
In Beyoncé’s music video, Formation, she exposes the real life situations of the people from New Orleans and those that African Americans still face in the United States. She uses dramatic images throughout her video to shock viewers and make them face the facts of the dangers that some Americans are living in. Racial prejudice still affects our nation today. African Americans are forced to feel unsafe in their own neighborhoods as unnecessary police violence takes over. By learning about the social inequalities that have caused tragedies like the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, people can understand the political and social justice movements that are taking place throughout the United States. Formation helps to create empathy for those who have been affected by either racial prejudice or Hurricane Katrina and promotes a movement towards change in America. Through the use of visual images, like color and positioning of the camera, and lyrics depicting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and police brutality, Beyoncé’s Formation video conveys a message focused on bringing social justice to the black community.


In this first image, Beyoncé uses the background to further showcase her feelings about the devastation that occurred in the aftermath of Katrina. The camera is far away from the central object creating a long shot of Beyoncé on top of a police car. She exposes the entire view of New Orleans and the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina by using the flooded neighborhood as the background in her music video. The video directors and Beyoncé want us to take in the whole devastation of what Hurricane Katrina did to New Orleans. Additionally, by using a long shot, the video sends a message to the viewers that no one is around to support Beyoncé so she stands alone in her movement. The only other thing around her is the police car, which serves as a prop for Beyoncé’s message against police violence in the music video. Beyoncé, standing on the police car in the midground of the photo, provides a centerpiece for the shot. She stands out in the image because of her bright red outfit and her peculiar perch on top of the drowning police car. Beyoncé expresses her resentment towards the police by her position on top of the car, helping it sink. Because of her extra-diegetic gaze, the viewer’s thought of the flooded scene intensifies. Beyoncé wants us to understand the severity of her cause and the message of the music video when she looks into the camera. The flooding water and destroyed houses provide a dramatic scene for Beyoncé’s video, which shows the devastation that Hurricane Katrina caused. The midground and the background provide a larger view so that the viewers can understand and empathize with those affected by the hurricane. Overall, her message is clear in this screenshot because it shows both the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the need for change in the behavior of policemen in order to bring social justice to the black community.


 

The music video Formation by Beyoncé is about black empowerment and looking for justice and accountability for the police that have abused their power. In this image, the camera is behind the main character, giving an over the shoulder shot that shows what the little boy sees from his stance. The young child and the police have their hands raised in the photo, which sends a powerful message of nonviolence and unity between the two. Both the policemen and the boy are wearing black clothes in the photo, which helps to make a statement of the severity of the situation between police and African Americans. According to the color theory, black is a combination of all of the colors. Black evokes a feeling of danger with its darkness, which helps to send a violent message to the viewers. The young boy in the foreground of the photo takes most of our attention. He does not belong in this situation since he is so young. The boy represents the future of the black community, which is threatened by the current events of police violence against African Americans. The viewers feel a deeper connection to this message of the video because the boy evokes our sense of compassion for children. In the midground, the police officers are lined up wearing their full protest uniforms with their hands up as well. In the background, the sun is setting, which has a calming effect on the viewers. Additionally, they are in a neighborhood, which makes the issue of racial prejudice problem feel like more of an issue since it is happening everywhere, even in our own towns. Police brutality and racial discrimination is closer to home than most of us realize in the United States. This image alone of the young boy forces us to face the facts: children are also being swept into this messy situation of gun violence and racial prejudice between police and protesters. The viewer watches as the characters gaze at each other reciprocally. The boy is observing the cops, just as they are looking at him. There is a sense of solidarity between the two sides in this photo, as they stand with their hands raised together. Through a single image, Beyoncé is able to express the deep sense of unity that is needed between police and African Americans in order to stop the violence and deaths.

The viewer sees the first image of Beyoncé on top of the police car at the beginning of the music video when Messy Mya, a popular rapper and comedian from New Orleans, refers to the tragedy that happened in his hometown. His words support the images we see in the video of Beyoncé in flooded waters with destroyed houses in the background. The second image of the young boy and line of policemen appears when Beyoncé says “slay trick, or you get eliminated,” which is a phrase created by Beyoncé that invokes everyone to join the Black Lives Matter movement to ensure its’ survival. The lives of innocent children are being threatened in their own towns and homes as the gun violence and police brutality makes its way through the cities. Beyoncé fears that if the black lives matter movement is not together and formed full of supporters, then the movement will cease to exist along with their rights. With the use of her lyrics accompanying these two images, Beyoncé brings attention to the need to bring justice to the black community that has suffered for so long.

Beyoncé’s overall message in the music video Formation calls for a shift in the relationship between African Americans and police. This is expressed with images of Katrina’s destruction after the hurricane and the Black Power Movement, which is directed towards specific groups such as the black queers, black trans, and black women’s liberation. She uses images of the devastation in New Orleans to create a revolution that will evoke a response from everyone. Also, she uses the image of a young black boy and a line of police to showcase that her message of nonviolence can be achieved when we work together. It is possible for police violence to stop. Beyoncé acknowledges that the African American community needs to be coordinated as group in order to be effective in creating justice; they either stand together or fall apart. 
