Formation Flashcards
1
Q
Formation in the album
A
- Lead single for the album
2
Q
Historical context
A
- Flooding in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina
- Racial tensions following the floods (Kanye West’s comments about President George Bush)
3
Q
Media language influencing meaning and intertextuality
A
- Many references require awareness of issues and events
- High level of media literacy needed to recognise and understand intertextual references (i.e. footage from ‘That B.E.A.T’
4
Q
Nature of genre
A
- Beyonce as a performer has worked within a number of different genres (pop, dance, hip-hop, R&B etc)
- Music of black origin
- Bounce and trap music
5
Q
Semiotics, Ronald Barthes
A
- Concept of signifiers/signified using specific signification in the music video interpreted according to social convention
- Use of antebellum era dresses
- Significance of slavery
6
Q
Postmodernism, Jean Baudrillard
A
- We’re immersed in a world of images
- Whether the video is a collection of images that refer to reality and encourage audiences to consider and discuss issues presented
- Sales and promotions tool for Beyonce’s career
7
Q
Economic and political contexts
A
- Relation to finance and profit, released the day before her Super Bowl performance
- Combination of this release and performance impacted the global circulation of the video
- The extent to which the video was designed to promote a political/cultural agenda or to generate publicity and make money
8
Q
How individuals are represented through selection and construction
A
- Offers representation through race and ethnicity
- Beyonce as a construct and the ways her image is cultivated on the screen
- She frequently makes direct address to the audience by gazing directly at us, stands in strong stances at front of groups, on top of a police car
- Extent of which this construction of her persona is cultivated to sell records and gain fans
9
Q
Media representation conveying values, attitudes, and beliefs about the world
A
- Offering subversive comments about race, but also ways she’s reinforcing attitudes and values in relation to gender
- Dance sections where she wears short/tight or revealing outfits
- Sexualised lyrics
- Balanced by looking at her powerful, strong figure
10
Q
Feminist theory, bell hooks
A
- Stimulus to explore whether the video offers a strong message about gender or feeds into the oppression of women
- Ask whether the video is part of the struggle to end sexist oppression or part of the oppression
11
Q
Postcolonial theory, Paul Gilroy
A
- Consider ways in which the music video challenges racial hierarchy by subverting expectations and placing a black person in a position of power
- May perpetuate a sense of binary opposition between races by perpetuating Gilroy’s sense of ‘otherness’ and clear divide based on racial lines
12
Q
Who was the music video directed by?
A
- Music video, directed by Melina Matsoukas, was released with the song
13
Q
What award did Formation win?
A
- Won the Clio award for innovation and Creative Excellence in a music video at 2016 awards
14
Q
What was it nominated for?
A
- Nominated in music video category in 59th grammy awards
15
Q
What is formation set against?
A
- Set against the backdrop of the flooding in New Orleans, and racial tension in America
