Beyonce Formation
Formation Analysis
In the past, black people were treated differently to white people in America. They were seen as less important and white people were more superior. This kind of racial hierarchy still occurs today. Beyonce responds to this issue by referencing how she loves and embraces her ethnic features, for example 'i like my baby hair...afros... Jackson Five nostrils'. The mies-en-scene shows she is seen in a grand house wearing fancy old fashioned clothes, which is a reference to how privileged white people used to live like in America, whilst black people were forced to be slaves. Here, Beyonce has switched the roles so that black people are in a position of power, as she is referencing to the fact that black people are treated unfairly in society and is a representative of the 'black lives movement'. Paul Gilroy's theory of racial hierarchy supports this as ethnic minorities in predominantly white communities are seen as powerless, so here Beyonce is trying to stand up to that view.
Furthermore, in the video Beyonce is seen singing and posing on a police car that is stranded in flood water. The mies-en-scene of this long shot suggests (the abundance of water and the sinking police car) emphasises how that community hadn't had its excess water pumped out during the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. For example, the city’s poorest community, the Lower Ninth Ward, had up to 12 feet of water sitting stagnant in some areas for weeks. Then-President George W. Bush watched from afar — first from Washington, D.C., then overhead from a helicopter. This point is linked to the drowning police car, with Beyonce standing on it, to show how she is objecting to the lack of thought black communities received from the government and officials during dire circumstances. We then cut straight to a clip of a flashing light, which could be a reference to how this community were the last ones to get their power restored. Paul Gilroy's theory of racial hierarchy also links to these scenes as the lack of resources that are available to the black residents shows the injustice of the car black people received, as they were seen as not important. Beyonce is trying to challenge this.
In the music video, a young black boy can be seen dancing in front of a large number of armed police officers, and then we see a shot of graffiti on a wall saying 'stop shooting us'. This would be a reference to the lack of sympathy, care and consideration that black people received during the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Therefore, some resorted to looting in order to survive, as their homes and possessions had been ruined. Black residents were labelled as looters, not people trying to survive, but criminals that needed to be reigned in. Police officers resorted to shooting and 11 people were shot in total. This was viewed as a questionable and unfair decision- if white people were in this situation, would such force need to be taken? However, white residents wouldn't have been put in this situation in the first place. Apology...
In the past, black people were treated differently to white people in America. They were seen as less important and white people were more superior. This kind of racial hierarchy still occurs today. Beyonce responds to this issue by referencing how she loves and embraces her ethnic features, for example 'i like my baby hair...afros... Jackson Five nostrils'. The mies-en-scene shows she is seen in a grand house wearing fancy old fashioned clothes, which is a reference to how privileged white people used to live like in America, whilst black people were forced to be slaves. Here, Beyonce has switched the roles so that black people are in a position of power, as she is referencing to the fact that black people are treated unfairly in society and is a representative of the 'black lives movement'. Paul Gilroy's theory of racial hierarchy supports this as ethnic minorities in predominantly white communities are seen as powerless, so here Beyonce is trying to stand up to that view.
Furthermore, in the video Beyonce is seen singing and posing on a police car that is stranded in flood water. The mies-en-scene of this long shot suggests (the abundance of water and the sinking police car) emphasises how that community hadn't had its excess water pumped out during the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. For example, the city’s poorest community, the Lower Ninth Ward, had up to 12 feet of water sitting stagnant in some areas for weeks. Then-President George W. Bush watched from afar — first from Washington, D.C., then overhead from a helicopter. This point is linked to the drowning police car, with Beyonce standing on it, to show how she is objecting to the lack of thought black communities received from the government and officials during dire circumstances. We then cut straight to a clip of a flashing light, which could be a reference to how this community were the last ones to get their power restored. Paul Gilroy's theory of racial hierarchy also links to these scenes as the lack of resources that are available to the black residents shows the injustice of the car black people received, as they were seen as not important. Beyonce is trying to challenge this.
In this extreme long shot, Beyonce is positioned in the middle of her backing dancers (who are all black) who are standing in a line, in 'formation', whilst the lyrics are 'i slay'. The lyrics and the all female dancers create a sense of female empowerment, as Beyonce is leading them in 'formation', like the military, so they are powerful. However, some people might view this as a negative representation of women as the revealing costumes reinforce the objectification of women in the media. Furthermore, the blue tint and the 'play' button in the bottom corner suggest that the dancers ar being filmed on a video camera, which would support the theory of the male gaze as we could assume that the person behind the camera is a man due to the costumes. Also, the fact that Beyonce has several scenes with her dancing in a large group shows that women are often more powerful in groups.
In the music video, a young black boy can be seen dancing in front of a large number of armed police officers, and then we see a shot of graffiti on a wall saying 'stop shooting us'. This would be a reference to the lack of sympathy, care and consideration that black people received during the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Therefore, some resorted to looting in order to survive, as their homes and possessions had been ruined. Black residents were labelled as looters, not people trying to survive, but criminals that needed to be reigned in. Police officers resorted to shooting and 11 people were shot in total. This was viewed as a questionable and unfair decision- if white people were in this situation, would such force need to be taken? However, white residents wouldn't have been put in this situation in the first place. Apology...
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