Music videos- Beyonce

Question 1

Product context

Answer 1

• The music video won many awards and the Clio award for innovation
• The video is set against the back drop of the flooding in New Orleans from the aftermath of Hurriance Katrina.
• Draws historical links with systemic racism and slavery.

Question 2

Media Language- How it influences or communicates multiple meanings.

Answer 2

• Many references in the video require the awarness of issues and events such as the New Orleans floodind and the racial tension in the USA
• The video requires a high media literacy to understand the intertextual references such as news footage of police brutality and the video of the lone dancing boy in front of the police

Question 3

Media language- Gender

Answer 3

• Beyonce is sexulaised through her revealing clothes. Feminists would say she either feels empowered or is pressured by the ideals of a patriarchal society.
• Celebrates black women with her exclusive back up dancers
• She stands tall and in front of the men in the house. Indicates her empowerment and her ability to control herself and her image.
• However, conforms to traditional representation when the dancers are wearing skin tight clothes and dancing the same- suggesting no individuality.

Question 4

Media language- Culture

Answer 4

• Beyonce represents in a celebratory way such as the wig store, Red lobster and the Gospel church.
• Beyonce samples voice of Big Freeda and Messy mia who are local queer celebrities.
• That BEAT documentary is sampled which documents bounce music.

Question 5

Representation

Answer 5

• Beyonce represents herself as a sexy powerful, black women through codes, lyrics and dance.
• She twists the Antebellum aesthetic in such way that she seems supiero to slave owners
• She combats stereotypes by representing a complex and rich historical identity.

Question 6

Audience

Answer 6

• The video and sales promotion tool to be released before her performance at the Superbowl.