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Beyonce Formation Flashcards | StudBud
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Beyonce Formation
Beyonce Formation
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Component 1: Section A Music Video
Flashcards
34 cards
F
Practice quiz
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Host live
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Questions
34
Answers
1
What would be the preferred reading of the representations in this music video?
A publicity gimmick to sell more records
A powerful political protest against racial profiling
A celebration of racial diversity
A meaningless appropriation of New Orleans culture
2
How is Formation different from other Beyonce music videos?
More racially and politically motivated
More sexualised
More angry/serious in tone
More upbeat and fun
3
What are the connotations of this shot?
Humour and Irony
Black appropriation of historically white colonial roles
The break-down of Beyonce's marriage
Resistance to racism/patriarchy/the establishment
4
What is the historical context of this song?
The Gulf War
Slavery and Colonialism
The Swinging Sixties
Religious Enlightenment
5
What does this lyric signify?
A 'call to arms' for black women (black activism)
A feminist celebration of sisterhood
A specific dance routine
Women should conform to patriarchy
6
What context did the Super Bowl performance give the song?
Sporting context - reinforcing the songs football themes
Racial political context e.g. Black Panthers costumes - BLM
Economic context e.g. high production values
7
Why do you think her star image has evolved in this way?
Her record label have established a new USP for this release
In order to stay relevant and keep audiences interested
Because she is so successful, she has more creative freedom
Because she's having trouble in her marriage
8
What is the unique selling point of this single?
It's challenging representations of African-Americans
It's racial politics (statement of radical black positivity)
It's intertextual references to New.O Beat artists/music
It's sexualisation of women
9
Stuart Hall argues that in the media, subordinate groups are often...
constructed as different or 'other'
given leading roles
given more power than dominant groups
represented as normal
10
How can Formation be seen to challenge gender stereotypes of passive femininity?
Through subversive language and explicit sexual references
Through visual codes connoting independence and empowerment
The subversion of traditional gender roles
Through representing Beyonce as reliant on men
11
Is the representation of race in Formation...
Positive/celebratory and diverse?
Subversive, political and challenging?
Highly stereotypical/negative?
Unrealistic?
12
Beyonce appropriates a patriarchal discourse in order to subvert gender stereotypes through..
Lyrics which objectify men
Taking on the role of the colonial 'Master'
Hyper-masculine posturing e.g. clenched/raised fists
Phallic gestures e.g the middle fingers
13
Representations of femininity could be read as contradictory because...
Beyonce uses a patriarchal discourse to achieve power
Her husband Jay-z features in the video
Beyoncé isn't really a feminist
Beyonce is still sexualised through revealing costumes
14
How is Beyonce represented in Formation compared to her music videos of the past?
More independent
Less sexually objectified
More motivated by racial politics
More fashion conscious
15
Why is New Orleans an important setting in this music video?
It relates to the genre of Bounce music
It signifies the song's political agenda (Hurricane Katrina)
Because Beyonce's ancestry is Louisiana Creole
It's where Beyonce grew up
16
Which album was Formation the lead single for?
4
Sixth studio album Lemonade
Dangerously in Love
The visual album Beyonce
17
What do these lyrics signify?
Beyonce's celebration of 'blackness'/resistance to prejudice
B's pride about her mixed heritage/diverse cultural identity
Beyonce's preference for spicy food
Beyonce's reinforcement of racist stereotypes
18
What other locations can be seen to have a symbolic significance in this music video?
Antebellum porch/plantation home (slavery and oppression)
Supermarket interior (consumerism)
Exotic beach location (glamour and sophistication)
Southern home interior (colonial history/power inequalities)
19
What intertextual references does the song make to bounce music?
Hyper-sexual dance moves
Triggerman beat/call and response style
Messy Mya and Big Freedia samples
Mardi gras costumes
20
What is this costume an intertextual reference to?
George Michael music videos
80s Bounce
Harry Potter
Baywatch
21
Which costumes subvert racial stereotypes?
Gucci collared dress
Black formal corseted dress and suits
Denim on denim
Antebellum white lace dresses and parasols
22
Who directed Formation?
Grammy award winning female, Cuban director Melina Matsoukas
Swedish drummer and director Jonas Akerlund
New York Film school graduate Hannah Lux Davis
Beyonce
23
Which conventions of pop music videos does Formation conform to?
Frequent objectification of the female body
Repetitive hook
Elaborate costumes and props
Choreographed dance sequences
24
How can Hall's theory of otherness be applied to Formation?
It reinforces otherness through exotic costumes & locations
Formation challenges power inequalities
Formation is a celebration of 'otherness'
It challenges otherness through normalising black culture
25
What are the connotations of this shot?
Black power/activism
Resistance to police brutality (Black Lives Matter)
Racist government response to Hurricane Katrina
Post-feminist empowerment
26
How would you describe the gesture codes in this video?
Flirtatious and invitational
Confrontational and aggressive
Powerful and assertive
Passive and reserved
27
What is the symbolic nature of the choreography in Formation?
Sexual objectification
Unified resistance to patriarchal/racial oppression
Post-Feminist empowerment
New Orleans dance culture
28
What is the purpose of a music video?
To entertain
To market the album and make a profit for the artist/label
Artistic expression
To inform and educate
29
What possible meanings does this lyric have?
Beyoncé's violent/murderous disposition
Intertextuality - slang associated with the Beat music scene
Overcoming racial stereotyping
Post-feminist empowerment
30
What is the social and cultural context of this song?
American deep South - cultural identity
Post-feminism - the empowerment of black women
Hurricane Katrina (uneven government response)
Black Lives Matter (police brutality/racism)
31
Why was Formation released on Feb 6th 2016?
February is black history month
21st birthday of Trayvon Martin
This was the day before her Super Bowl performance
Because it's close to Valentines Day
32
Beyonce's mode of address in Formation is...
Confrontational/unapologetic
Direct and confident
Upbeat and humorous
Passive and flirtatious
33
What media language is used to construct femininity as independent and empowered?
Rebellious/defiant gesture codes e.g. middle fingers
Lyrics e.g. 'I'm so reckless when I rock my givenchy dress'
Visual codes e.g. low angle shots and central framing
The use of feminist quotes
34
What does this costume symbolise?
Unity - black women in formation
Passivity
Success, status and wealth (Gucci)
Post-feminist exhibitionism
