In Depth analysis of a video from my chosen genre- Formation by Beyoncé
Beyoncé- Formation
Representation- The song Formation was created with lots of powerful meanings behind it and was written considering lots of real-life events that Beyoncé wants to draw attention to. She is one of the most successful black female artists in the world but she doesn't let that distract her from creating content that she cares about. In the video, Beyoncé can be seen sitting on a sinking police car. The police car can be seen to be sinking in the New Orleans flood caused by hurricane Katrina.The video starts with this setting, catching the attention of her audience as a voice says "what happened after New Orleans?" This voice is the voice of a woman named Messy Mya. She Was a controversial African American Social Media star from New Orleans who was shot down in the street. The shooter made a video confessing to the murder which surfaced online. He was then arrested but claimed to be bipolar, which meant that they put him in a psych ward and released him after just 18 months. He has since claimed he had nothing to do with the murder. The reason I believe Beyoncé has referenced this in her video is to bring light to the injustice. I feel she has also included this because New Orleans is close to her heart as her mum is from Louisiana.
O:20 seconds into the music video footage from a Sundance documentary shows New Orleans disaster footage after hurricane Katrina. This also references bounce music and the emergence of black gay rap in New Orleans. I feel she added this to make people release the severity of the hurricane and to also prove people that music unites us, across all genders and all type of people. I also feel she added this to make people understand that hurricane Katrina was a real thing, although it may have not directly affected the audience it affected thousands of people living in New Orleans at the time. People and the media accused Beyoncé of exploiting New Orleans however- she and former Destiny's Child bandmate, Kelly Rowland, started a charity called Survivor Foundation. They started providing aid in 2005 and transitional housing in Houston for Hurricane Katrina victims and evacuees in 2007. At 0:49 seconds the deep and true meaning behind the whole song arises of self-love and loving yourself for who you are despite other opinions. Beyoncé sings "I like my baby hair, with baby hair and afros. I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils" This addresses the culture of open social hate and bullying towards girls like her daughter (Blue Ivy) who stands proudly in her beautiful afro, along with her husband, Jay, who are both often mocked for their physical appearances. Loving your beautiful black self is an ongoing theme in Formation. this can also be seen throughout the video as Beyoncé rocks a number of black hairstyles including her own natural afro. This is significant as black women usually hide their natural afro's with weaves and wigs that cost up to thousands of pounds to produce, so rocking your natural hair is a big part of breaking the social stigma around women and their natural hair.
Throughout the video, women can be seen wearing white and men can be seen wearing black especially in the scene at 2:18 seconds. The clothing worn in these scenes represents the time before and after the slaves were freed around the 1900s. By the woman wearing white and all wearing corsets, this represents a time where the slaves were supposed to be 'free' showing that they were still oppressed and binding all woman showing that they were all in the same situation as all of the others. This can be seen especially in the scene at 0:59 seconds where Beyoncé is in bright white attire wearing a very tight corset, so tight she can barely move. In this scene, she looks stiff and uncomfortable representing how freedom as not yet been achieved for black women and men across the globe. Juxtaposed to the scene at 3:02 where Beyoncé can be seen to be putting both of her middle fingers up at the camera as well as everyone wearing black. This scene depicts a more empowered and free Beyoncé representing how people of colour have now achieved some sense of equality.With the men dressed in black suits and Beyoncé draped in jewelry, where Beyoncé can be seen blatantly swearing to the camera in front of a plantation. Later on in the video around 2:52 a woman can be seen in the center of the frame in the NOLA parade. This scene again links into the scenes before where the men are wearing all black suits and this one woman is wearing a bright vibrant blue coloured dress. This makes her the scene of attention and makes sure she is at the center of the scene. This connotes the power of woman and how woman are rising in society to reach equality, especially black woman.
At 3:31 in the music video a man is depicted holding a newspaper with Martin Luther King Jr's face on it. This references an extremely important part of modern history, where MLKJ fought until the death for equality between white and black individuals. On the Newspaper, the words "The truth- Not just a dreamer" can be seen. This shows Beyoncé referencing the past and bringing up an important part of her life and everybody's lives. This also shows that she is willing to go extremely deep with the true meaning behind her songs and not just look pretty in her videos. This is also paying respects to his existence and what he managed to achieve throughout his life in eradicating segregation between black and white people as she wouldn't be where she is today without him. On the newspaper it also says 'More than a Dreamer' which is referencing his speech where he repeatedly said "I have a Dream!". Another reason for the newspaper saying 'More than a Dreamer' is because people don't always follow their dreams however, Martin Luther King Jr did more than that. He changed the course of history and changed the way we live today. He didn't just follow he dream to make himself fulfilled but he fulfilled the dreams of every black person on the planet. Earlier on in the video the root of the songs meaning comes through, 'Formation'. This scene at 1:23 depicts Beyoncé and her dancers dancing at the bottom of an empty pool. There are many different choreographed 'Formation' scenes where ladies can be seen to be empowered. By the choreography being performed in the bottom of a pool connotes that woman all eachother's backs when their drowning, in water or in haters. This can be sen in the lyrics she sings "Illuminati mess" which shows that all of her friends have her back despite what the haters say. This empowers woman showing that they should all stick together no matter the circumstances, as ladies, as family, as survivors of hurricane Katrina.
Furthermore, at 3:35 in the music video she says "I twirl all my haters...Albino alligators" These lyrics are a reference to a film where they explain the sacrificial process of alligators. Explaining how alligators distract other alligators by sacrificing an albino in their pack, who then become the prey. This reference applies to her real life and how she chooses to deal with her haters. Connoting that she twirls all her haters referencing their attack and hunting process. This links to the visuals in the video where she can be seen in a white corset twirling a white umbrella, just like an alligator death roll. This also connotes how she is constantly sacrificing herself to start global conversations about topic that are actually beneficial for us to talk about. This also links to why she has included all these certain topics in her video so it can spark conversation and start benefiting us as a human race. Later on in the video a scene depicts a little boy in an all black dancing in front of a line of police men wearing riot outfits. He then stops dancing and puts his hands in the air. This then makes all of the police men put all of their arms up in the air in response to the little boy. This connotes peace between police and people of colour. Referencing the Black Lives Matter campaign showing that peace has finally been reached. This is shown in the video as a clip of a wall that has "Stop Shooting us" written in graffiti all over it. This no only references the Black Lives Matter campaign but also references her personal life as her husband Jay Z donated over $1,500,000 Million to the campaign and other social justice organisations.
Editing-
There is an eye-line match between all of the cast in the video which could connote that they are all in the same boat and are all equal to each other. This links in well with the meaning behind the music video and could also relate to her real life. This is showing Beyoncé being equal to everyone else, who has the same challenges and problems in life as everyone of the public. This could be a prominent message as everybody usually views her as a type of flawless human who doesn't have any problems and lives a perfect life. In fact, this could be Beyoncé showing how real her life really is and how she has the same day-to-day struggles as everyone else on the planet.
Camera-
Throughout the music video the use of establishing shots, close ups and low camera angles are very prevalent. I feel this is because the song and the album are very narrative based which means that Beyoncé would want the whole music video to be highlighted so her audience take note and understand the meaning for her lyrics. Throughout the video there are a lot of close ups however not as many as a 'normal stereotypical' Pop star music video. I feel this is done to establish the artist of the song and to also realistically represent Beyoncé as a 'normal' person. However scattered through the music video there are a fair share of low angle shots of Beyoncé which could show how she is on a platform and has the power to change the world (which is true). Beyoncé has been recognised for changing the way our society lives and the way we think and choose to live our lives. This could also be used to show how everyone should take note of who she is and what she is trying to say because her message is strong. Lastly, I believe they have chosen to use a lot of establishing shots to show the audience where the music video is set and to also add context to the lyrics. The powerful thing about using shots like these are to show the audience of who is being effected by the circumstances mentioned in her lyrics. It also gives the magnitude of what has happen and the vast scale of people that have been effected by this horrific event(s), whether they have been directly or indirectly effected by these events.
Mise-en-scene-
Throughout the video there are lots of outfits changes, cast and locations. I believe she has done this to contextualise the whole music video so the narrative makes sense to her audience. Examples of this would be the little boy when he is dancing in front of the line of police men wearing riot gear. Lots of the locations uses are quite literal and link well with the lyrics of the song.
Theories used-
The most prominent theory used was one of Goodwins theories which is the lyrics reflecting the one screen visuals. This is used a lot throughout the video for example; when Beyoncé sings "Twirl all my haters" she can be seen twirling an umbrella. I feel this has been used in the music video to re-enforce the meaning behind the lyrics and the whole music video.
Representation- The song Formation was created with lots of powerful meanings behind it and was written considering lots of real-life events that Beyoncé wants to draw attention to. She is one of the most successful black female artists in the world but she doesn't let that distract her from creating content that she cares about. In the video, Beyoncé can be seen sitting on a sinking police car. The police car can be seen to be sinking in the New Orleans flood caused by hurricane Katrina.The video starts with this setting, catching the attention of her audience as a voice says "what happened after New Orleans?" This voice is the voice of a woman named Messy Mya. She Was a controversial African American Social Media star from New Orleans who was shot down in the street. The shooter made a video confessing to the murder which surfaced online. He was then arrested but claimed to be bipolar, which meant that they put him in a psych ward and released him after just 18 months. He has since claimed he had nothing to do with the murder. The reason I believe Beyoncé has referenced this in her video is to bring light to the injustice. I feel she has also included this because New Orleans is close to her heart as her mum is from Louisiana.
O:20 seconds into the music video footage from a Sundance documentary shows New Orleans disaster footage after hurricane Katrina. This also references bounce music and the emergence of black gay rap in New Orleans. I feel she added this to make people release the severity of the hurricane and to also prove people that music unites us, across all genders and all type of people. I also feel she added this to make people understand that hurricane Katrina was a real thing, although it may have not directly affected the audience it affected thousands of people living in New Orleans at the time. People and the media accused Beyoncé of exploiting New Orleans however- she and former Destiny's Child bandmate, Kelly Rowland, started a charity called Survivor Foundation. They started providing aid in 2005 and transitional housing in Houston for Hurricane Katrina victims and evacuees in 2007. At 0:49 seconds the deep and true meaning behind the whole song arises of self-love and loving yourself for who you are despite other opinions. Beyoncé sings "I like my baby hair, with baby hair and afros. I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils" This addresses the culture of open social hate and bullying towards girls like her daughter (Blue Ivy) who stands proudly in her beautiful afro, along with her husband, Jay, who are both often mocked for their physical appearances. Loving your beautiful black self is an ongoing theme in Formation. this can also be seen throughout the video as Beyoncé rocks a number of black hairstyles including her own natural afro. This is significant as black women usually hide their natural afro's with weaves and wigs that cost up to thousands of pounds to produce, so rocking your natural hair is a big part of breaking the social stigma around women and their natural hair.
Throughout the video, women can be seen wearing white and men can be seen wearing black especially in the scene at 2:18 seconds. The clothing worn in these scenes represents the time before and after the slaves were freed around the 1900s. By the woman wearing white and all wearing corsets, this represents a time where the slaves were supposed to be 'free' showing that they were still oppressed and binding all woman showing that they were all in the same situation as all of the others. This can be seen especially in the scene at 0:59 seconds where Beyoncé is in bright white attire wearing a very tight corset, so tight she can barely move. In this scene, she looks stiff and uncomfortable representing how freedom as not yet been achieved for black women and men across the globe. Juxtaposed to the scene at 3:02 where Beyoncé can be seen to be putting both of her middle fingers up at the camera as well as everyone wearing black. This scene depicts a more empowered and free Beyoncé representing how people of colour have now achieved some sense of equality.With the men dressed in black suits and Beyoncé draped in jewelry, where Beyoncé can be seen blatantly swearing to the camera in front of a plantation. Later on in the video around 2:52 a woman can be seen in the center of the frame in the NOLA parade. This scene again links into the scenes before where the men are wearing all black suits and this one woman is wearing a bright vibrant blue coloured dress. This makes her the scene of attention and makes sure she is at the center of the scene. This connotes the power of woman and how woman are rising in society to reach equality, especially black woman.
At 3:31 in the music video a man is depicted holding a newspaper with Martin Luther King Jr's face on it. This references an extremely important part of modern history, where MLKJ fought until the death for equality between white and black individuals. On the Newspaper, the words "The truth- Not just a dreamer" can be seen. This shows Beyoncé referencing the past and bringing up an important part of her life and everybody's lives. This also shows that she is willing to go extremely deep with the true meaning behind her songs and not just look pretty in her videos. This is also paying respects to his existence and what he managed to achieve throughout his life in eradicating segregation between black and white people as she wouldn't be where she is today without him. On the newspaper it also says 'More than a Dreamer' which is referencing his speech where he repeatedly said "I have a Dream!". Another reason for the newspaper saying 'More than a Dreamer' is because people don't always follow their dreams however, Martin Luther King Jr did more than that. He changed the course of history and changed the way we live today. He didn't just follow he dream to make himself fulfilled but he fulfilled the dreams of every black person on the planet. Earlier on in the video the root of the songs meaning comes through, 'Formation'. This scene at 1:23 depicts Beyoncé and her dancers dancing at the bottom of an empty pool. There are many different choreographed 'Formation' scenes where ladies can be seen to be empowered. By the choreography being performed in the bottom of a pool connotes that woman all eachother's backs when their drowning, in water or in haters. This can be sen in the lyrics she sings "Illuminati mess" which shows that all of her friends have her back despite what the haters say. This empowers woman showing that they should all stick together no matter the circumstances, as ladies, as family, as survivors of hurricane Katrina.
Furthermore, at 3:35 in the music video she says "I twirl all my haters...Albino alligators" These lyrics are a reference to a film where they explain the sacrificial process of alligators. Explaining how alligators distract other alligators by sacrificing an albino in their pack, who then become the prey. This reference applies to her real life and how she chooses to deal with her haters. Connoting that she twirls all her haters referencing their attack and hunting process. This links to the visuals in the video where she can be seen in a white corset twirling a white umbrella, just like an alligator death roll. This also connotes how she is constantly sacrificing herself to start global conversations about topic that are actually beneficial for us to talk about. This also links to why she has included all these certain topics in her video so it can spark conversation and start benefiting us as a human race. Later on in the video a scene depicts a little boy in an all black dancing in front of a line of police men wearing riot outfits. He then stops dancing and puts his hands in the air. This then makes all of the police men put all of their arms up in the air in response to the little boy. This connotes peace between police and people of colour. Referencing the Black Lives Matter campaign showing that peace has finally been reached. This is shown in the video as a clip of a wall that has "Stop Shooting us" written in graffiti all over it. This no only references the Black Lives Matter campaign but also references her personal life as her husband Jay Z donated over $1,500,000 Million to the campaign and other social justice organisations.
Editing-
There is an eye-line match between all of the cast in the video which could connote that they are all in the same boat and are all equal to each other. This links in well with the meaning behind the music video and could also relate to her real life. This is showing Beyoncé being equal to everyone else, who has the same challenges and problems in life as everyone of the public. This could be a prominent message as everybody usually views her as a type of flawless human who doesn't have any problems and lives a perfect life. In fact, this could be Beyoncé showing how real her life really is and how she has the same day-to-day struggles as everyone else on the planet.
Camera-
Throughout the music video the use of establishing shots, close ups and low camera angles are very prevalent. I feel this is because the song and the album are very narrative based which means that Beyoncé would want the whole music video to be highlighted so her audience take note and understand the meaning for her lyrics. Throughout the video there are a lot of close ups however not as many as a 'normal stereotypical' Pop star music video. I feel this is done to establish the artist of the song and to also realistically represent Beyoncé as a 'normal' person. However scattered through the music video there are a fair share of low angle shots of Beyoncé which could show how she is on a platform and has the power to change the world (which is true). Beyoncé has been recognised for changing the way our society lives and the way we think and choose to live our lives. This could also be used to show how everyone should take note of who she is and what she is trying to say because her message is strong. Lastly, I believe they have chosen to use a lot of establishing shots to show the audience where the music video is set and to also add context to the lyrics. The powerful thing about using shots like these are to show the audience of who is being effected by the circumstances mentioned in her lyrics. It also gives the magnitude of what has happen and the vast scale of people that have been effected by this horrific event(s), whether they have been directly or indirectly effected by these events.
Mise-en-scene-
Throughout the video there are lots of outfits changes, cast and locations. I believe she has done this to contextualise the whole music video so the narrative makes sense to her audience. Examples of this would be the little boy when he is dancing in front of the line of police men wearing riot gear. Lots of the locations uses are quite literal and link well with the lyrics of the song.
Theories used-
The most prominent theory used was one of Goodwins theories which is the lyrics reflecting the one screen visuals. This is used a lot throughout the video for example; when Beyoncé sings "Twirl all my haters" she can be seen twirling an umbrella. I feel this has been used in the music video to re-enforce the meaning behind the lyrics and the whole music video.
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