Research
Rihanna is presented as a seductive, confident person but
her style of clothing seems to imply she's a sexual object. The mise-en-scene
is important in constructing these representations. For example her clothing is
see-through and extremely low cut with a lot of skin showing which suggests she
is going for a sultry look. Her dress is mainly coloured grey with splashes of red;
however the red blends in with the rest of the dress and her light brown skin.
There is also a look of sophistication with her. As I've mentioned before, she
seems confident with herself which compliments the sophisticated nature of her
dress. Her hair and make-up reinforce the alluring look, with both her lipstick
and her hair being bright red which, rather than blending in with her skin
tone, appear to ask for attention as they stand out compared to the rest of her
look. The shade of red used is extremely bright and manages to steal your
attention as they are distinctively different compared to the otherwise soft
colours used. The colour red is also often associated with sexual temptation,
and Rihanna wearing this red lipstick also puts an emphasis on her
representation as a sexual object. It also highlights the fact that she is a
confident and seductive being.
The background
shows an ocean with a sunset in the distance. Rihanna seems to be on a ship or
perhaps a balcony. When the magazine using this setting they
also seem to be selling this type of luxurious lifestyle, so the audience
is more inclined to purchase this magazine because of their unspoken desires to
be in that position and by buying the magazine you could say they feel closer
to it.
When
mise-en-scene is combines with the camerawork these features are broadened even
more. A low angled log-shot was used here, showing the majority of her body.
The low angle makes her seem more desirable because it draws attention to her
body figure, most specifically her curves. Rihanna's posture is also a topic of
discussion here. Her chest seems to be thrust forwards and because her body is
tilted to the left her waist also seems very small.
Planning
From this magazine cover analysis I've gained an understanding on how camerawork can put an emphasis on how a person's look and status is represented to the audience. Because of the clear aim here to present Rihanna as sexy, looking at the cover using mise-en-scene and analysing the camerawork made that objective clearer to see, and easier to present in my research. This has also highlighted to me the stereotype used to present black women to society as objects used for intercourse, with no unique personality shown through her looks or posture in this cover.
