Formation: themes and representation.

Context provided by eduqas:
Formation, lead single for the album Lemonade, was released the day before Beyoncé performed at the Super Bowl final in February 2016. The Formation music video, directed by Melina Matsoukas, was released with the song.
This music video has won numerous awards including a Clio Award for Innovation and Creative Excellence in a Music Video at the 2016 awards, and has been nominated in the music video category at the 59th Grammy Awards.
The video is set against the backdrop of the flooding in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and the associated racial tension in America, and also draws historical parallels with references to racism and slavery.

LYRICS

The meaning behind the song Formation by Beyonce is pretty straightforward. She wants people to know their self-worth and she encourages people to have strong self-esteem. By this amazing track, Beyonce must be trying to touch both the Black Lives Matter Movement and Feminism at the same time.


In what ways are the themes of conflict encoded in this video? What media language is used to show conflict?

Conflict is shown through the mis en scene in the opening shot of beyonce on a police car in the middle of a flood scene. this connotes conflict as it can be seen to say that the government like to police what people say and do but when a natural disaster happens they simply do nothing. This video emphasizes the different kind of life that is happening in New Orleans and black neighborhoods, this contrast to what many of the viewers would see as normal life is in its self a conflict as white people can bee seen to look down on some of these neighborhoods.
















This scene connotes conflict as historically women in new orleans and the south would have fancy house parties and have black women cater and serve them but in this scene it is the black women who are powerful and are sat looking graceful and fancy, this is a conflict as putting in this contrast of the present to the past shows that black women are empowered an that they are going to go down in history as being the ones on top. with the lyrics being "okay ladies get in formation" and this can show conflict as it seems like they are ready to fight and that they are getting ready to back each other up.

What are the functions and purposes of this music video? What is it trying to get its audience to do? How do you know?

This music video is trying to make aware of what happened in New Orleans and how this natural disaster has affected the lives of the black communities that live there. this video also shows a strong emphasis of feminism and women power as the wardrobe connotes the feature that all women have and that we should all feel empowered by who we are and where we come from. This song and video is promoting beyonce in a way as well as her music as it shows how influential she is and how she can afford to produce hard hitting videos.

What groups are represented in this music video? Are these representations typical or subversive?

Women are represented in this music video as well as black communities as beyonce has chosen to wear bold outfits to highlight her woman features as well as those features that she has as a black woman. this is represented through her lyrics as she said "I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros,I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils"  these lyrics symbolize how women and especially black women should feel empowered.

























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