The color red in literature can mean a multiple of different things including power, strength, carnal sin, and even war. The color black however, usually hints at death, grief, and strength. Beyonce, the famous American singer, is seen by many in our society as a powerful and strong woman who relates her songs to the social problems in modern day America. In the video Formation, Beyonce uses the colors red and black to bring light to the black lives matter movement and the tension between the black community and the police force.

At 0:40/4:53 in the video, Beyonce and friends appear in a room full of neutral and dull colors while wearing a red one piece clothing. This red is used to direct the viewer's attention at the bodies and body movement of the dancers. The red makes a bold statement, as to say, look here. As the clip pans out, the rest of the room begins to incorporate light shades of red as well. The red here acts as the color red does in literature by showing power and strength. The fact that this clip shows only women who are wearing red, and not men, it implies that women are of power here. Red is also symbolic of carnal sin in most cases. By mixing strength with the idea of carnal sin, Beyonce’s clothing is telling the viewer that women who wear red should not be viewed as not having respect for themselves or committing carnal sin, but rather should be seen as women full of strength and power.

At 4:26/4:53, Beyonce is seen laying on top of a sinking cop car during the recent floods while wearing a red dress. Her red dress here hints on the common meaning of red as a sign of war or danger because Beyonce is in an obvious state of danger as everything around her is flooding and the attention of the viewer along with the sense of danger is directed towards Beyonce and her red dress. It not only describes Beyonce’s imminent danger of drowning as the car she lays on gradually sinks, but it also describes the danger that those who live in the louisiana area face on a day to day basis. The red dress being centered in the middle of the shot is intentional because it symbolizes danger, however it is ironic because the everything around beyonce and her red dress is already submerged by water while she is still safe for the time being on top of the car. 

At 3:03/4:53, a clip of a black man eating red crawfish is shown. The red of the crawfish here depict poverty and a difference in wealth; Beyonce is talking about red lobster and is dressed formally, however, the screen flips to show a middle to lower level class man eating crawfish out of a “to-go” box. This shows the extent to which there is an economic divide in the louisiana area and between different races overall. 

At 1:52/4:53 a black male wearing a red Alabama basketball jersey is shown. The fact that the man has a basketball and a red basketball jersey shows that Beyonce is hinting on the stereotype that all black people play basketball and are athletic. All of the male’s red jersey in this clip are retro style and not of high quality. This alludes to the fact that this area of alabama is very poor and that the majority of black basketball players come from an area of lower average wealth. This is also supported by the fact that the video is set in modern time and the red uniforms are clearly old and outdated, rather than retro. Red here signifies the roots of basketball players in the deep south of alabama. 

At 1:13/4:53 in the video, Beyonce is seen alongside five men on an the steps of what looks like a church dressed in all black formal clothing. The setting of the church along with formal black clothing suggest that they are possibly at a funeral. Black here symbolizes death and grief as it often does in literature. Beyonce uses the relationship between black and death here to support the philosophy of the black lives matter movement. She is saying that so often, blacks are being killed and that the black community knows the funeral scene all too well.

At 3:44/4:53 in the video, a young black kid dressed in all black attire is shown dancing in front of a line of ten police officers who are all dressed in black clothing as well. The fact that all the police officers and the kid are uniformly dressed in black is a metaphor for saying that all people are the same and equal. However, there is a great deal of irony in the picture because although the uniformity of black clothing shows that people are equal, this picture is actual showing the opposite. The kid in the picture dancing in front of the police represents how the black community has been suppressed and held back by the police. The kids harmless dancing being met by police with full riot gear is how the Black Lives Matter movement perceives recent treatment by police to the black community. This irony is caused by the metaphor of the unity in black clothing within the clip.

Although the color red is seen in multiple clips throughout the music video, including power, strength, and war. However, red in general has one overall meaning. Red is used to show the difference in the economic divide between louisiana natives and between different races. The color black in the video is a direct representation of the black lives matter movement and its philosophy. Black is used to represent the familiarity with death and the feeling of being held back by police. This divide in wealth and familiarity with death is caused by the war like relationship between the black community and the police which is also shown through use of the colors red and black. 