Rihanna – Shut Up and Drive

Music video analysis

Anticipation is created through quick cut close-up shots, shown in this screen grab of Rihanna’s killer Louboutin heels stepping

out of the Ferrari.

Voyeuristic shots and Rihanna’s skimpy outfits create the ‘male gaze’ throughout the video.

Throughout the video there are key lines where the lyrics are visually illustrated by

Rihanna herself. Here Rihanna is illustrating “a gangster lean.”

The video is dominated by close-ups of Rihanna, which is a demand on the part of the

record label.

There is a cut between a narrative and a performance from Rihanna

and her band. Rihanna is acting as a narrator and a participant at the

same time.