Rihanna - Umbrella

Rihanna’s video “Umbrella” is very drawing. It uses very powerful movements and editing. Throughout the video Rihanna is portrayed as a very strong women, this is shown through her poses and her dance movements throughout. I like the fact that Rihanna has a very high status throughout this video, it shows that women can be strong and are strong.I also like this video because its use od editing, the picture to your left shows an example. The editing used here to make the top of the screen orange is a great effect because it catches the viewers eye.

Mise-en-scene

When the music video starts, you have an instant long shot of Rihanna on the screen. Immediately we have the portrayal of dominance from the female artist, she's wearing a black revealing outfit that covers what she needs. This shows a sign of confidence and control. From the first show we know that Rihanna is going to be with main artist.

In this shot there is a dim light and a bright light. The bright lights aim is to either be coming from Rihanna or to be enhancing her assets as that where the light is at. If the light is coming from Rihanna is shows her significance and superiority within this video and to the others within it. On the other hand if the light is enhancing her assets then this shows confidence.

This screen grab of Rihanna portrays mysterious and dark vibes. This contrasts with the change in Rihanna career with her new album “Good Girl Gone Bad”. In this short, the artists hat is covering half of her hair and face, this shows a confident and dominant stance, it also shows a tom boy side of her.

Here you can see Rihanna's perfectly manicured nails, this indicates that she looks after her appearance not to the fact that se cares what people think but she likes to feel good about herself.

In both of these mid/ close up shots, we have the significance of the costumes along with a contrast of colours. Firstly Rihanna is wearing a black ballerina outfit which shows dominance and breaking rules as ballerina dresses aren’t typically black. It also gives her a sense of darkness and edge. The shot is cut short to show the artists legs which portrays her as a sex icon. However Jay Z is wearing gold trainers which makes him stand out against the back ground and the other dancers behind him.

Having Rihanna in this elegant but strong pose, this makes her stand out in comparison to ay Z which lets the audience know that she is the main artist. This pose is powerful due to her standing on her toes, it makes her look taller and therefore more powerful. In both of these shots, the lighting used is very effective, in the shots where Rihanna is sparkles which display a feminine side to her hard look. Whereas Jay Z has a contrast of eclectic sparkles with the black background, they are similar to Rihanna but more masculine.

From these screen shots we see the house style displayed through the effective use of Mise-en-scene. A black and white theme is used throughout these shots with flashes of white to make the image of the artist stand out.

Due to Rihanna being nude this portrays that she is confident with the way she looks and isn’t shy in showing it off. Rihanna here is being labelled as a sex icon because of the nudity of herself through this video even though it isn’t because she’s flaunting herself its because she is comfortable in her own skin. Being nude in the part of the video shows her dominance yet again which is a main theme in this video. It shows she’s an independent women who people can idolise and look up to.

Throughout this piece in the video there is a range of close up and mid shots of the artist. The editing here applies strong lighting to give Rihanna that glow when there are close up and mid shots of her. The glow that create makes Rihanna stand out in the contrasting background . The glowing technique has been used throughout to show that she is the main artist and that she is the main focus to the audience. In other shots of this piece in the video there is a mirror effect used to then again make her the main focus because there isn't anything else to look at.

The fact that Rihanna has been painted silver makes the audience sit up and notice because its an eye catcher. Not many artist paint there hole bodies one colour but it has proven to be effective here. All her moves are slow as if to suggest her status in this video, like she has no one to rush for so this also portrays her independence as a women.

Editing

Throughout the part of the Rihanna’s videos her body language is very strong and to show this there are a lot of cuts of Rihanna from close ups to mid sots to long shots. Having so many shots one after the other and her in a different pose each time shows powerfulness and strength. Due to Rihanna dance wear it yet again portrays her as a sex icon due to how revealing it is.

When Rihanna turns around the back ground cuts and the white sits on top of the orange. I believe that the change of colours indicates Rihanna’s change into an independent women. The colours contrast with each other and having Rihanna in black makes her stand out against the background.

In this part of the video they have cleverly used the metallic water, the editing fits so well with the music as it goes along with the beat as it splashes and cuts in time with it. Rihanna ducks under the water with her body and this also fits well with the beat of the music because she does it in time.

This shot shows where the water is going into the next shot and it blurs Rihanna's face as it does so.

The effects that have been used contrast to the artists song as you only use an umbrella when its raining. Here Rihanna is fighting the water and dodging her body around it almost like she’s a superior figure.

The metallic water fades/ blends into the background, the water flows from shot to shot when being cut suggesting its consistent and it looks real. The use of water suggest control and power when Rihanna ducks under it and try's to move her body around the water coming in her direction.

In this shot from the video you can see that Rihanna is making a strong impact, this is shown through her cracking the ice in the back ground. The ice in the background is shown cracking due to Rihanna's movements, by her being able to crack the ice through movement gives her a dominance and a power because all the energy is coming from her.

The long shot used shows the audience all of her movement and her dominance. Its shown through her being in the middle of the shot which again makes her the main focus. This shot shows Rihanna’s stance.

The light used here is effective due to them making it more eye catching. The lice increases as Rihanna cracks the ice which makes her full of energy.

When the ice in the background does crack Rihanna is blurred out and the background stays sharp just for intensity. Using this effect makes Rihanna and the background stand out with each other. This indicates that Rihanna has met her match with the ice.

Also throughout this part of the video an effect is used to make the video seem like it is pulsating in time with the music like inside a speaker would. This is effective due to it being in time with the music and showing how powerful it is when Rihanna sings.

Camera Angles

Both of these shots are done as a long shot which indicates a certain level of power between them. The snap shot of Jay Z has him in the centre with the female dancers around him. As he is performing he look directly into the camera as if he is speaking to the audience which portrays him as dominant.

In Rihanna’s snap shot she is surrounded by male dancers and in this one they have just got up from being on the ground which makes Rihanna stand out amongst them and as a more powerful figure. Here is shows the dancers copying Rihanna’s movements which portrays her as a leader. There is a lot of energy shown in these shots through the electric sparkles, it shows importance.

In this mid shot of Rihanna all we can see is a female figure showing a lot of skin behind some sparkles. The entire shot is blurred out and then slowly comes back into focus while the artist is still moving in a seductive way which enhances that sex appeal. The light in the shot makes the sparkles to stand out which makes the shot strong and dominant.

In the above shot it is a close up of Rihanna’s face to show us her expression. It shows us a clear strong expression which adds to her powerful image.

In the mid shot to your right you can see Rihanna’s facial expression being mimicked by the back ground dancers which indicates her being an idol or role model with them copying her. In this shot Rihanna stands out amongst the dancers sue to them fading into the background.