Rihanna Analysis

I chose to analyse the cover of the Rihanna Russian Roulette cover as the imagery influenced my overall ideas. I wrapped the Artist is chains to illustrate a unique defenceless image, the unique imagery was influenced through the Lady Gaga videos, the models featured within the videos are portrayed in distress, the effect is different to other competing Artists within the music industry however I weakened the distress look and combined a sex appeal look influenced from Rihanna.

The black background allows the imagery to stand out in contrast against the darkness; this ensures that Rihanna is the focal point for the CD cover displaying a direct mode of address. The black background shows emphasis on Rihanna’s facial expression; the harsh facial expression illustrates coldness and adds effect to the album title “Hard” as well as the black creates a sense of decay and death as well as introducing mystery. The mid shot portrays Rihanna’s face lowered where as her eyes are staring s at the camera, the lowered face highlights depression as well as the cold facial expression. The direct eye contact with the camera creates despair this conveys a sex appeal and creates a trust invitation for the audience; this contrasts with the distress imagery portrayed.

A small light is also featured in the top middle of the album cover conveying vertical lines which seem to represent bars. The light could represent a glimmer of hope, however the light is faint and out of focus, this could almost display there being no hope, the imagery illustrates entrapment. This is secondly evidenced by Rihanna being wrapped in barbed wire and chains, showing that she is trapped, one arm is released from the trapped imagery, this could connate that she is breaking free. The barded imagery blocking vertical lines of light represent the imagery of a prison cell, which thirdly evidences her being trapped.

The red font displaying “Russian Roulette” imitates blood; the imagery shows blood dripping from the font which represents danger and again adds effect to the album cover name “Hard”. The effect of blood and the harsh facial expression shows a distraught image which is evidenced by the “R” which is represented in swords. The overall imagery and language illustrates danger. I hope to combine the harsh look with my images to show a unique strength. Rihanna establishes a wide audience, male and female orientated due to her lyrics and strong sex appeal. Rihanna’s lyrics consist of taboo language therefore the target audience would be young, aged 17 plus, as taboo language wouldn’t shock the audience.