Rihanna CD Digi Pack – Loud

Characters

This Digi pack only has Rihanna representing the female gender. This music artist is being represented in the stereotypical manner of the ‘Pop’ genre. The front cover of this Digi pack shows a heavily made up Rihanna, which is a negative stereotype of the female gender due to the views on women using make up to attempt to become more attractive to males. The use of body language also creates a stereotype by having the artist looking downwards instead of addressing the camera. This could be seen as unflattering as it suggests that women are inferior to men in a relationship, reinforcing this stereotype as negative. This could also link to the genre of music as most songs are about a building relationship or ‘heartbreak,’ which implies that males are able to do more, damage or are stronger than females.

Narrative – The Digipack appears to have a little amount of narrative within it. However, what could be said about this pack is that any narrative would most probably be related to the feeling of love, the un-reciprocation of these emotions or a break-up. This supports the stereotype of the pop genre as most artists usually focus around these areas as they are currently the most popular amongst the target markets.

Setting

The setting on this digipack is what appears to be a stage. This is supporting the stereotype of the Pop genre as most artists within this area spend their career performing on stage. This stereotype is presented by the use of a wooden floor and curtains. These are the most common associations for a stage, mainly due to the layout and presentation in theatres. There is also an american flag in the background, which suggests that the artist is proud of the country they originate from, or hints that the topics stored within the digipack took place within that particular country.

Iconography

The use of the American Flag symbolises the idea of patriotism, or artists being influenced by their location, which can be a common theme within the pop genre. This is possibly due to most artists themes to be singing about their own problems, life or relationships.

Style

Camera Use - Long shot shows the artists clothing and settings. Also shows the body posture and supports stereotype of the female gender being presented in a provocative manner within the genre. Close up, presents artist in a provocative way, and shows the colour of her hair and lips while making her appear submissive by showing her eyes as pointing downwards.

Lighting - High key, supports stereotype of pop genre being bright, also helps to present the artist in a provocative manner by highlighting the colour of her hair and the clothing.