Formation by Beyoncè (MS, WJEC A Level) Cheat Sheet by churger

Bold writing indicates an importance to the inform­­ation,
italics represents inform­­ation that will likely gain you further marks but isn't necess­­arily important inform­­ation.
^{Supers­­cript} indicates a recap of a theory.

Formation, lead single for the album Lemonade, was released the day before Beyonce 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.

What happened at the New Orleans?
Bitch I'm back, by popular demand

Y'all haters corny with that Illuminati mess
Paparazzi, catch my fly, and my cocky fresh
I'm so reckless when I rock my Givenchy dress (stylin')
I'm so possessive so I rock his Roc necklaces
My daddy Alabama, Momma Louisiana
You mix that negro with that Creole make a Texas bama
I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros
I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils
Earned all this money but they never take the country out me
I got a hot sauce in my bag, swag
I see it, I want it, I stunt, yellow­-bone it
I dream it, I work hard, I grind 'til I own it
I twirl on them haters, albino alligators
El Camino with the seat low, sippin' Cuervo with no chaser
Sometimes I go off (I go off), I go hard (I go hard)
Get what's mine (take what's mine), I'm a star (I'm a star)
Cause I slay (slay), I slay (hey), I slay (okay), I slay (okay)
All day (okay), I slay (okay), I slay (okay), I slay (okay)
We gon' slay (slay), gon' slay (okay), we slay (okay), I slay (okay)
I slay (okay), okay (okay), I slay (okay), okay, okay, okay, okay
Okay, okay, ladies, now let's get in formation, cause I slay
Okay, ladies, now let's get in formation, cause I slay
Prove to me you got some coordi­nation, cause I slay
Slay trick, or you get eliminated
When he f-k me good I take his ass to Red Lobster, cause I slay
When he f-k me good I take his ass to Red Lobster, cause I slay
If he hit it right, I might take him on a flight on my chopper, cause I slay
Drop him off at the mall, let him buy some J's, let him shop up, cause I slay
I might get your song played on the radio station, cause I slay
I might get your song played on the radio station, cause I slay
You just might be a black Bill Gates in the making, cause I slay
I just might be a black Bill Gates in the making
I see it, I want it, I stunt, yellow­-bone it
I dream it, I work hard, I grind 'til I own it
I twirl on my haters, albino alligators
El Camino with the seat low, sippin' Cuervo with no chaser
Sometimes I go off (I go off), I go hard (I go hard)
Take what's mine (take what's mine), I'm a star (I'm a star)
Cause I slay (slay), I slay (hey), I slay (okay), I slay (okay)
All day (okay), I slay (okay), I slay (okay), I slay (okay)
We gon' slay (slay), gon' slay (okay), we slay (okay), I slay (okay)
I slay (okay), okay (okay), I slay (okay), okay, okay, okay, okay
Okay, okay, ladies, now let's get in formation, cause I slay
Okay, ladies, now let's get in formation, cause I slay
Prove to me you got some coordi­nation, cause I slay
Slay trick, or you get eliminated
Okay, ladies, now let's get in formation, I slay
Okay, ladies, now let's get in formation
You know you that bitch when you cause all this conver­sation
Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper

-- HOW DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF MEDIA LANGUAGE AND THE COMBIN­ATION OF ELEMENTS INFLUENCE MEANING AND COMMUN­ICATE MULTIPLE MEANINGS --

The music video offers a wealth of (sometimes confli­cti­ng/­con­tra­dic­tory) messages and possible meanings. 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).

The video also requires a high level of media literacy to recognise and understand intert­extual references such as 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.

Factors in the music video contrast and conflict and this creates a confused meaning in audiences or offers a coherent message. For example:
The use of costume is intere­sting - 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, Beyonce'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.
This contra­sting use of signs leads to possible readin­gs/­mea­nings of the video - is it exploring issues of the black experience in America? Is it a personal explor­ation of Beyonce's life? Is it attempting to discuss issues of gender and equality? Is it possible for the video to be all of these things at once? (good questions to raise in your answer).

-- APPLYING THEORY --

Barthes - Semiotics
^{Theory recap:(1) the idea that texts commun­­icate their meanings through a process of signif­­ic­a­tion. (2) the idea that signs can function at the level of denota­­tion, which involves the 'literal' or common­­-sense meaning of the sign, and at the level of connot­­ation, which involves the meanings associated with or suggested by the sign. (3) the idea that constr­­ucted meanings can come to seem self-e­­vi­dent, achieving the status of myth through a process of natura­­li­s­a­tion.}
The concept of the signif­ier­/si­gni­fied, using specific signif­ication in the music video and consid­ering how this might be interp­reted according to social conven­tion:
- For example, the use of antebellum era dresses. Beyonce and a group of other black women pose in white dresses that appear to reference the antebellum era of American history. Consider the signif­icance of slavery in relation to this sequence and what is being signified.

The Kanye West Contro­versy:

The concert gamered media attention during Kanye west’s comments regarding the portrayal of black people in the media.

Music video reference:

Sinking police car – The video opens with a New Orleans Police Car submerged in deep NOLA flood waters, the voice over says ” What happened after New Orleans”, the voice is a murdered black man from New Orleans. A video of the confession was all over the internet.

Flooded Waters – The music unites us (Across all genders and no matter how raunchy it’s percieved by those who don’t get it) and the Hurricane Katrina was real.

Black self-love – Opens social hate and bullying towards girls like her daughter who stand proudly in her beautiful afro. Be proud of your identity and love who you are.

Women in White. Men in black – Represents a time before and after slaves were free’d around the 1900’s. These were slaves were techni­cally “free” but still oppressed.

MLK – A man holding up a newspaper is brifefly seen. on the cover is Martin Luther King Jr, with the words: “The Truth – More than a Dreamer”. repres­enting the civil rights movement.

Formation – There are several choreo­graphed sequences of “Ladies in formation” but takes place at the bottom of an empty pool. Formation is first introduced at the beginning of the song in the form of family refere­nces, then women – we need each other through tough times.

B-Boy – Powerful scene of a little boy in a black hoodie break dancing in front of a line of police in riot gear, he stops dancing and puts his hands in the air – the policemen put their arms in the air in response – peace at last, finishing with a clip of graffiti on a wall comes across the scene that says, “Stop shooting us”.



Perfor­mance:

Beyonce’s perfor­mance shifts from moments of agression such as obscene gestures with her fingers to more culturally recogn­isable dance routines that seem less loaded with political or social messages.

This contra­sting use of signs leads to possible readin­g/m­eaning of the video:

– Is it exploring issues of the Black Experience in America?

– Is it a personal explor­ation of beyonce’s life?

– Is it attempting to discuss issues of gender and equality?

– Is it possible for the video to be all of these things?

Beyonce engages with intert­ext­uality within her music videos, for instance Reservoir dogs and pulp fiction in the Music video – “Video phone” of hers in the opening.

Reference to “Kill bill” in the music video “Telep­hone” the car being the “Pussy Wagon” from Kill bill.

An intert­extual reference to (The Holy Mountain) – Alejando Jodonowsky 1973 – This is in Beyonces music video formation.

-- INDUSTRY CONTEXT --

In discussion about the various issues of repres­ent­ation in this video we should not lose sight of the purpose of the music video in relation to finance and profit.
The video was released the day before a Superbowl perfor­mance. The combin­ation of this release date and a perfor­mance to over 100 million people impacted the global circul­ation of the video and the financial gain for Beyonce and her collab­ora­tors.
Candidates might discuss the extent to which the video was designed to promote a politi­cal­/cu­ltural agenda or to simply generate publicity and make money.

-- HOW SOCIAL AND CULTURAL GROUPS, INCLUDING GENDER, ETHNICITY AND AGE ARE REPRES­ENTED --

As explored in the Media Language section above the video offers a range of different repres­ent­ations relating to race and ethnicity, however consider also the specific presen­tation of Beyonce herself.

Beyonce, as a performer, is a construct- her persona is cultivated on screen using images­/se­que­nces. She demons­trates herself as a powerful figure.
Beyonce 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.
The constr­uction of her persona could be to sell records and gain fans rather than offer any meaningful insight into her person­ali­ty/­bel­iefs- this is one view.

-- HOW AND WHY STEREO­TYPES CAN BE USED POSITIVELY + NEGATIVELY --

Formation **uses stereo­types such as sexualised images of black females that could be interp­reted as positive (strong, empowered) or negative (objec­tif­ied).

Beyonce is repres­ented in different ways (sitting on the police car, dressed in historical costume), showing that her identity is more complex than a simple stereo­type.**

-- HOW REPRES­ENT­ATIONS EMBODY VALUES, ATTITUDES, BELIEFS AND MESSAGES --

Whilst Beyonce is offering subversive (or at least politi­cally motivated) comments about race, candidates might be asked to consider ways in which she is reinfo­rcing some attitudes and values in relation to gender.
Good questions to raise in your answer is does the repres­ent­ation of Beyonce in the video reinforce and possible condone the object­ifi­cation of women? For example, the dance sections where she wears short/­tight or revealing outfits as well as some of the sexualised lyrics. This might be balanced by looking again at her constr­uction as a strong, powerful figure.

-- APPLYING THEORY --

Stuart Hall - Repres­ent­ation
^{Theory recap: (1) the idea that repres­­en­t­ation is the production of meaning through language, with language defined in its broadest sense as a system of signs. (2) the idea that the relati­­onship between the concepts and signs is governed by codes. (3) the idea that stereo­­ty­ping, as a form of repres­­en­t­a­tion, reduces people down to a few simple charac­­te­r­i­stics or traits. (4) the idea that stereo­­typing tends to occur where there are inequa­­lities of power, as subord­­inate or excluded groups are constr­­ucted as different or 'other' (e.g; through ethnoc­­en­t­r­ism).}
The repres­ent­ation of gender challenges the stereotype of women- they are in powerful positi­ons/in control. The male repres­ent­ation follows stereotype that they must be muscular- little repres­ent­ation but when they are there, they're all the same body type.
Repres­ent­ation of age seen as the little dancing boy challenges ideas that children are oblivious to the problems around them.
Finally, the repres­ent­ation of ethnicity challenges the stereo­types of black people, as they are in a position of power and control over white people for most of the video, reclaiming their history (as suggested in shots of them in control over the former slave-­owners house). White people repres­ent­ation follows stereo­types, and police are shown in a position of power and authority.

-- HOW MEDIA PRODUCERS TARGET, ATTRACT, REACH, ADDRESS AND POTENT­IALLY CONSTRUCT AUDIENCES --

The **video is a sales and promotion tool, released the day before Beyonce's Superbowl perfor­mance.
This was planned to reach an extremely large, mass audience. **
It is intere­sting to consider the video as both a means to address a wide audience with valid social comment and as a means to promote Beyonce's career and sell records.

Beyonce as a performer has worked within a number of different genres (pop, R&B, Dance, Hip Hop, etc) These genres are fluid and subject to change and arguable all combine in the genre that is being explored in this music video: 'bounce'.
This allows the producers of to target a range of audiences who may be familiar with one or more of these genres.

-- HOW AUDIENCES MAY INTERPRET THE MEDIA --

Audiences may interpret this video in different ways especially as it presents many, seemingly confli­cting, messages. Audience's age, gender, ethnicity, attitudes and beliefs may affect their interp­ret­ation of the video.

The multip­licity of repres­ent­ations makes it challe­nging to define a single preferred reading (Stuart Hall's Reception theory).
However, there are some clear messages about empowe­rment (relating to gender and ethnicity) and criticism of the establ­ish­ment, including the police, following Hurricane Katrina that audiences may respond to in different ways.

-- HOW AUDIENCES ARE POSITIONED BY ADVERT­ISE­MENTS AND MUSIC VIDEOS --

The flooding in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina places the video into context, as well as the racial tensions that followed the floods (easily accessible through Kanye West's comments about President George Bush at the time) offer the chance to reconsider the way in which Beyonce is inviting audiences to interpret these circum­sta­nces.