Formation

Question 1

Formation in the album

Answer 1

• Lead single for the album

Question 2

Historical context

Answer 2

• Flooding in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina
• Racial tensions following the floods (Kanye West’s comments about President George Bush)

Question 3

Media language influencing meaning and intertextuality

Answer 3

• Many references require awareness of issues and events
• High level of media literacy needed to recognise and understand intertextual references (i.e. footage from ‘That B.E.A.T’

Question 4

Nature of genre

Answer 4

• Beyonce as a performer has worked within a number of different genres (pop, dance, hip-hop, R&B etc)
• Music of black origin
• Bounce and trap music

Question 5

Semiotics, Ronald Barthes

Answer 5

• Concept of signifiers/signified using specific signification in the music video interpreted according to social convention
• Use of antebellum era dresses
• Significance of slavery

Question 6

Postmodernism, Jean Baudrillard

Answer 6

• We’re immersed in a world of images
• Whether the video is a collection of images that refer to reality and encourage audiences to consider and discuss issues presented
• Sales and promotions tool for Beyonce’s career

Question 7

Economic and political contexts

Answer 7

• Relation to finance and profit, released the day before her Super Bowl performance
• Combination of this release and performance impacted the global circulation of the video
• The extent to which the video was designed to promote a political/cultural agenda or to generate publicity and make money

Question 8

How individuals are represented through selection and construction

Answer 8

• Offers representation through race and ethnicity
• Beyonce as a construct and the ways her image is cultivated on the screen
• She frequently makes direct address to the audience by gazing directly at us, stands in strong stances at front of groups, on top of a police car
• Extent of which this construction of her persona is cultivated to sell records and gain fans

Question 9

Media representation conveying values, attitudes, and beliefs about the world

Answer 9

• Offering subversive comments about race, but also ways she’s reinforcing attitudes and values in relation to gender
• Dance sections where she wears short/tight or revealing outfits
• Sexualised lyrics
• Balanced by looking at her powerful, strong figure

Question 10

Feminist theory, bell hooks

Answer 10

• Stimulus to explore whether the video offers a strong message about gender or feeds into the oppression of women
• Ask whether the video is part of the struggle to end sexist oppression or part of the oppression

Question 11

Postcolonial theory, Paul Gilroy

Answer 11

• Consider ways in which the music video challenges racial hierarchy by subverting expectations and placing a black person in a position of power
• May perpetuate a sense of binary opposition between races by perpetuating Gilroy’s sense of ‘otherness’ and clear divide based on racial lines

Question 12

Who was the music video directed by?

Answer 12

• Music video, directed by Melina Matsoukas, was released with the song

Question 13

What award did Formation win?

Answer 13

• Won the Clio award for innovation and Creative Excellence in a music video at 2016 awards

Question 14

What was it nominated for?

Answer 14

• Nominated in music video category in 59th grammy awards

Question 15

What is formation set against?

Answer 15

• Set against the backdrop of the flooding in New Orleans, and racial tension in America

Question 16

Historical costuming

Answer 16

-Antebellum dresses, reference slavery and contrast with stereotypical ‘pop signifiers’ like revealing costume

Question 17

Beyonce’s performance

Answer 17

• Beyonce’s performance shifts from moments of aggression to more culturally recognisable dance routines

Question 18

When was Lemonade released?

Answer 18

‘Lemonade’ was released the day before Beyonce performed at the Super Bowl final in 2016