formation Flashcards
1
Q
context
A
- released the day before Beyonce performed at the super bowl in Feb 2016
- set in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and the associated racial tension in America
- references to racism and slavery
2
Q
messy mya
A
- sample ‘what happened at the New Orleans’
- messy mya: youtube star, popular within black and LGBTQ communities
- famous for speaking out on race, sexuality, Hurricane Katrina
- was shot dead at party; theme of black oppression and discrimination
- Beyonce sued for using myas voice - illusionof supporting black culture for marketing reasons
3
Q
that beat
A
- several shots from documentary ‘That Beat’ about bounce music
- includes blue flashing lights, police uniforms- police brutality
- highlights binary oppositions between black communities and police
4
Q
beyonce
A
- loosely framed, wide angle shots of her on top of police car - conveys independence
- low angles, and her typically masculine body language - convey power, in control
- use of words (eg ‘cocky) add to representation as confident
- tracking towards her face, made focus, sense of importance - Beyonce as a ‘star’
- on top of police car suggests dominance over police - challenge to the context of America
- some audiences reacted badly (oppositional reading) - assumed she was anti-law enforcement and so anti-America
5
Q
representation
A
- costumes and jewellery connote wealth/success - common in mvs (genre theory?) ; might appeal to audience who see her as role model
^ subverts typical representation of black people in media as poorer or less successful (Gilroy)
6
Q
representation pt2
A
- use of young children might signify discrimination still happening to young black people today
- however, smiling faces and dances connote that treatment of black people has changed, hope
7
Q
Martin Luther King
A
- newspaper reference
- draws attention to long lasting ongoing issue of racial discrmination
8
Q
antebellum dresses
A
- they reference slavery (Barthes) and so contrast heavily with stereotypical ‘pop’ signifies such as tight fitting costume
9
Q
police
A
- low angles of police, plus uniform, makes them intimidating and powerful in contrast to boy
- eye level cam shot encourages focus on the boy dancing
- binary opposition between boy and police draws attention to division of race relations evident in US
10
Q
women
A
- song title and use of formation dance style suggests tight-knit community of women, united, strong
- women are highly sexualised through costume, conventional to pop music videos
- whilst vid challenges typical representations of ethnicity, there are sterotypical representations of women
- could argue low angle shots and confident body language represents them as strong - also in lyrics (I see it, I want it, I take it) show her in charge
11
Q
bell hooks
A
- position that feminism is a struggle to end sexist oppression - is video part of struggle or oppression?
- Beyonce adopting feminism - lifestyle choice or political commitment?
12
Q
paul gilroy
A
- racial hierarchies and binary oppositions
- subverting expectations - black woman - power and dominion
- may perpetuate Gilroy’s sense of ‘otherness’ - divide based on racial lines
