Analysis of a star - Miss Miller

Many artists reinvent themselves through their music and image. This is shown clearly by watching a time warp of the artists music videos. An artist may choose to reinvent themselves to gain more attention from the public eye, change their style of music etc. This re-invention is not always a good thing as an artist could receive negative publicity and even lose fans.

The artist which I will be analysing is Rihanna. I will be evaluating the evolution of her music videos. Rihanna's overall genre is a R&B, Pop, Reggae, Hip-hop and dance. She has a range of music genres incorporated into her music portfolio.

The first music video is 'pon de replay'. Pon de replay was released in 2005. It was Rihanna's first ever music video and one of three songs on Rihannas demo called music of the sun. Which was sent to many record labels with the aim of getting her signed. This music video (song) is in the genre of dance pop/R&B. Pon de replay music video stays loyal to the genre as the song shows Rihanna dancing which is conventional in the dance pop genre, its also set in a club (low lighting) which is common to see in this genre.
    There are also aspects of R&B conventions in the video through mise-en scene, costume. As women in R&B videos generally wear classy but revealing clothes (her stomach was showing), making them attractive to the males, who are the target audience for the conventional R&B music video. Also in R&B music videos trainers are worn when a dance routine is incorporated into the video. Rihanna conforms by wearing trainers for her dance routine. Taking a urban/street look.

By using Goodwins theory we can identify that there is a relationship between lyrics and visuals in this music video. This is shown when Rihanna says 'Come Mr. DJ won't you turn the music up'. The visuals then show the DJ turning up the volume to the music on his sound equipment. The link between the two gives the audience a more visual understanding of the song and shows that Rihanna has authority. As she was the only one asking for the song to be turned up. You can also see Rihanna's authority by her standing on a pillar. To show that she is a 'star' and is above the backing dancers.

On the left (DJ turning up music)

On the right (Rihanna on a pedestal)

There are also a lot of close up shots of Rihanna to develop motifs for the artist. These close ups are done by the demands of the record label. These close ups show Rihanna's face clearly, as she was a upcoming artist at this stage in her career, it allows the audience to remember her image and appearance; It Identifies who Rihanna is.

Close up shot

There is also voyeuristic treatment of her body, as Rihanna dances in most of the video. Her lower body (waist and hips) are shown a lot in the music video. As mentioned above this is usually done to show the female as being attractive as their target audience is aimed at males. Even though there is this treatment of the body on camera. Rihanna's clothing is not too revealing and portrays her as the girl next door character, sweet and innocent. Which may of been due to her age (being seventeen at the time)

Voyeuristic treatment of the female body

Editing

At the beginning of the music video we see a reaction shot between the DJ and Rihanna, as there is a flirtatious invitation through her body language which is very inviting for the DJ to turn the music up. When the DJ reacts to her through this reaction shot we see that he nods convincingly and smiles, I feel that this shows that Rihanna had authority either through status or sexualised dancing/bodylanguage.

Another editing technique used is the fade out where Rihanna is with her friends to where she is dancing confidently by herself. This shows that she is the most confident of her group as she goes from being with friends to dancing on her own, then her friends followed her by dancing. It also portrays Rihanna as the life of the party, the one who gets the party started. Which portrays her to the audience as a fun and likeable person to be around, it helps to construct Rihanna's personality whether that's her true personality or not.

Reaction shot

Backing dancers follow Rihanna

Fade out

In this music video I feel that Rihanna was portrayed to be a regular girl, average teen. By her costume, mise-en-scene being quite casual making her blend in with the extras. This applies to Dyers theory as Dyer believes that the institution models the artist around the target audience they choose. Dyers theory says that icons and celebrities are manufactured by institutions for a financial return. He believes that stars are constructed to represent 'real people' experiencing relatable things. Which is what Rihanna does in this video, appearing to be a normal girl.

However, Rihanna was just starting off her career here. Rihanna was a regular girl from Barbados at this point in her career, so it can be argued that this may of been her personality/style at the time. The song is even called Pon de replay which means play it again in Bajan creole, one of Barbados official languages. Where Rihanna was discovered and originates from.

In the music video I believe that Rihanna promotes a lifestyle (cultural values and attitudes) And this is the nightlife/club environment. Showing that she values being out with friends, partying and dancing. Channelling those values to the audience. 

    

The target audience for this music video 'pon de replay' are young people between the ages of 15-25. As the majority of extras in the music video are women and there is some aspects of flirting and feminitiy in the lyrics. It feels like the gender audience is young female teenage girls who love to have fun and party. 

What's my name? - Rihanna

From this music video Rihanna debuts a more mature confident look, she appears to have bold striking red hair which matched her slightly edgy but sweet music style during this time frame. 'What's my name?' was featured on Rihanna's album Loud in 2010 this was her fifth studio album. The song is in the genre of electro-R&B, lyrically it subtly incorporates themes of sexual intercourse and romance. 

Goodwin's Theory and Genre Conventions

Firstly, by using Goodwin's theory we can identify that there is voyeuristic treatment of Rihanna's body, but only subtly. Rihanna is shown wearing shorts that put more focus on parts of her body like her legs. This may of been done to display that the artist is someone who is confident in their own appearance and body image, which then allows fans and the audience to also believe that the artist has an ideal image - setting body standards for the audience, helping Rihanna become a role-model for appearances. Also, people appear to be paying a great amount of attention to Rihanna on camera from a sexual and admiration point of view, for example, we see Drake admiring Rihanna's body through a midshot.

This is again voyeuristic treatment of the female body and somewhat objectifying Rihanna as we see that Drake is looking at her body rather than maybe having a conversation with her. It really emphasises the attraction between men and women, almost like a magnet as you see how quickly Rihanna and Drake become quite intimate in the supermarket. I believe that this is done due to the demands of the record label, as they may of had to follow genre characterstics. As R&B is known for women dressing a bit more provactively than other genres or dancing in more of a provocative manner. R&B also tends to show a love interest However, this appeals to the target audience, with the vast majority of men listening to R&B/Rap they would want to see the physicality of a much loved artist.  Furthermore, by Drake also starring in the music video it is conventional to the genre as R&B music videos for females tend to feature a male co-star which also helps appeal to a more female target audience and gain more fans from the rap genre. 

There are also strangers looking at Rihanna as she walks past them on the street. This shows that like before Rihanna looks like she is above the other extras by her image, bold coloured hair and clothing. In one longshot it shows Rihanna facing away from the onlookers while they are blurred out but she is put on more focus. This is evident that it conveys the fact that Rihanna is made to seem as more important than the people in the shot. As R&B female artists tend to be put in a powerful light in music videos also it links in with Rihanna's status which is shown through her clothing. A lot of jewellery (big earrings and necklaces) are worn but as she is wearing this Rihanna is breaking gender stereotypes as usually it is R&B males are associated with these items. Rihanna wears these items which convey her wealth, having a lot of money to possess these items and also shows her status. 

Furthermore, there is also a connection and link between the visuals and lyrics. At (1:10) Rihanna sings 'not everybody knows how to work my body' She then wraps her arms around her body and it looks as though she is comforting herself. This connotes the meaning that Rihanna is trying to say that she knows how to work her own body and empower herself but not everyone does. It relates to the narrative of the song as she has Drake who is playing her love interest so it is almost as if she is advising him that its not easy to please her as the next shot is a close up of Rihanna and Drake leaning in for a kiss, giving each other full eye contact. To continue with this analysis, it also shows the audience that Rihanna has high standards,allowing the audience to possibly value her more and understand what she needs in a relationship. Fans love to find out new and interesting personal information about their favourite artist and I feel that this allows the audience to remain entertained.

Lastly, for goodwins theory I believe that many close ups were used as demands of the record label. The many close ups of Rihanna allow her face to be remembered by the audience it also helps her to become more of a brand, as her face becomes something which is memorable and identifiable to the target market. Through close ups we can also see Rihanna's facial expressions, this helps the audience to understand the way she is feeling and form an emotional connection with her. This can potentially make fans more dedicated to purchasing the artists material as they will feel as though they have an emotional connection with Rihanna, which in turn benefits the record label through sales and profits.

More conventions...

Bright colours also tend to be used in fast paced r&b videos, this

increases adrenaline and excitement for the audience. It also allows

the video to look more attractive and appealing, the bold colours

against the pale/dull background creates a high, eye catching contrast which makes the video more fun and entertaining for the audience. Bright colours with the airy natural lighting creates a perfect setting, which attracts the audience to view the music video even more as it is idealistic and utopian, allowing the audience to feel euphoric.

Artist’s image/Dyer’s image

Dyer proposes that a star is an image and not a real person that is constructed through a range of materials for example, advertising, magazines, films, music videos etc. Rihanna's music video could be argued to portray her as an object/image and not a human as she is idolised by onlookers and is not shown to blend in with the people i the background but actually stands out from them - allowing her to not be seen like a normal person. Again, by the way Rihanna has confidence and so much boldness through her body language and edgy style it allows her to be idolised like a product rather than a human. By her being seen as a product means that Rihanna has been constructed and targeted to an audience in order to make a profit. Richard Dyer states that stars are made to fundamentally make money, her image being modelled around the target audience. Her target audience is young, fun and fashionable which can mean that this is why Rihanna is also young, fun and a fashion setter. It relates to dyers theory as it shows that she is being modelled around the trends of her audience in order to make money. 

The target audience here has definitely changed as when Rihanna first came out with her album music of the sun it was more in the pop genre. Which I feel is aimed at a younger target audience. In this song whats my name, it has connotations of more adult topics such as sex and romance. I do feel like her audience have adapted but that she is keeping the same audience she had since she first came out but both her and her audience have matured.

In this music video Rihanna is conveying a different message as mentioned above, she is singing about more serious and mature topics like sex and relationships. It isn't to do with the era but to do with Rihanna's age. At the time she was 16, relationships do occur at this age but I feel like teenagers in the music industry at sixteen tend to sing about more light hearted, easy going topics as they typically have a more easier relaxed lifestyle so relationships aren't the focus of their concerns. I definitely feel like Rihanna's age has changed the messages and values which she was conveying at this time.

Editing

In this music video editing can be identfied, one editing technique shown is an eyeline match. This is identified where Rihanna and Drake are looking at each other in the supermarket, this eyeline match shows that they have intense eye contact, allowing the audience to see Drake and Rihanna's onscreen connection and chemistry. Eyeline matches tend to be used to allow the audience to view what the artist is looking at which allow them to feel more connected to what is happening in the music video, in this case a moment between Drake and Rihanna.

There is also use of straight cuts in this music video, this is identified during the first few seconds of the video. The straight cuts allow there to be a simple, clean transition between the shots, showing clarity of the setting to the audience.

Eyeline Match

Straight cuts

Pour it up - Rihanna

Pour it up was on Rihanna's album unapologetic released in 2013, pour it up is a club song with a minimal hip hop beat. In the song Rihanna brags about her wealth, which serves as both a strip club anthem and a declaration of independence. This song is very different to pon de replay and S&M.

Goodwin's theory

Goodwin's theory is displayed in this video in the area voyeuristic treatment of the female body and sexual objectification, relationship with lyrics and visuals and the relationship between the music and visuals. 

Rihanna sings, 'strip clubs and dollar bills...strippers going up and down that pole...throw it up throw it' Rihanna refers to money and strippers/strip clubs throughout the music video. This is amplified by the visuals showing Rihanna and pole dancers dancing on poles and Rihanna throwing her money around. Money is even shown on her high heels and tucked into her shorts. The purpose of this is to heighten the concept of the song which is money and strippers. 

However, it was also done to show that Rihanna is of a high status due to all the money she is. By attaching money to her body shows that Rihanna feels that she is made of money. By her throwing the money in the air seems like she's throwing it in a type of  celebration way, the way you would through confetti at a wedding. The money throwing could be a way of Rihanna celebrating her achievements or just flaunting it about. Rihanna flaunts the money and puts it everywhere she can in the video. This shows that she's living a luxury lifestyle and is rich. This luxury lifestyle can also be seen by her wearing designer brands, for example, chanel earrings. 

Secondly, there is  relationship between the visuals and the music. This is shown through the pace of the music and the pace of the dancers twerking. They twerk to the beat and when the base drops. When the song goes in slow-motion the video and dancing is also slowed down. To keep up and connect with the pace of the music. This makes the video more exhilarating to watch as everything is in rhythm. This is done because there is a dance routine and an out of pace dance routine would look odd and uncomfortable to watch.

Lastly, their is voyeurism and sexual objectification shown in this music video. For example, all the women including Rihanna are wearing minimal clothing, very close to naked. And many of the strippers only receive long shots of their bodies or close ups of their backside. This proves that they are treated as objects just their for pleasure and sexual enjoyment. Also voyeurism is shown, as many of the strippers pay no attention to the camera. They look as if they are being watched in a sexual manner. The purpose of this is to fit genre conventions. As club music tends to use revealing clothes on girls to see their assets when their dancing. And to please the male target audience. It also enhances Rihanna's sex appeal, which keeps some of the audience entertained.

This music video fits in with the genre characteristics typical in club/electronic dance music videos.  In club music videos it is common for the music video to be set in a club or dance based environment.  This is shown with pour it up as it is around 70% performance based with the whole video containing dancing or lip singing. It is also set in a club like environment or a recreation of a strip club.  Another convention is that the music video is typically performance based with no narrative, we've already identified this. This puts more focus on the performance and concept. 

Editing

Finally, the last convention is that club music videos tend to use very fast paced cuts and editing. To keep the video exciting and entertaining, as there is no narrative it is essential to make sure there are a range of shots to encourage the audience to keep on watching. A range of shots allows the music video to not appear repetitive or boring.Furthermore, there is use of slow motion of when the dancer's and Rihanna are dancers. This allows the audience to view more from the performance as it is moving at a slower pace. As what the audience will be viewing in slow motion is raunchy, it will allow the audience to know full well that Rihanna is edgy, confident in her skin and sexualised. The slow-mo also matches the pace of the music and switches the pace up, creating adrenaline from the audience.

Fast editing/quick timing of shots

Slow-motion

Dyers star theory is applied to this music video as it shows the audience and institution. The audience and institutions in the dyer theory are believed to make stars, moulding them to ther target audience in order to make money. Rihanna does this by changing her character to the current trend. I.e. ghetto chiq, swag and not class. 

Rihanna's characther and peronality has changed and made into a product. Although when Rihanna first came out as a pop performer signed to def jam she was a real human. But now she is in istitution she has been transformed to provide an image of the current time and culture. For example, Rihanna came out curvy with hips and is now skinny due to the change in trends. The star, Rihanna also inluences the audience on what they're meant to be like as she becomes their role model.

Rihanna Curvy vs Skinny

Change in Rihanna's hairstyles over the last 8 years or so

The star is built solely for the audience not the person This can be identified through all the different looks and hair updates, stle changes and USP's Rihanna has had to stand out from the crowd. You can see how she has changed to be different.

Hegemony and cultural beliefs in the star theory is that we as the audience can relate to the star we admire or share experiences with. This develops into idolizations. Rihanna has a massive fan base and she is on many social networking sites so the audience can see all her actions. This keeps Rihanna's movements in the public eye. So with this pour it up music video with the revealing clothes and raunchy dancing. It can make Rihanna appear to be a bad role model for her fans and younger audience. Rihanna has also appeared to be a bad role model in the past for staying with her abusive ex boyfriend, taking nudes,doing drugs and taking alcohol. This can be bad for the people idolizing her as they can start copying her actions.

Is Rihanna a bad role model?

Rihanna has 37.4m followers on twitter, is she a bad role model?

Rihanna is portrayed as someone who is showing off with their money and someone who is content with their achievements. She is portrayed to be comfortable in her own skin. By using all women in the video and singing about money shows declaration of independence. That Rihanna gets all her money by herself then has fun with her friends 'I'm going dumb with all my friends'. She's portrayed to be a lover of life with the focus on dollar 'bills' money and clubs. This is different to the reality of Rihanna as Rihanna even has the believe foundation, giving her money to help children in need. This relates to dyers theory saying that the pop star's brand is focused around certain things, going on to say that they are not real just constructed people. But the real Rihanna could be the one doing all the charity work and helping people. It show's two sides of Rihanna which makes it hard to establish which Rihanna has been produced by the record label and what is really her personality. 

At this stage I feel that her target audience are still 18 to mid 20s due to the explicit content, smoking, dancing and lyrics. It has stayed the same from last time as the gap between s&m and pour it up is not too big, and the trends from 2010-2012/13 are very similar.  There hasn't been a huge era or trend change since the early 2000s when Rihanna first came out. 

The main message and values portrayed in this music video is money, clubs, dancing, alcohol and a luxury lifestyle. It values all those things which society tend to see as negative, even smoking/drugs. These have changed since S&M and pon de replay due to the changes in society and the changes with young people. Young people value all those things in the pour it up and that's why young people enjoy the music videos that  talk about sex, money and drugs.  Whilst Rihanna is singing that song the values of all those things reinforce into the target audience. This causes the audience to idolise those things.

To summarise, from pon de relay to s&m to pour it up we can identify a drastic change in Rihanna's music identity. Rihanna started off as the sweet innocent girl from Barbados with the Baijan feel to her music. Allowing her to be a 'real' person and not yet constructed. Pon de replay had a cute feel to song and was very universal. S&M changed that appearance of Rihanna turning her into something edgy, fun and exciting this all happened when 'good girl gone bad' album came out and her identity was reinvented. This edginess was due to Rihanna wanting to how her creativity and personal style. Whereas, the raunchiness and promiscuousness shows how she's matured and developed into a women. Allowing her to be a 'sex symbol' which again improves her status. Lastly, pour it up was more urban with a hip-hop feel to it, it was around the concept of money and Rihanna being proud of her money. Which shows how she's now wealthy, this is proved will all the shots of high expensive designer brands such as Chanel. These three music videos show us how Rihanna has evolved and what changes have caused her to evolve. I believe that these changes are age - maturity, to gain more publicity/popularity and to just change her style and to keep up with the ever changing trends in the music/fashion industry; To suit her demanding target audience.

This research will help me choose a music artist for the music video that I will be creating. The research has also allowed me to find out what genres are easier to follow, how to match the target audience and artist and how an artist can develop through their music video. So when I choose an artist, I will be able to know that a star is a product and I can the suit them and market them better to their target audience, through conventions of a music video, micro-elements and more. It is important to identify and maintain a target audience so that you can make sure that the artists music and identity match the demand. And so as the record label or music institution you can satisfy the demand appropriately. By producing what the audience want so you can remain profitable for as long as possible.