Directorial duo Similar But Different’s latest music video, “Not the End of the World,” for Katy Perry is a stylized, tongue-in-cheek take on the Perry and Zooey Deschanel doppelganger internet phenomenon.
Set in a retro-futuristic, speculative sci-fi future, it’s 2020 and the Earth is about to self-destruct. Other intergalactic species know the end for humankind is near, including a Perry-obsessed breed of aliens, led by their captain who wants to save (abduct) Perry before Earth’s demise and bring her to the mothership to perform for them for eternity. Unfortunately, the alien duo in charge of the mission made a common terrestrial mistake; they grabbed Deschanel instead.
Smash cut to mission control on the mothership, a confused Deschanel comes-to and realizes she’s been mistaken (again) for Perry as her abductors also realize they’ve made a mistake. Terrified that they’ve captured the wrong person, and fearful of repercussions, Deschanel makes a deal with her abductors to play the role of Perry in exchange for them letting her save the Earth. Luckily, Earth’s fate is saved as Deschanel starts to embrace the role of intergalactic popstar.
Produced by division7 & North of Now, the video has fun with classic Perry music video tropes and shines thanks to its cleverness and stylized vibrance. It’s an expert exercise in concept, tone, set design, costume design and performance creating a wholly unique storyworld.
A joint statement from Similar But Different (aka Dani Girdwood and Charlotte Fassler) read: “We are such fans of Katy’s wit — her out-of-this-world imagination and creative brain. We’ve also always been obsessed with aliens and retro futurism — and after hearing the song for the first time our minds exploded with where we could take it. Not sure there’s ever been a project more meant for us than this one.”
