Video Analysis of similar songs/Inspiration

The first thing that strikes me about this video is the strong and independent vibe Rihanna gives out, which is similar to what I want to achieve in my own music video.
She is dressed as a soldier, a very stereotypical male job, but her ‘uniform’ has a strong sense of sex appeal. This is very similar to my plan for my character to be dressed as a gangsta but oozing sex appeal.
The meaning appears very similar to my plan. Rihanna is portraying a very strong and independent woman, taking on the role of a very stereotypical male job. She is appearing to fight for women’s rights and show women can be just as powerful. Shots of her playing poker in a cabin, firing a gun etc. all give the realistic impression of a soldier however this is contrasted with her being female and dressed seductively.
Her costume and make-up are very ‘glamorous’ to add the female touch as well as sex appeal.
For example: She is dressed with the style of a soldier however she is in minimal clothing. A shot where she is covering herself in mud, to give a sense of reality that soldiers often get dirty on the battlefield, however she is doing this in a very seductive way in order to appeal to her target audience.

Technical Aspects;

The editing is fast pace and cuts are to the beat. Close ups are used frequently to focus the audience’s attention on Rihanna and important images of the video in which the director wants the audience to notice.
The close ups allow the audience to feel engaged and connection with Rihanna more than the extras in the video. Rihanna is the character portraying the meaning the director has created, and focusing closer on Rihanna pushes this meaning more than it would if the frequent close-ups were on the male extras.
Effects are also used; The camera shakes frequently to support the location. As the location is set on a battlefield, the shaking of the camera is there to represent reality, and gun shots or bombs being dropped.
Each music video must give some sense of reality for people to relate to, in order for the correct message to be given.

Inspiration;

I have been inspired greatly with this video as I feel it is portraying a very similar meaning to which I, myself are trying to create.
The costume/make-up gives supports my detailed plan, to link in with the stereotypical male role as well giving glamour and sex appeal.




Russian roulette again plays on the stereotype of males. The game ‘Russian Roulette’ is stereotypically played by males, however Rihanna challenges this again by playing the game herself.

We are shown shots of her being strong and playing a dangerous game, as well as being shown shots that contrast and show her in a more vulnerable state in terms of her performance, and often dressed in nude costume. High key lighting is used in these shots, again to portray innocence and vulnerability. The contrast is large but effective.

Like many other solo female artists, she oozes sex appeal in order to keep the audience interested and play on ‘looking’, a point made by Goodwin, to attract a male audience.

Close ups are continuously used for the audience to feel engages and connected by the artists as well as amplifying the emotion and intimate details of the video.
The locations are similar to those I wish to use in my music video, and I feel the video gives a similar meaning to the one I wish to create. With the artist challenging the male stereotype as well as showing some vulnerability and sex appeal.

During this video I feel a sense on fantasy against reality. As she is playing the game, we see cut a way’s of what appear to be her imagination, thinking about what could happen or perhaps has happened in the past?
The effects used in the underwater shots are great. We see bullets shooting through the water, with a couple hitting her and shedding blood. I feel this represents the emotional pain she is going through and dodging the pain for a while but eventually getting hit.

Technical

As the song has a slow pace for the majority duration, there is more camera movement used instead of cuts. This keeps the audience interested and prevents holding on to shots for too long, but allows the narration to be slower. As the track does pick up in pace, the cuts become quicker, fitting into the forms and conventions of the typical music video.
Low key lighting and the slight gothic theme to the video represents the darkness and danger of the game as well as fitting in with other music videos from the Rated R album.

Inspiration

I have also been very inspired from this music video. I love how she challenges the male stereotype, and the contrast between being strong and vulnerable. I feel my music video will really work in terms of the meaning and challenging the forms and conventions as well as sticking to them to produce a professional music videos including all the vital features of a female solo artist.