!

         

         

Torque is a B-Movie. Once I realized that, I appreciated it more. You should do the same.

         

you're right, i'll give you this one too:

         

You're trying sentilly, and with the George Michael video, you almost had me. Then I remember he made one of the my favourite videos.

         

Here's my fwiw take on JK.

         

Quite obviously one of the best videos-- mainstream, indie, whatever-- of the year thus far. More ideas than almost every other video up here based on costume design alone.

         

I think joseph kahn is very talented I also hate this video.

yes, if you're goal is to take a normal interesting girl and turn her into a vapid pop star that will probably sell some records to some kids, then good work.

But if you are trying to make a short piece of art that people actually want to watch for fun (which is what this site is supposed to be for) then I think it's a huge disappointment.

A movie about a pop star winning lots of money in las vegas and then wasting it on a bunch of lame stuff could probably be a feature movie, you are right budget. but it would be a movie that you watch a preview for and you think "my god....is that the state we are in?"

but don't let me convince you to not like something, not that I could anyway.

         

I agree with budget on this one. Sigh, I'm always a sucker for well laid out, logical, and numbered arguments.

Darn it! CaptainBob posted seconds before me and he has some good points too....

Sure, 'Waking up in Vegas' isn't art but it's definitely pop and, in this case, that's to its credit. Moreover, I have found reasons enough to watch it 3 times in the last 24hrs.

That said, I don't really like the video that much and in 3 months I can only imagine that it will never cross my mind again. Whereas, on a somewhat similarly pop level, something like Jamiroquai's 'Virtual Insanity', or JT's 'Cry Me a River', or Pink's 'Just Like a Pill', or Robbie Williams' 'Rock DJ', etc, etc, etc, stick with me far longer and, I believe, aspire, on some level, to be more than just 3.5 minutes of pop-star promotion. There's definitely something to be said for that.

K

         

Rock DJ is one of the best videos ever and it's for a super pop song and i'm sure it helped him sell lots of albums too. killed many birds with that stone.

this video will only make a 13 year old girl more materialistic and obnoxious.

         

I thought this was a really sharp video and perfect for the song, leaving me in agreement with most of budget's points above. The arguments against this video seem more like arguments against pop music in general. Yes, it is bite-sized fun that will be forgotten when mom is buying your back to school clothes but ...

The point that this is not the kind of video that das 'Ville is about is certainly possible, but if I was gonna vote off the 'bad' videos I would eliminate all the drecky repostings, fan made tributes and other junk long before I got to this one.

What should the video to a Katy Perry song be? I would say something a lot like this. Besides, is there a comment on the current bust-boom-bust economic cycle we are going through woven in there? As per usual, the comments on this clip have more to say about the nature of Antville than they do about the video itself.

I would consider VOTY for this one.

         

it appears I am out of touch with my common man.

         

30f, I love your thought about the boom-bust cycle. I feel a little daft now but I completely didn't see it. However, now that I do see it I can only imagine it was intentional and that it's Kahn's attempt to inject something 'significant' into the pop video. Perhaps it's his way of commenting on the average person's willingness to always buy into the cycle and, despite, the inevitable crash we're still foolish enough (addicted enough) to always buy in again. Strange, but your quick one sentence thought makes me like this video a bit more now.

K

         

kal -

Thanks and check the reaction of Katy's guy as her gambling goes from lucky, to pre-ordained to disastrous. He is happy at first, then becomes a cocky @-hole as she consistently wins, trash talking like he has something to do with her beating the pro-poker player. Then, as the bubble starts to burst and her gambles don't pay off - he begins to snarl at her, like she is now somehow letting him down all of a sudden. A well crafted concept all around, IMO.

         

Bob, I wouldn't say you're out of touch with your common man, just that you have odd expectations for a pop video.

"yes, if you're goal is to take a normal interesting girl and turn her into a vapid pop star that will probably sell some records to some kids, then good work."

It wasn't Kahn's goal to play Katy against type- "vapid pop star" is what Katy and her record label have been going for since day one. And really, what's wrong with that? Kid's need fun music to dance to at their prom. Do you really want to live in a world where 14 year old kids grind awkwardly to The Arcade Fire?

"But if you are trying to make a short piece of art that people actually want to watch for fun (which is what this site is supposed to be for) then I think it's a huge disappointment. "

I don't think "piece of art" was a term that got thrown around a whole lot the day this was shot. If you're expecting something that stirs your soul every time you watch a Katy Perry video, you will be disappointed. She isn't making this video to get into MOMA, she's making it to get onto regular MTV rotation. Also, if Khan/Perry made a video for the sole purpose of pleasing the clowns on this site, it would probably sell them a grand total of 4 records.

         

i'm with budg on his 4 Reasons why this is good, dunno if it's really antville hate he's takling, more reaction?

i'd go so far as to add a 5th reason:

5. it's got that guy in it, that big nose guy who's normally playing geeky roles. he's funny, i like him.

         

Don't hate on big budgets! If they're coming back, maybe we can start getting paid our rates again someday!

.......yeah, right

         

As much as I dislike Kahn personally and generally, he knows what he's doing with the pop videos, especially in the post apocalypse video landscape where Rage and Ace will eat your brain and directing collectives huddle for warmth around a garbage can fire full of their reels.

I for one though would greatly prefer to live in a world in which 14 year olde gyrate awkwardly to The Arcade Fire. Was that supposed to be a bad thing?

         

This video is brought to you by: Palms Resort & Casino, Poker Stars, Nokia, and the Las Vegas Tourism Bureau. Thank you for watching.

         

yeah it's a perfectly good music video. but is that really a great ambition? it doesn't transcend the genre like the best do... and I think that's what the haters are on about.

'Transcending the genre' is a rare gem these days I suppose.

I'll get me coat.

         

I never thought I'd be cornered into being the official katy perry video defender on this site, but again, I think it all comes down to odd expectations that people are hoisting on to the video.

Should this video have to "transcend it's genre" to be great? Was that it's goal? Who decides that it must meet that criteria in order to be enjoyable? Certainly not Katy Perry's fans or the audience that this video is intended for. So far the criticisms for this video are akin to criticizing 8 1/2 because it wasn't enough like Transformers, or vice versa.

         

I don't hate this video just like I don't hate The Transformers movie but speaking of blockbuster films I did like The Dark Knight and would at least put it on the same list of 'to see movies' as 8 1/2.

         

So, perhaps we're all really talking about our expectations, not of this video, but of this site. Do we expect the videos that are lauded by commenters to be videos that transcend their genre? Is that the Antville community measuring stick?

I think the majority of us would agree that 'Waking up in Vegas' is a good music video (Personally, I think it qualifies as a very good video). I also think most of us would agree it's not a GREAT (in capital letters) music video.

Moreover, a video should not be well regarded simply because it accomplishes the goals of the label and director. Which is to say, perhaps Kahn and Katy's label wanted the biggest and most pop-friendly video they could create. And, maybe this video is all that. It still doesn't make it great just cause they achieved their goals.

E.G., Fast and Furious was a movie made to make money and entertain the masses. Fast and Furious made more money than even its creators and financiers expected and it entertained masses. Despite succeeding at its goals Fast and Furious is not a particularly good movie.

A lot of the time I wish the Antville 'manifesto' was to showcase videos that transcended the genre. It's an admirable yardstick and it would mean that, every time I saw a new video on the site, I would be amazed and enriched in that indescribable way that all brilliant art amazes and enriches. I'd also only see a new video on Antville every 3 or 4 months.

K

TLDR (Too Long Didn't Read) Version:

1. 'Waking up in Vegas' is very good but not great.
2. Joseph Kahn is near peerless at getting the job the label wants done done. But that still doesn't make the video great.
3. There are too few great videos to use that as an everyday yardstick for the site.

         

wow been a little busy to check in, but i wish i had sooner cause id of been all over this thread. Of what hasn't yet been said, i love this video because it reminds me of the videos I saw in high school that made me decide to get into Music Videos and not just movies. Kahn is 2 for 2 this month, with this and Eminem.

         

^^ Think u'll find its 2 4 3 spence ol' mate