Thursday, 9 July 2009
Textual Analysis of Music Video’s
Rihanna: Shut up and Drive
The video is a song from Rihanna’s third album ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’, it was written by Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken, whilst the music video was directed by Anthony Mandler and choreographed by Tina Landon. The song is distinctly R&B and has won the award for most popular R&B song; however it has a clear rock orientation. The rock characteristic is that it has a fast pace, with elements of sexual display, and focusing on women who were described by critics such as “The village Voice” as sexually daring.
The video is performance and narrative based, it under goes a transition between the two is around 2:55 where she is no longer in character but performing in front of a crowd, and this is the climax of the video. At 55 seconds, she enters the first chorus singing “Shut up and drive”. This is after slamming the bonnet down on a car, as if to say, it’s ready to be driven now, so, “shut up and drive”. Further to this, her movements are choreographed to fit the song, waxing the car to the beat (at 59 seconds).
The video cuts to he beat and is very in keeping with the theme, quick clean cuts to different angles and scenes when it is fast paced, and slower faded transitions with less changes when the music slows. There are no instrumental solo’s in the song however around 3:00 the song’s music goes very quiet with her voice standing out. Similarly Rihanna stops singing words and the music is more emphasized. At 2:26 the music totally cuts out, including Rihanna’s singing and it begins momentarily when she drops a flag, signalling for two drag car racers to begin.
There are several iconic images of the star and close ups of poses and dance movements to the music which make this such a provocative video showing the Unique Selling Point of Rihanna. At 2:26 there is an image of her holding up a flag, everyone waiting for her signal to begin the race, the music again and anything else it could symbolise. Equally, close ups of the star face as she sings the more crucial parts of the lyrics including the chorus/title. The record company is apart from the musical meaning and lyrics/symbolism heavily dependant on the theory of ‘sex sells’. Using provocative dance, lyrics with alternative meanings and sexual clothing it relies on the glamour to become popular. As the star does not write much of her own material, to continue a house style in more than one music video is very difficult.
The star is very much on sexual display, voyueristic camera angles of provocative dancing whilst she looks away from the camera is present throughout, beginning as early as 40 seconds in, considering there is a cut scene to start before the music commences. The clothing worn in the video is certainly to play at the sexual element, hot pants, tiny skirts very tight jeans. She enters it in Tight bright green jeans, then the middle is hot pants, and the performance at the end she wears a shot skirt. Close ups and long shots are both used to either enhance the voyeuristic aspect, or show more to the viewer. The dancing I consider provocative because of the use of ‘stroking’, first the car, then herself. Laying on the car bonnet whilst singing phrases that could be metaphorical. “im ready to explode” “im a fine tuned sonic speed machine” “you got the keys, now shut up and drive” “I’ve been looking for a ‘driver’ who was quite a fast one”.
References to other films and media is limited, however the theme of cars reminds one of the Fast and Furious films, and their use of exotic cars. Rihanna enters the music video driving a Ferrari, showing she is not really talking about cars when she says ‘shut up and drive’.
• Ferrari F430 1969
• Ford Mustang
• extensively modified Skoda Rapid
The Music video is largely an integrated narration based performance video. She sings the storyline whilst acting throughout until the last scene when she is simply performing the song on stage with a microphone in front of an audience. It does cut in time to the music of her dancing in her original locations in the original costumes.
Rihanna: Shut up and Drive
The video is a song from Rihanna’s third album ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’, it was written by Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken, whilst the music video was directed by Anthony Mandler and choreographed by Tina Landon. The song is distinctly R&B and has won the award for most popular R&B song; however it has a clear rock orientation. The rock characteristic is that it has a fast pace, with elements of sexual display, and focusing on women who were described by critics such as “The village Voice” as sexually daring.
The video is performance and narrative based, it under goes a transition between the two is around 2:55 where she is no longer in character but performing in front of a crowd, and this is the climax of the video. At 55 seconds, she enters the first chorus singing “Shut up and drive”. This is after slamming the bonnet down on a car, as if to say, it’s ready to be driven now, so, “shut up and drive”. Further to this, her movements are choreographed to fit the song, waxing the car to the beat (at 59 seconds).
The video cuts to he beat and is very in keeping with the theme, quick clean cuts to different angles and scenes when it is fast paced, and slower faded transitions with less changes when the music slows. There are no instrumental solo’s in the song however around 3:00 the song’s music goes very quiet with her voice standing out. Similarly Rihanna stops singing words and the music is more emphasized. At 2:26 the music totally cuts out, including Rihanna’s singing and it begins momentarily when she drops a flag, signalling for two drag car racers to begin.
There are several iconic images of the star and close ups of poses and dance movements to the music which make this such a provocative video showing the Unique Selling Point of Rihanna. At 2:26 there is an image of her holding up a flag, everyone waiting for her signal to begin the race, the music again and anything else it could symbolise. Equally, close ups of the star face as she sings the more crucial parts of the lyrics including the chorus/title. The record company is apart from the musical meaning and lyrics/symbolism heavily dependant on the theory of ‘sex sells’. Using provocative dance, lyrics with alternative meanings and sexual clothing it relies on the glamour to become popular. As the star does not write much of her own material, to continue a house style in more than one music video is very difficult.
The star is very much on sexual display, voyueristic camera angles of provocative dancing whilst she looks away from the camera is present throughout, beginning as early as 40 seconds in, considering there is a cut scene to start before the music commences. The clothing worn in the video is certainly to play at the sexual element, hot pants, tiny skirts very tight jeans. She enters it in Tight bright green jeans, then the middle is hot pants, and the performance at the end she wears a shot skirt. Close ups and long shots are both used to either enhance the voyeuristic aspect, or show more to the viewer. The dancing I consider provocative because of the use of ‘stroking’, first the car, then herself. Laying on the car bonnet whilst singing phrases that could be metaphorical. “im ready to explode” “im a fine tuned sonic speed machine” “you got the keys, now shut up and drive” “I’ve been looking for a ‘driver’ who was quite a fast one”.
References to other films and media is limited, however the theme of cars reminds one of the Fast and Furious films, and their use of exotic cars. Rihanna enters the music video driving a Ferrari, showing she is not really talking about cars when she says ‘shut up and drive’.
• Ferrari F430 1969
• Ford Mustang
• extensively modified Skoda Rapid
The Music video is largely an integrated narration based performance video. She sings the storyline whilst acting throughout until the last scene when she is simply performing the song on stage with a microphone in front of an audience. It does cut in time to the music of her dancing in her original locations in the original costumes.
Music Video Analysis: The Video
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