Monday, 26 March 2018

Formation - Beyoncé (2016)

Background: lead single for album Lemonade, was released the day before Beyoncé performed at the Superbowl final in Feb 2016. Music video, directed by Melina Matsoukas was released with the song at well.
The video won numerous awards -Clio award for innovation creative excellence nominated for grammy. Video set against backdrop of flooding in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and the associated racial

Analysis:
In what ways are themes of conflict encoded in this video?
  • Conflict between white/black culture
  • Conflict between high and low culture
  • Conflict between modern/past culture
  • Conflict between police and rebellion
  • Mise-en-scene "stop shooting us" accompanies lyric "get eliminated" symbolises threat of death made against the black community. 

What are the functions and purposes of this music video?
  • Raise awareness of world disasters, and to show that just because New Orleans is in an area mainly inhabited by a black race, that it should still matter as much as if it was in a white area.


What groups are represented in this music video? Are these representations typical or subversive?
  • Black Women - Quite subversive representations
  • White high class - Typical representations of white high culture, eg. suit and tie, big ancient houses, maids, children in white dresses and bonnets.
  • 1950's New Orleans fashion - subversive as these settings/costumes are set in a modern music video, which is quite postmodernist, and unpredictable.


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