Formation (Component 1)

Question 1

What’s the name of the album that Formation appears on?

Answer 1

Lemonade.

Stretch: Why does this have social/cultural significance?

Question 2

What month and year was Formation released?

Answer 2

February 2016, the day before Beyoncé performed the song at the Super Bowl final

Question 3

What US states were most affected by Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 3

Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi

Question 4

What genre of dance music inspired much of formation and where did it originate?

Answer 4

Bounce music which originated in New Orleans

Question 5

What does the graffiti say in Formation and why is it significant?

Answer 5

‘Stop killing us’, makes reference to the issue of police brutality within the US

Question 6

What was Hurricane Katrina and its impact?

Answer 6

A category 5 hurricane that made landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi, August 2005. The storm caused widespread damage and flooding making it one of the most deadliest and costliest natural disasters in US history.

Question 7

What is the purpose of the music video?

Answer 7

• to make money
• to advertise the song
• to convey a message

Question 8

What music video genres does Formation come under?

Answer 8

-concept
-performance
-Intertextual

Question 9

Bell Hooks - Intersectionality

Answer 9

combination of identities like race, class and sex affect how someone experiences oppression

Question 10

Why were there calls for federal assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 10

To help rebuild the affected areas

Question 11

How does editing lead the video to be conceptual rather than narrative?

Answer 11

It does not follow a chronological timeline, sections are split up

Question 12

What’s significant about the police car Beyoncé dances on top of?

Answer 12

Is semantic of police brutality in the US

Question 13

Does Bell Hooks support Beyoncé video?

Answer 13

No - ‘cultural terrorist’

Question 14

Who directed the Formation video?

Answer 14

Melina Matsoukas

Question 15

What documentary is intertextually referenced in Formation?

Answer 15

That Beat

Question 16

What issues does the video attempt to address?

Answer 16

• racial tensions in America e.g. police brutality
• the inadéquate réponse to Hurricane Katrina and the impact it had on African Americans

Question 17

What clothing are dancers wearing whilst dancing in a parking lot?

Answer 17

Denim which is a reference to the 90s

Question 18

What Award did ‘Formation’ Win?

Answer 18

Innovation and creative excellence in a music video

Question 19

What Award was it nominated for?

Answer 19

the music category of the 59th Grammy Awards

Question 20

Why is Hurricane Katrina significant in Beyonce’s Formation?

Answer 20

It highlights how African Americans were forgotten about, and did not get any support during this time - She is showing herself ‘this is who I am’

Question 21

Why is the antebellum costuming significant?

Answer 21

It highlights the time of slavery - it challenges this time as African Americans are seen to be owning the house

Question 22

What is this scene portraying?

Answer 22

A political statement to Police Brutality in America

Question 23

Why does Beyonce include stereotypes? e.g “i got a hot sauce in my bag. swag”

Answer 23

To show that this is her and that she is proud to be who she is (identity) - as well as targeting a specific audience who will understand the references (cultural)

Question 24

Why is the quote “ladies lets get in formation” significant?

Answer 24

highlights female empowerment

Question 25

What does these shots look like? Why do they differ from the rest of the music video?

Answer 25

They look like CCTV footage/ Police camera footage - they suggest a political statement to police brutality and almost ‘makes fun’ of police

Question 26

Who is the voice at the beginning of Formation? why is it significant?

Answer 26

Messy Mya - A bounce music rapper who was brutally murdered in 2010

Question 27

Why are the intertextual references of past archival footage significant? e.g. Hurricane Katrina footage

Answer 27

creates a post-modern (Baudrillard) product

Question 28

How is Paul Gilroy’s post-colonial theory accepted and subverted?

Answer 28

Subverted - people of colour are shown more powerful then what they would be in past media products
Accepted - Shown as ‘other’ but accepts this and suggests that these stereotypical traits that they are associated with is a positive aspect of themselves and that they should embrace it

Question 29

What is the overall meaning of the music video?

Answer 29

Taking the past negative aspect of things and creating it to be more positive and more powerful within our current society

Question 30

Analyse how the visual and technical codes communicate meaning in this frame.

Answer 30

Visual codes= iconography (police car, star appeal of Beyonce, flooded neighbourhood, lexis on side of the car)

Technical code= long shot (showing Beyonce on top of car)

Meaning= demonstrates Beyonce’s power over traditional authorities. Intertextual reference to Hurricane Katrina.

Question 31

What band is referenced in the lyrics of Formation and why are they important?

Answer 31

Jackson Five
- Famous African American band from the 70s

Question 32

What billionaire is referenced in the lyrics to Formation and why?

Answer 32

Bill Gates
- It shows that Beyoncé has reached levels of success previously only attainable for white men

Question 33

What century was the Antebellum era in?

Answer 33

1800s

Question 34

Name a significant setting in the Formation music video

Answer 34

• Plantation house
• Swimming Pool
• Car Park
• New Orleans street

Question 35

What does M.O.B.O stand for?

Answer 35

Music of Black Origin

Question 36

What feminist theorists have we studied?

Answer 36

• bell hooks
• Lisbet Van Zoonen

Question 37

How many Americans watched the 2016 NFL Super Bowl?

Answer 37

100 million