SET TEXT: 'Formation - analysis, themes and representation'

SET TEXT: BEYONCE- FORMATION (2016)

context:

Formation, lead single for the album Lemonade, was released the day before Beyoncé performed at the Super Bowl final in February 2016. The Formation music video, directed by Melina Matsoukas, was released with the song.
This music video has won numerous awards including a Clio Award for Innovation and Creative Excellence in a Music Video at the 2016 awards, and has been nominated in the music video category at the 59th Grammy Awards.
The video is set against the backdrop of the flooding in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and the associated racial tension in America, and also draws historical parallels with references to racism and slavery.

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

• symbolic codes of power or authority shown through imagery of police force e.g. beyonce sat on a police car showing a black woman - using her weight (and therefore her strength) to hold the police car under the water, effectively symbolising that she can use her power as a strong woman to come above the police and the inequality they have practised against black Americans. the line of policemen opposing the young boy dancing. in this scene where the black child has got all the white police men to hold their hands up - this action is a symbolic code, and therefore connotes surrendering, traditionally. This scene fits into the song as Beyonce appears to be suggesting that a black person can be as successful as a white, therefore signposting equality. this is relevant as it directly referances the black lives matter movement at the time and there was a lot of issues surrounding police brutality against black people in the states. 
• mise-en-scene -blue and red flashing lights

what are the functions and purposes of this music video? what is it trying to get her audience to do and how do we know this? 

one suggestion of this music videos purpose is to act as a public message to people to stand agaisnt the violence and injustice at the time and how we live in a time where people are free however its unjust and black people particularly still face prejudice and oppression by others (white people) who see themselves as better or more than. this is especially controversial when it focuesses around the police and state forces as they're people put in place in society to protect us and do whats right in the eyes of the law, however there have been many instances of police using unnecessary force agasint members of the black community.

• Beyonce is trying to cause a stir in media and create lots of buzz around her song but also around her message of ideas of black heritage and activism to power against racism within her community.
• She references themes of cultural pride, wealth and oppression which is a major political message and even though this video is used for powerful ways, Beyonce still makes the video in her usual powerful style in the production side.

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

Groups represented in the music video include black women, black men and white policemen. These representations are not necessarily typical - for example, the white, powerful policemen surrendering to the black child is not typical for the strong portrayal a white policeman would usually receive in the media. The portrayal of black men is certainly not typical either, as Beyonce stands in the centre of them, which could suggest her control, however this could also be subversive of the black men, as it could suggest them having control over the woman (Beyonce), which could be why her hat is covering much of her face. This is subversive in terms of music videos which is why she did it especially with the darker shots but it's very typical of Beyonce's music videos.

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

• This music video does follow the typical conventions of a music video as there are many aspects of narrative running throughout it with the overarching theme of the video being about representing black history and culture however this is a heavy topic throughout beyonces music
• There is also a correlation between the lyrics and visuals which is a common trait in music videos e.g Sexualised lyrics are emphasized as Beyonce wore revealing outfits.

textual analysis:

camera angles: 

• The viewer is positioned above the dancers, which could suggest we are looking down on them or that the women are there for the purpose to be viewed.
• High angle shots used which shows the vulnerability of black people, and how they do also need help just like white people, they’re not these corrupt people society sets them out to be.
• The viewer is positioned to be able to see everyone in the shot. When the camera is straight on Beyonce, she looks in the centre of the shot and in control of it. However, when the camera is angled like this (slightly to the left) and she is not directly centre, it is clear that she was never central, as there are 3 men on her left, but just 2 on the right. It could be argued that the audience could feel fooled that they thought she was independently in control of this shot, as from this angle it looks more like the men are in control of her than she is of them. This could suggest that women may never be free from sexist oppression.

Editing:

• There is no consistent colour treatment within the video. Scenes are color balanced in warm and cool tones reflecting the different narratives, for example, CCTV simulated footage has a blue colour balance symbolising oppressive surveillance culture", church scene has a warm colour balance, symbolising exuberance.
• a variety of camera styles such as retro 90s camera and modern cameras edited in alternating orders.
• some repeating or similar scenes 
• varying length of scenes, some very dragged out and others lasting a second.

sound:

• "I came to Slay - Bitch", "I got Hot Sauce in my bag, Swag", "And I Slay", "Bamma" (Alabama) - Are terms familiar to African Americans, used to further establish the credentials of a musical genre rooted in the Deep South. The language communicates to both a black audience and a wider audience attracted to Afro American culture.
• 'WHAT HAPPENED AT NEW ORLEANS' - Diegetic sound of an African American male speaking with a New Orleans accent presents the location of the film, the voiceover narrative helps the audience to understand that the video is part of a documentation representing African Americans following the Hurricane Katrina natural disaster, the diegetic sound of an acoustic guitar is reminiscent of the Mississippi blues.
• "I slay" - means to overcome, The phrase is amplified (repeated) throughout the video to emphasize the need to overcome social and political hegemony such as police, race, class discrimination and so on. The words are anchored to visuals of the dancing boy and the church scene
• " My daddy Alabama momma Louisianna, you ix that negro with that creole make a Texas bamma" - The lyrics comprise a history lesson of the American South with the different States complying with different laws of racial segregation in Alabama the "cotton state" Jim Crow (race segregation) was strictly enforced in Lousiana Creole culture developed were French colonists mixed more freely with Spanish, Native American and African heritage or a mixture of these heritages.

THEORY APPLICATION

bell hooks 

• Formation is not a complete departure from the overly sexualized representation of black females in the hip-hop genre as there are many aspects of female objectification represented through the use of stereotyping
• Black women are objectified and sexualized in hip-hop reflecting the colonialist view of black women (sexually disposable). Commodified blackness, a mediated view of black culture that is considered the norm.

Van Zoonen

• The idea that gender is constructed through discourse, and that its meaning varies according to the cultural and historical context.The idea that the display of women’s bodies as objects to be looked at is a core element of Western patriarchal culture.The idea that in mainstream culture the visual and narrative codes that are used to construct the male body as spectacle differ from those used to objectify the female body.
• Feminists consider the corset as a symbol of male patriarchy where women's bodies where objectified early 20th century whereas now many female artists use the corset to symbolize female empowerment

Steve Neale 

• This song is a partial departure from the typical genre conventions seen within Beyonce's pop scripted songs

Godwin

• There is a complexity within the cinematography and lyrics with references to Afro- American heritage, Gun Violence, and anti-police protest.

Roland Barthes

• The visual references to a minister (mid shot) and Martin Luther King (close-up) are illustrative of the religious roots of African American society. The narrative signifies a representation of African Americans as a resilient but oppressed people overcoming social and political prejudice through faith and the assertion of civil rights