
Beyoncé’s “Formation” music video is set in Louisiana and features a famous bounce music artist. Actions and facial expressions, color, and gender are all seen throughout the music video. All of these aspects are used to create and develop a political statement that is shown visually in “Formation.” With this political statement and with the inclusion of past political figures, such as Martin Luther King, Beyoncé is trying to show her viewers that police brutality against African Americans is relevant and is happening all too often.  

“Formation” the music video is specifically set in Louisiana because Beyonce wants her viewers to know she has not forgotten her southern roots. We know Beyoncé has family ties to the state because she sings the lyrics “My daddy Alabama, Momma Louisiana” (Beyonce line7). The following line says “You mix that negro with that Creole make a Texas bama,” (Beyonce line 8) which shows the viewer that Beyonce herself was raised in the south. Big Freedia is featured in “Formation” to help bring Beyoncé back to her southern roots. Big Freedia is a well-known New Orleans hip-hop artist that creates a type of music called bounce music. This New Orleans hip-hop music is featured in “Formation” to show the viewer that Beyoncé is proud of where she came from and that she has not forgotten who she is. This is solidified when Big Freedia says “I like cornbreads and collard greens” (Beyonce line 16) while the scene is set in a wig shop. Cornbread and collard greens are two specific southern foods while the wig shop shows her connection to black culture. 

While the setting of “Formation” and the addition of Big Freedia help to develop Beyoncé’s political statement, the inclusion of Martin Luther King expands the statement. King is mostly known for his “I Have a Dream” speech and his efforts to gain equal rights for African Americans. King is featured on a newspaper within the video that is titled “More Than a Dreamer” implying that in order to see your dreams come true, one must act on them. Much like King, Beyonce is trying to act upon the police brutality by releasing “Formation” instead of wishing for a change. Her platform, like King, allows her to show her concern and act upon it. The publisher name of the article within the video is also important because it is called “The Truth.” This is significant because Beyonce is simply stating the truth of how often police brutality occurs and how relevant it is in society. Even after public figures like King and Beyonce take action against police brutality, it still occurs. A famous case of police brutality that occurred in Louisiana involved an African American male named Alton Sterling. Alton Sterling was shot several times in close range by two Caucasian police officers after an anonymous caller told them Sterling had a gun. This shooting led to violent protest and many more police brutality incidents. 

Actions and facial expressions go hand in hand throughout “Formation.” The music video specifically focuses on Beyonce and her daughter, Blue Ivy. Blue Ivy is featured twice at the beginning of “Formation.” The first time she is shown running around with two unknown girls, while the second time she is seen looking directly into the camera. A close up shot of Blue Ivy smiling and swaying her hips is used to show the viewer that she is happy. Unlike Blue Ivy, Beyoncé is seen throughout the whole music video and is shown without smiling. This gives the viewer a sense of anger and seriousness. The focus is brought to Beyoncé’s mouth particularly in the close up shot of her wearing a large hat. The hat covers most of her face, which draws the viewer directly to her mouth. In this scene, Beyoncé is shown sticking her middle fingers up and singing provocative lyrics. The rest of the adults also have straight faces throughout, which back up the feeling of anger and seriousness within “Formation”. Towards the end of the music video, an unknown boy is shown dancing in front of a line of police. A reverse shot is used to introduce him in the music video. As he is dancing he stops to put his hands in the air. The line of police follows him by putting their hands up as well. This scene is different because the viewer was originally the audience of “Formation,” but now the cops are the audience of this little boy dancing. This is important because it shows the power a single individual can have over many other individuals.

Color is a key concept in “Formation” because it alludes to a bigger picture. Although many colors are used throughout “Formation,” the three main colors include white, black, and red. White is used to represent purity and innocence in the video. This color is associated with happiness and a sense of newness, while black is the complete opposite. Black is used to represent pain and death in the video. Blue Ivy and the two unknown girls are shown clothed in white, compared to a little boy clothed in all black. This is significant because children are seen wholesome, but the boy is not shown as wholesome because of his attire. The all black outfit is used to represent the likelihood of him becoming another victim of police brutality. Similar to the children, the scenes with all women are shown clothed in white and the scenes with all men are shown clothed in black. The scenes that involve men dressed in black seem sorrowful and funeral like. Beyonce is shown dressed in a white and red stripped dress in a reoccurring scene throughout the video. The white represents the innocence of police brutality victim, while the red represents the unnecessary blood shed of the victims. 

“Formation” consists predominately of women, specifically African American women. Even through women are typically seen as fragile, Beyonce is showing that these women are powerful and independent. Beyoncé’s dominance is shown in the music video because she is placed in the center of each scene, including a few scenes with all males. Beyoncé shows her appreciation to the natural African American females and males by singing the lyrics “I like by baby heir with baby hair and afros/I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils” (Beyonce lines 9-10). These are a few of the stereotypes society places with African American people. Each time these lyrics are sung, a scene is shown with African American women with natural hair. In the past, Beyoncé’s family has been scrutinized based on features that both her daughter and husband possess. With these few lines Beyoncé is letting the world know that she likes natural features of African Americans, particularly her family, and is proud to possess them.

“Formation” the music video was able to tie in the past and the present by featuring a past African American rights activist and a present bounce hip-hop artist. African American culture was represented while making a statement about the relevant police brutality issue. Actions and facial expressions, colors, and gender all effect how the statement is viewed by the audience. 
