Friday 16 April 2021

How do the representations in Formation reflect the ideology of the producer?

 How do the representations in Formation reflect the ideology of the producer?



Knee jerk reaction: Representations of working class black people to draw attention to underrepresented issues

Plan

MES kid dancing, binary opposition

The police killing black people

MES of graffiti: stop shooting us

Gesture hands up don't shoot

Martin Luther King justice and power black people civil rights

Sexualisation

Woman empowerment

Black settings: wig shop

Natural black hairstyles cornrows

Dancing and lip syncing

Conventional music video

Beyonce's kid

Images from hurricane aftermath

Juxtaposition between modern and historical 

Bricolage: mixture of different styles

Non-linear narrative 

Subverts racist stereotypes: 'Givenchy dress'

Antebellum dresses - re appropriation 

Takes away the power from white people

Master shot: performance shot on police car

Paul Gilroy: postcolonial theory


Atypical and subversive song for BeyoncĂ© 

Binary opposition between old VHS effect and modern high quality cinematography

Binary oppositions make meansing clear

Representation of black women

Working class settings

Establishing montage of New Orleans

MES of slave owner costume: reappropriation of power!

Gospel church setting

Wig shop

News footage of hurricane katrina 

Proairetic code of violence against black people: binary opposition of riot police vs little child

Choreography associated w/ afro culture, eg twerking

Community and empowerment

MES of beyonce sinking in to water on top of police car

Bricolage: a comnination of different forms of media



Content

Sample paragraph

"One powerful representation of working class black women is seen in the master shot of Beyonce sitting on a police car. The mise-en-scene of Beyonce on the sinking police car reinforces her status as both a criminal and as an outsider. In a manner totally unconventional for Beyonce, her dress is plain and unglamorous, emphasising the seriousness of message that she is portraying. But even more importantly, Beyonce resembles a stereotypical 1970's black housewife. This forms a binary opposition between a positive representation of black women, and the aggressive connotations of the US police force. It also reinforces the ability for the target young black female audience to be able to relate to Beyonce, and to be able to emphasises with the controversial issues that this video contains. The final high angled shot of Beyonce sinking in to the water demonstrates her vulnerability, and her inability to confront the police. This is a highly conventional and typical representation of the issues black women face in society today

Of course, Beyonce also represents a number of other clear representations of black identity..."

 Further content 

 The setting of the abandonned swimming pool is symbolic of the black community drowing under the nfluence of poverty and racism

Mid shot of MES of a graphitit reading "stop shooting us", drawinging the audiences attention to a significant issue faced by the black community in A,merioca. Additionally, graphitit is also symbolic of black culture

Proiretic code of riot shields, signifies violence, aggression and conflict

MES of hoodie is symbolic of the steretypical way in which young african american boys are rperesented as troublemakers and criminals. 

Paul gilroy and postcolonial theory