Formation Flashcards
Formation in the album
- Lead single for the album
Historical context
- Flooding in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina
- Racial tensions following the floods (Kanye West’s comments about President George Bush)
Media language influencing meaning and intertextuality
- 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’
Nature of genre
- 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
Semiotics, Ronald Barthes
- Concept of signifiers/signified using specific signification in the music video interpreted according to social convention
- Use of antebellum era dresses
- Significance of slavery
Postmodernism, Jean Baudrillard
- 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
Economic and political contexts
- 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
How individuals are represented through selection and construction
- 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
Media representation conveying values, attitudes, and beliefs about the world
- 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
Feminist theory, bell hooks
- 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
Postcolonial theory, Paul Gilroy
- 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
Who was the music video directed by?
- Music video, directed by Melina Matsoukas, was released with the song
What award did Formation win?
- Won the Clio award for innovation and Creative Excellence in a music video at 2016 awards
What was it nominated for?
- Nominated in music video category in 59th grammy awards
What is formation set against?
- Set against the backdrop of the flooding in New Orleans, and racial tension in America
Historical costuming
-Antebellum dresses, reference slavery and contrast with stereotypical ‘pop signifiers’ like revealing costume
Beyonce’s performance
- Beyonce’s performance shifts from moments of aggression to more culturally recognisable dance routines
When was Lemonade released?
‘Lemonade’ was released the day before Beyonce performed at the Super Bowl final in 2016
