Formation Video Beyonce Flashcards
What was the lead single for Beyoncé’s album Lemonade?
Formation
Released the day before her Super Bowl performance in February 2016.
Who directed the Formation music video?
Melina Matsoukas
The video was released alongside the song.
What award did the Formation music video win in 2016?
Clio Award for Innovation and Creative Excellence
It was also nominated at the 59th Grammy Awards.
What historical event is the backdrop for the Formation music video?
Flooding in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina
The video addresses associated racial tensions in America.
What key themes does the Formation music video explore?
Racism and slavery
These themes are tied to historical and contemporary issues.
What does the Formation music video require from its audience?
High level of media literacy
To recognize and understand intertextual references.
Fill in the blank: The video features footage taken from a documentary about bounce called _______.
That B.E.A.T.
How does the use of costume in the video contrast?
Antebellum dresses vs. stereotypical pop signifiers
This includes tight-fitting and revealing costumes.
What are some possible readings of the Formation music video?
- Exploring the Black experience in America
- Personal exploration of Beyoncé’s life
- Discussion of gender and equality
The video may encompass all these themes.
True or False: The Formation music video presents a singular, clear message.
False
The video offers a wealth of sometimes conflicting messages.
What does the dynamic and historically relative nature of genre refer to in Beyoncé’s performance?
The evolution and adaptability of musical genres
Reflects her ability to work within various genre conventions.
What is a significant intertextual element in the Formation music video?
News footage of police brutality
Such as the depiction of the lone dancing boy.
What do the contrasting elements in the Formation music video create?
Confused meaning or coherent message
This depends on the audience’s interpretation.
What is the aim of charity advertisements?
The aim is to have an immediate impact upon the audience to make them take notice, requiring them to be memorable and hard-hitting.
How do producers address compassion fatigue in advertisements?
Producers aim to create advertisements that offer a different, often more positive perspective on the issue or event.
What audio codes are used in the advertisement ‘Super. Human.’?
The soundtrack ‘So You Want to be a Boxer’ from Bugsy Malone communicates the struggles of disabled athletes while giving a positive feel.
What technical techniques do advertisements use to convey their message quickly?
Advertisements rely on technical codes and editing, such as close-up shots of expressions, to engage the audience.
How does the advertisement portray disability?
It portrays aspects of disability in a non-victim way, emphasizing that it is part of the athletes’ lives.
What visual codes are used in the advertisement?
Iconography and settings related to the athlete and sport are juxtaposed with domestic scenes of everyday life.
What narrative elements are present in the advertisement?
The narrative follows the lives of Paralympians and their training battles, highlighting their personal lives.
What is the significance of the dream sequence in the advertisement?
The dream sequence is edited with a news clip about the postponement of the Games, showing the athletes falling ‘over the edge’.
How does the advertisement use humor?
Humor is conveyed through recognizable visual signifiers of struggle, such as the hamster on the wheel and the ‘puke bucket’.
What theoretical perspective is applied to the advertisement’s use of signs?
Semiotics, as advertisements communicate meaning rapidly using recognizable codes and conventions.
How does clothing signify messages in the advertisement?
Clothing rapidly places athletes within their sport, contrasting with their everyday life attire.
What structuralist concept is relevant to the advertisement?
The concept of binary oppositions, contrasting images of training with celebratory images of success.
What visual binary opposition is created in the advertisement?
A further visual binary opposition is created between the dreamlike sequences with dramatic images, music, and the rich colour palette, and the reality conveyed through ambient lighting and the strident sound of the alarm clock.
How does the advertisement use animated and archive footage?
Animated and archive footage are included in opposition to real-life actions to introduce humour and reinforce the narrative.
What does the on-screen graphic ‘To be a Paralympian there’s got to be something wrong with you’ signify?
It creates a conceptual binary opposition between audience perception of Paralympic athletes and the reality, challenging how language is used against the positive images in the advertisement.
What is the main focus of Channel 4’s ‘Super. Human.’ campaign?
The focus is to present Paralympians in a way they haven’t been shown before, highlighting the realities of their lives and the sacrifices they make in pursuit of greatness.
What change was made in the 2020 campaign compared to ‘Meet the Superhumans’?
The 2020 campaign emphasized the ‘Human’ rather than the ‘Super’ and juxtaposed images of training regimes with everyday lives of the athletes to make them relatable.
How do dominant groups affect representation in media?
Dominant groups largely control what is produced, leading to the marginalization of minority groups and creating an unrealistic view of the contemporary world.
What impact did the positive representation of disability have on viewers?
According to YouGov research, 65% of viewers felt that the coverage of the Paralympics had a positive impact on their perceptions of disabled people.
How do producers create representations that challenge accepted ideas regarding disability?
Producers make choices that avoid negative stereotypical representations of Paralympians as victims or heroes, instead creating a realistic portrayal that covers both genders.
What are some genres explored in the music video?
Pop, R&B, dance, hip-hop, and bounce.
What is the historical significance of MOBO?
MOBO stands for Music of Black Origin and is significant across various genres.
What concept does Roland Barthes’ semiotics focus on?
The concept of signifier/signified and specific signification in media.
What is an example of signification in the music video?
The use of antebellum era dresses by Beyoncé and other Black women.
This references the significance of slavery in American history.
What challenge does the video pose to Baudrillard’s ideas?
It questions whether the video is a collection of images that refer to reality.
What dual purpose does the video serve?
It serves as both a social commentary and a promotional tool for Beyoncé’s career.
What economic context should be considered regarding the video?
The video was released before the Super Bowl, impacting its global circulation and financial gain.
How is Beyoncé represented in the video?
As a construct of strength and power, often gazing directly at the audience.
What is a notable image of Beyoncé in the video?
Beyoncé standing on top of a police car.
How might Beyoncé’s representation reinforce gender attitudes?
Through objectification in dance sections and revealing outfits.
What feminist theory can be applied to the video?
bell hooks’ theory can be used to explore the video’s messages.
What does Paul Gilroy’s theory address?
Gilroy’s theory addresses the oppression of women in a patriarchal society and the theories of ethnicity and postcolonialism.
What is hooks’ position on feminism?
Hooks’ position is that feminism is a struggle to end sexist/patriarchal oppression.
How can one analyze a music video in terms of feminism?
One can analyze whether the video is part of the struggle against oppression or if it contributes to it.
What questions arise regarding Beyoncé’s portrayal of feminism?
Is Beyoncé adopting feminism as a lifestyle choice to sell music or has she made a political commitment to feminism?
What should be considered when analyzing the music video?
Consider how the video challenges racial hierarchy, subverts expectations, and places a black woman in a position of power.
What potential contradiction exists in the music video analysis?
The video may challenge racial hierarchy but also perpetuate binary opposition and Gilroy’s sense of ‘otherness’.
What was Hurricane Katrina?
Hurricane Katrina was a tropical cyclone that struck the southeastern United States in August 2005.
It claimed more than 1,800 lives and ranked as the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
What percentage of New Orleans was underwater by August 30, 2005?
By August 30, 2005, 80 percent of New Orleans was underwater.
What was the mandatory evacuation order in New Orleans?
The New Orleans Mayor ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city the day before the storm, leading to an estimated 1.2 million people leaving ahead of Hurricane Katrina.
What challenges did local agencies face during Hurricane Katrina?
Local agencies found themselves unable to respond as their headquarters were under 20 feet (6 metres) of water.
What was the situation at the Superdome and Convention Center by September 1?
By September 1, an estimated 30,000 people were seeking shelter under the damaged roof of the Superdome, and an additional 25,000 had gathered at the Convention Center.
What public health issues arose after Hurricane Katrina?
Shortages of food and clean water, combined with the lack of basic sanitation and bacteria-rich floodwaters, created a public health emergency.
When was an effective military presence established in New Orleans?
An effective military presence was established in the city on September 2, 2005.
What was the estimated population of New Orleans by September 6, 2005?
By September 6, 2005, local police estimated that there were fewer than 10,000 residents left in New Orleans.
When did U.S. Army engineers pump the last of the floodwaters out of New Orleans?
U.S. Army engineers pumped the last of the floodwaters out of the city on October 11, 2005.
What was the total damage caused by Hurricane Katrina?
Hurricane Katrina caused more than $160 billion in damage.
What was the percentage decrease in the population of New Orleans between 2005 and 2011?
The population of New Orleans fell by 29 percent between the fall of 2005 and 2011.
What were the criticisms of the government response to Hurricane Katrina?
Criticism consisted primarily of mismanagement and lack of preparation in the relief effort, prompted by images of frustrated leaders and residents without basic needs.
How many deaths were attributed to Hurricane Katrina?
Hurricane Katrina was responsible for the deaths of over 1,800 people.
When did slavery in America begin?
Slavery in America began in 1619, when the privateer The White Lion brought 20 African slaves ashore in the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia.
The crew had seized the Africans from the Portuguese slave ship Sao Jao Bautista.
What crops were produced using slave labor in the American colonies?
Slaves were exploited to work in the production of crops such as tobacco and cotton.
What significant event did the abolition movement and westward expansion lead to in the mid-19th century?
These events provoked a great debate over slavery that would tear the nation apart in the bloody Civil War.
What did the 13th Amendment accomplish?
The 13th Amendment, adopted on December 18, 1865, officially abolished slavery.
What challenges did freed blacks face during the Reconstruction period?
Freed blacks’ status in the post-war South remained precarious, facing significant challenges such as restrictive black codes and regressive contractual arrangements like sharecropping.
What rights were granted to former slaves in the 14th and 15th Amendments?
Former slaves received the rights of citizenship and the ‘equal protection’ of the Constitution in the 14th Amendment and the right to vote in the 15th Amendment.
What was the outcome of the Reconstruction era for African Americans?
Despite unprecedented black participation in American political life, Reconstruction was ultimately frustrating for African Americans, with the rebirth of white supremacy triumphing in the South by 1877.
What major social movement emerged almost a century after the slavery era?
The civil rights movement of the 1960s emerged as a resistance to lingering racism and discrimination in America.
Who was Barack Obama and what significance did his presidency hold?
Barack Obama served as president of the United States from 2009 to 2017 and was the nation’s first black president, seen by some as a sign of a new, post-racial era.
How has the election of President Donald Trump in 2016 been interpreted by some commentators?
The election of President Donald Trump has been viewed by some commentators as a racist backlash against the election of Barack Obama.
What is police brutality?
Police brutality is the unwarranted or excessive and often illegal use of force against civilians by police officers.
What forms can police brutality take?
Forms of police brutality include assault and battery, torture, murder, harassment, intimidation, false arrest, and verbal abuse.
Who has been subjected to police brutality in the U.S.?
Americans of all races, ethnicities, ages, classes, and genders have been subjected to police brutality.
Which group has been the majority of victims of police brutality?
The great majority of victims of police brutality in the United States have been African American.
What is a key factor explaining the predominance of African Americans among victims of police brutality?
A key factor is anti-black racism among members of mostly white police departments.
What other factors contribute to police brutality?
Other factors include the unique institutional culture of urban police departments, which stresses group solidarity, loyalty, and a ‘show of force’ approach.
What did statistics from California in 2018 reveal about police stops?
In 2018, black people in California were stopped by police officers much more frequently than other racial groups.
What percentage of persons stopped by Los Angeles police were black in 2018?
Twenty-eight percent of all persons stopped by Los Angeles police officers during the last six months of 2018 were black.
What is the percentage of black people in Los Angeles compared to those stopped by police?
Black people account for just 9% of the city’s population.
What are unarmed victims of police killings more likely to be?
Unarmed victims of police killings are more likely to be minorities.
What demographic data was analyzed regarding police stops in California?
The data was based on an analysis of records of 1.8 million people stopped by the eight largest police agencies in California in 2018.
What is Black Lives Matter (BLM)?
An international activist movement that campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people.
When did the Black Lives Matter movement begin?
In 2013, following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
What significant event in 2014 increased recognition of BLM?
The deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, leading to protests and unrest.
How many times had ‘Black Lives Matter’ been tweeted by September 2016?
Over 30 million times.
What is a common reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement?
The phrase ‘All Lives Matter’ emerged as a response but has been criticized for misunderstanding BLM’s message.
What is the ‘Blue Lives Matter’ hashtag?
A hashtag created by supporters of the police following the shooting of two officers in Ferguson.
What criticisms have been directed at BLM activists?
Some black civil rights leaders have disagreed with the tactics used by BLM activists.
