Beyonce Formation

Dark Colour pallette throughout

Black empowerment and pride

Use of bright colours regarding costume

Celebration and positivity during dark and difficult times

Flood in suburban neighbourhood

Natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina new orleans

Basic housing structures

Cheap materials. Neglect, poverty

Wig shop

New Orleans proud of African carribean community/black pride

Church

Community of christian faith, safe space for african american worshippers with history segregation and discrimination

Plantation house

Reference to slavery as it was built by them, by having group of black women in one with antellbellum dresses takes back power

Tribal necklace

Heavy necklace signifies wealth, leadership, ethnic identity

White Antebellum dress Beyonce

Wealth, worn by slave owners wives, status symbol, white means purity so reclaim narrative past negative

Horse with black man sitting on it

Status, power and freedom. Horse often symbolise hard work and endurance

“I got hot sauce in my bag, swag”

Spice, important in south and is part of identity so needs to carry around. Colloquial term swag used in black communities, reclaim narrative/pride

Cowboy spurs and hat:

Reference to B texan upbringing, pride

Police cars and police raid gear

People in new orleans treated like criminals when victims

Line of police with one black one dancing, police give up raise hands

Child innocent, like black community, police are unnecesary force. Perhaps message that new gen are hope for a future without discrimination. Binary opposition

Graffiti “stop shooting us”

They have been silenced but still are fighting

Beyonce on top of police car that is sinking into the water, “thunder” is spoken

Foreboding tension with police. Police bring down black community “Beyonce” but by doing so doom themselves as black people built up America

CCTV footage carpark black women dancing

Powerful and celebrating, together black unity

Slow pace of B leaning out car showing off braids and wig shop

Confidence in expressing identity

Non diagetic voiceover of “Queen slay”

Uplifting and showcasing admiration for black women/features. Colloquial terms used by black americans

B******* (Bitch)

Used to reclaim narrative as it has been used as a derogative word to dehumanise women in patriarchy

Women dancers make an X formation and shot of Martin Luther king on front cover newspaper

Reference to Malcom X and MLK who fought for civil rights, suggests they are still relevant

Beyonce Middle fingers up

Rebelling against traditional unjust system

Direct adress, stern and rigid expression, faces held high

Confidence, hold others accountable for action

Posed shots outside plantation houses

Refer to rich slave owning families who had portrait/photo taken outside

Twerking

Black empowerment of ownership over body or objectification of female body in order to have power within society

Beyonce money gesture

Black women now have wealth

Line formation/dancing in sync

unity with black women

Beyonce always in central positioning

She is aspirational icon

Beyonce on police car surrounded by water

Emphasis on isolation on community and how police who are meant to help didn’t

High angel shot of young black boy

vulnerability

Low angel shot of Beyonce

Power

Tracking shots of houses post Hurricane

Neglect of gov and helplessness