Formation Flashcards
When was the music video released?
6th February 2016
What was it exclusively released on?
Tidal
What album is the track from?
The album Lemonade
How many viewers did Beyoncé’s super bowl performance of this song get?
115.5 million US viewers
What awards did this video receive?
MTV video or the year
Grammy best music video
Name 4 pieces of cultural/historical pieces of context related to this music video:
2005 Hurricane Katrina where New Orleans flooded Slavery / antebellum era Police brutality Black lives matter movement 50 years of the Black Panthers
What is the main comparative study for this video?
That B.E.A.T documentary on bounce music
What does watching the video require?
Awareness of present and past racial issues in the US
What does the image of the dancing boy reference?
Police brutality footage
In terms of costume, give an example of contrast and conflict:
Old fashioned dresses vs contemporary tight fitting and revealing dance wear
What is the contrast in terms of performance?
One finger gestures/ movements vs sexualised dance routines
What are the 2 possible readings of this video?
Exploring black experience in USA
Personal exploration of Beyoncé’s life / the issue of gender equality
What genre does this song fit into?
Trap/bounce music, both of which fit into the hip hop genre
Where does trap/bounce music originate from?
South of USA
How can Roland Barthes theory of Semiotics be linked to Formation?
Beyoncé and other black women pose in white antebellum - era dresses associated with slave owning women = reverse of roles/overcoming racism or suggesting that racism is still about?
How can Baudrillard’s Postmodernism theory be linked to Formation?
Postmodern audiences are usually presented with images that aren’t real
Formation challenges that by being constructed using real images and references
How does Baudrillard suggest that the video upholds the idea that audiences are presented with simulacra-images (not real)?
The ‘real’ images could be seen as a tool to make sales therefore making them not real
How can Bell Hook’s Feminist theory be linked to Formation?
The video offers a strong gender message and shows Beyoncé as having made a political commitment to feminism
How does Formation goes against Bell Hook’s Feminist theory?
It feeds into patriarchal oppression of women (objectification,sexualisation)
Beyoncé could have just adopted a feminist lifestyle in order to make sales
How is Beyoncé represented as a person of strength and power?
(Representation idea)
She makes direct address with the audience by looking into camera
In what way could this video be seen to reinforce the idea of objectifying women?
Sexualised costumes and dance moves
Explain how Gilroy’s Ethnicity and n theory can be linked to Formation?
Challenges racial hierarchies by subverting expectations and having black women in positions of power
Could also the concept of otherness as races are divided
