formation

Question 1

product context

Answer 1

• 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.

Question 2

How media language influences meaning and intertextuality:

Answer 2

• Many of the references in the video require an awareness of issues and events (such as the flooding in New Orleans and racial tension in America).
• Intertextual references: footage taken from a documentary about bounce called That B.E.A.T. and references to news footage of police brutality, such as the lone dancing boy.
• Contrast & conflict: Antebellum dresses which seem to reference slavery contrast heavily with stereotypical “pop” signifiers such as tight fitting/revealing costume in some of the dance sections.
• Similarly, Beyoncé’s performance shifts from moments of aggression such as obscene gestures with her fingers to more culturally recognisable dance routines that seem less loaded with political or social messages

Question 3

theory
semiotics, barthes

Answer 3

• The use of antebellum era dresses. Beyoncé and a group of other Black women pose in white dresses that appear to reference the antebellum era of American history

Question 4

Economic & political contexts:

Answer 4

• The video was released the day before her Super Bowl performance. The purpose could have been in relation to finance and profit

Question 5

Selection & combination:

Answer 5

• Beyoncé frequently makes direct address to the audience by gazing directly at us, she stands in strong, powerful stances at the front of groups (of both men and women), and perhaps most iconic is the image of her on top of the police car. Demonstrates her representation as a person of strength and power

Question 6

theory
ethnicity and postcolonial, Gilroy:

Answer 6

• challenges racial hierarchy by subverting expectations and placing a black woman in a position of power and dominion, but may perpetuate a sense of binary opposition between races by perpetuating Gilroy’s sense of ‘otherness’ and a clear divide based on racial lines.

Question 7

theory
feminist, hooks

Answer 7

feminism is a struggle to end
sexist/patriarchal oppression

Is Beyoncé adopting feminism
as a lifestyle choice to sell music or has she made a political commitment to feminism?