Context

The use of bricolage

intertextuality - Where a media product or text makes reference to another media product or text.

 Bricolage - Where a media product is constructed with iconography and conventions from many other texts, creating entirely new meanings. Often used when discussing postmodern media products.


Task - If possible, go through Formation and make screenshots of each of the different aesthetic and visual styles that the video demonstrates, including from different eras, settings and situations. Why is this video not just a dance routine in a studio? Why combine so many styles and themes?

• Because the video is focused on black empowerment, the producer clearly wanted to portray the treatment of black people in different eras and situations, in order to convey a sense of progression.
• There is some historical representation of black people, as implied by the mise-en-scene of costume. The costumes within this scene are white corsets. This represents how despite being free, the white people still held them back, in the same way a corset does. This could be a stretch, but I believe this is the message they were aiming to achieve, as this is the earliest time period we see.
• Then, this later progresses when we see people wearing clothes which are stereotypical of the 2000's, which shows people being more free but still facing oppression.
• The most 'modern' scene, is Beyonce on top of the police car, as it is set within the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, as suggested by the montage of clips and the mise-en-scene of the floods. This evaluates black people to have finally achieved power.
• The inclusion of multiple eras and aesthetics helps to portray the progression of people over time, and demonstrate the ideological perspective that by working together and being empowered by others within the community, a level of equality can be easily achieved.
• The video is a political statement, and therefore it makes sense that they would want to combine multiple styles and themes to be representative of the black community as a whole, opposed to only representing a certain group. 
• This is because the video aims to be inclusive to all within the black community, to make the masses feel empowered opposed to only a specific few.
• The video is unconventional in style, with relation to the lack of continuity between scenes and connection (other than the theme of equality and treatment), but this is due to the producer trying to showcase multiple aspects and include as many groups as possible.

What specific elements of iconography did the producers of Formation use from That B.E.A.T?

What literal pieces of footage did the producers of Formation take from That B.E.A.T?

• The scenes of hurricane Katrina
• I would argue that the male saying 'I came to slay bitch' could be representative of the LGBT community within B.E.A.T, because it is a stereotypical phrase often associated with females.

Bounce music has a big LGBT following, and is fundamental to the LGBT scene in New Orleans. How many LGBT themes come through in That B.E.A.T? Why?

• The theme of gender fluidity (I'm not sure if I have the term right because I'm not too familiar with lgbt terminology) but the idea of gender not being restrictive on what you can do. For example men are dancing using stereotypical female moves.

Beyonce is a millionaire. Why is she using the themes and iconography of That B.E.A.T? Think carefully about this last one.

• Because she wants to include all communities into her video. The whole idea of this video, is to create a movement of empowerment, which is inclusive to all people within the black community. This movement needs to involve everyone, and therefore she cannot exclude specific groups. It would not be successful.
• It is also all about equality, it would be hypocritical of her to preach equality, whilst discriminating against others within the community.

Antebellum South

• A period in history which began during the late 18th century until the start of the American Civil war.
• This marked the economic growth of the Southern region 
• Slavery was the dominant industry within the south which was a contributor to this economic growth
• The social structure was very different to that of Northern states, as there were no big cities and the towns were mostly rural. The population of the South was a lot lesser of that up North. This meant that although white people in the south had slaves, they were still poor, as they could not compete with those up North. 
• There was a sharp division in social class within these states.

Context

• The Antebellum era refers to a period of time of economic growth in the American South in the 19th Century, largely due to heavy industrialisation made possible by utilising black slave labour. 
• Perhaps the most famous media product set in the Antebellum South is Viktor Flemming's 1939 historical epic Gone With The Wind, which is still the highest grossing film of all time when adjusted for inflation. A riches to rags to riches story, the film charts the collapse of the American South during its four hour running time, and explores the relationship between slave owners and slaves in a way that is guaranteed to make modern audiences uncomfortable.

Scarlet and Mammy

Binary oppositions:

• The white woman in the dress is skinny, therefore she is very attractive to a hegemonic standard as she has conventional, beautiful features. The black woman is overweight and therefore society views her as unattractive.
• The white woman has nice dresses, the black woman does not. This draws a binary opposition between class, as the mise-en-scene of costume implies the wealth of the individuals.
• The white woman just stands around, whilst the black women do the work for her. This creates a binary opposition between societal expectations of each racial group.
• The white woman's hair is displayed, whereas the black woman's hair is not. This could imply white people's hair is better than black people's hair, as white people want to showcase this and black people want to hide it.

This is just a clear demonstration about inequality. But why include it within formation? 

Because it subverts the general publics view of the time on the role of black people within a Antebellum society. It showcases how black people are no different  to white people, and how they could have all had the same equality. It positions black people in a sense of power, therefore giving them authority. This clear reference demonstrates a critical approach to the treatment of people based on race, and shows if given the opportunity, black people could've had the same power as white people. 

Beyonce's costume is white, she is black. By wearing a white costume, it is symbolic that she is representing white people of the time period, and creates the narrative of power and superiority. It shows how based on colour, people were segregated and given a different level of treatment. Because she 'wears white' in the scene, she is instantly powerful.

Hurricane Katrina:

• Quote from the article: "Among the first images of New Orleans after the storm were shots of low-income black Americans, stranded and desperate to escape the floods and debris. In the narrow sense, they were there because the city’s evacuation plan—which didn’t account for massive traffic out of the region—fell apart."
• Black people felt neglected by the government, and blamed the proportion of black to white people on their treatment. They said that if their area would have been 'a wealthier city with more whites' they would've been rescued faster.
• “I, to this day, believe that if that would have happened in Orange County, California, if that would have happened in South Beach, Miami, it would have been a different response,” said then Mayor Ray Nagin in a speech to the National Association of Black Journalists, a year after the storm.