Formation - Media Set Product 10

Formation - Analysis, themes and representation

Context

• Released in February 2016 and is the lead single for the album Lemonade. 
• The video was directed by Melina Matsoukas.
• The video has also received many awards such as Clio Award for Innovation and Creative Excellence 2016 and nominated for a Grammy.
• The video is set at the New Orleans' flooding after Hurricane Katrina and racial tension in America, using historical context and references to racism and slavery.

Music Video

We first see Beyonce standing on top of a police car in a flood, referencing the New Orleans flooding, it is a long shot so we see her and the extent of the flooding behind her. We first hear a man asking 'What happened at the New Orleans?'
We then as an audience see what presumably New Orleans life is like.

We then see a shot of a house flooded.
It then goes back to Beyonce, sat on top of the car and starts to sing. This is a mid-shot of her as we can still see her and the flooding in the background. Lyrics - 'Ya''ll haters corny with that illuminati mess', a conspiracy theory then lead people to believe many celebrities were part of the illuminatti, known to be a secret society. Lyrics - 'Paparazzi', shows a paparazzi of people taking photos but with old-fashioned flash cameras. The starting lyrics refers to the rumors about her.

The audience then sees Beyonce wearing an old-fashioned dress, the lighting is also natural and the style of the house is old fashioned (mise-en-scene) suggesting the time period suggested is when the slave-trade happened in the south, a part of history never forgotten by black Americans. 
We also see children also running around in white dresses in the same house, connoting childhood innocence that could of been ruined by slavery.

Beyonce and her dancers are wearing red, the style looks historical, the setting is in the house. 
Lyrics - 'My daddy Alabama, momma Louisiana'. She sings about her heritage and where she is from, she is proud of her culture.
We also see that it is one of her daughters as one of the children. Lyrics - 'I like my baby hair, with baby hair and afros' with a reference to Jackson Five 'Jackson Five nostrils'. Beyonce is proud of her black feautures.
We see her again in the white dress. Lyrics - 'I got a hot sauce in my bag, swag' - she is still humble after fame and slang 'swag'. (lexis).

Before, the audience sees Beyonce in a car, cars are considered a luxury item and in society if you have a car it means that you have made it in your success, her costume (mise-en-scene) is a luxurious white coat, she is a successful woman. The next scene, the camera movement suggests we're in a car looking at a typical street in New Orleans, we can tell that it isn't a very rich neighbourhood, most black communities in New Orleans are working-class or unemployed. We then see Beyonce wearing all black standing near men also in all black, her jewelry and the men's suits connotes power and wealth, they are standing in front of a (plantation) house, suggesting that black people are now powerful and not just white people. We see a man wearing a Fez hat, the black community especially in New Orleans - it is a symbol of solidarity after the Civil War in the south, if black families needed a loan many would turn to mutual aid societies such as the Zulu Social Aid Society and Pleasure Club, all known as 'krewes' and dressed like Ottoman royalty, overal representing early wealth of blacks.

The audience can hear a man talking 'I came to slay bitch', slang common of black Americans and also those in the LGBT+ community, Beyonce may also be representing those members. We a girl wearing slides with 'uh huh honey', also a common phrase used in the black community and LGBT+ community. We see the dress style of the girls could be following the common dress style of young black women, they are also standing in a wig shop, common for black women to wear wigs - important part of black culture and identity.

Beyonce and her background dancers are wearing a similar style to swimming costumes in an empty swimming pool, this represents the stereotypes and racial divide in the sport of swimming, with the stereotype of black people not being able to swim. This is because in the past of the segregation of white and black people, there were no public pools open for blacks which has lead to the misconception however the statistics of unintentional drowning is higher than those who are white. The dancers' hair is styled in an afro, showing their pride of their identity. 

We then see black men in a basketball team, contrasts with the swimming pool as black people are seen to be good at playing basketball.

The setting takes place in the house again, (plantation house) with an intertextual reference and historical context of the Antebellum era and slavery, they are wearing white dresses referencing to white women who would wear these dresses as a symbol of owning a slave, with connotations of racism.They are reappropriating the dresses. https://mediastudiesnh.blogspot.com/2020/03/formation-context.html

The editing is similar to an old video camera, perhaps to referencing to the past. The outfit Beyonce and her dancers are wearing are of a jean material to reference back to slavery, when black people would wear jean overals when working to contrast them against the suits and white dresses the slave owners would wear.

Intertextual reference to Mardis Gras, a carnival in New Orleans that takes place on Shrove Tuesday seen from the costumes (mise-en-scene). The use of low-angle shot makes Beyonce appear powerful, she is also wearing her hair in afro, an important part of black identity and culture, she is a powerful black woman.

There's a man holding a newspaper with Martin Luther King Jr., a black activist and a leader in the Civil Rights Movement in the 50s and 60s till he was assassined. He is an important figure in history of trying to fight against racial inequality in America, 'More than a dreamer' references a famous speech 'I have a dream' which took place at Lincon Memorial in Washington D.C in 1963. The name of the newspaper, 'The Truth'. 

The audience then sees an African-American cowboy, part of American history in the south however hardly heard of as in the media we only see white American cowboys in western films.

We see people dancing and singing in a church, a black culture reference as it is a common activity of black church-goers and for many African-Americans they believe in the Christian faith.

We see a boy dancing in front of armed-police, he then holds his arms up and so do the police, this is a refernce to police brutality especially against black Americans, we also see a wall with grafiti, 'Stop shooting us' further suggesting this.

We then see her lying on the police car and going down into the water, we then see the last clips of all the previous scenes. Lyrics - 'You know you that bitch when you cause all this conversation', this suggests Beyonce knows that her song and music video will make people start talking especially about racism in America, she then sings, 'Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper', she is saying that you need to stay kind and act civil when it comes to racism this especially speaks to black Americans and black female Americans as she tells them that 'paper' - money and success is your best revenge against racism. We then hear someone talking at the end, 'Girl, I hear some thunder', 'Golly, look at that water, boy, oh Lord', this refernces to the New Orleans flood.

In what ways are the themes of conflict encoded in this video? What media language is used to show conflict? 

• The themes of conflict are encoded in this video is about race, particularly race in New Orleans and the flooding after Hurricane Katrina as well as in general in America. This is seen from the beginning of the video when we hear a man asking 'What happened in New Orleans?', the setting of the house and clothes suggests the time period of slavery which caused an American Civil War and the conflict of black rights still continues against racism as well as near the end when a boy is dancing in front of heavily armed police, he then raises his arms and lastly we also see grafitti on the wall, 'Stop shooting us' - seen after the scene with police, suggesting the police brutality of black people.

What are the functions and purposes of this music video? What is it trying to get its audience to do? How do you know?

• The function and purpose of this music video is perhaps raise awareness and start a conversation, making the audience think or telling audiences particularly black audiences to be proud of themselves, this is seen from mise-en-scene and lyrics.

What groups are represented in this music video? Are these representations typical or subversive?

• The groups represented in the video are mostly black women, seen as being powerful and strong as well as representing the culture of black people from the southern states of America and identites found in New Orleans - some reprsentations might be seen as typical such as sexualisation of women's bodies such as clothing being revealing which feminist theory by Zoonen and hooks says is seen in media however it could be seen as subversive as it could be seen as body positivity.

Is this a typical music video? How do you know?

• This could be seen as a typical video as it follows the conventions of showing the artist in the video and having a performance (dancing) but can go against the conventions as it features a strong message of politics from mise-en-scene and lyrics.