There is a plethora of visual motifs displayed throughout Beyoncé’s “Formation” music video. The music video depicts post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, and how the hurricane affected the black community. Prior to watching Beyoncé’s music video for “Formation”, no specific meanings stood out. While watching the video, I noticed numerous amounts of visual motifs that helped me to better understand the meanings behind the song. The main visual motif being used throughout Beyoncé’s video is color. The use of color throughout the video is present in Beyoncé’s outfits, to even the overall tones of the frames.  Another visual motif that was very apparent throughout the video is camera angles She also uses camera angles to emphasize what is occurring in the foreground and background of her music video. Beyoncé solely wanted to get point across to the public that they otherwise possibly would not think about, in a way they will actually listen and see. Beyoncé’s ultimate purpose for the music video is to bring awareness to a subject, she does this through using the visual elements of color and camera angles.

Using the motif of color, Beyoncé appears at 3:25, dressed all in black. In this particular frame, Beyoncé is dressed in all black, along with five other African American men in the background. The color choice, as well as the race of the individuals in the mid-ground is a hint at the racial injustice and Black Lives Matter Movement. Along with the black that Beyoncé and the background people are wearing, Beyoncé also has her head turned away from the camera, and her eyes are covered by a hat that she is wearing. This could have been done in order to show her “turning away” or hiding from the current events that are occurring regarding racial injustice. There is a lot going on around this in the video that can prove that she is indeed doing this. She is “turning away” from the current racial injustices by showing the clips of African Americans at church, as well as the spray painted “stop shooting us”. The second part of the video is mainly recognizing the Black Lives Matter movement, which hints to why she would be “turning away” or “hiding” from the events that are happening. Ultimately, that backs up the point made by the black that she and the other individuals are wearing. 

The second half of the music video is an acknowledgment to the Black Lives Matter movement. Using the motif of color, a young African American child appears in the foreground, holding up his arms. In the background, officers are holding up their arms as well. All the people in the frame are wearing black, once again signaling the racial unrest striking the black community in our country.  It does this by putting the color out there, as well as showing the wall spray painted “stop shooting us”, which hint to the epidemic of shootings in our country. This really sticks out due to the background of this frame being very bright and white, which can possibly be symbolizing the controversy between whites and blacks at the moment. White is a contrast to the black because it is black’s direct opposite. It makes the watcher’s eyes go straight to the black, because it sticks out. If you were to watch the video and pick any frame, the color black will never be absent. This validates the point that Beyoncé is attempting to make, regarding the racial injustice in the United States, and also in the case of this video, New Orleans. The act of raising their arms is a reference to the “hands up, don’t shoot” movement, created after the shooting in Ferguson, Missouri. Aside from the reference to the “hands up, don’t shoot” movement, Beyoncé also alludes to the police brutality that has been a leading theme in discussion in the United States. The reoccurring all black clothing gives major hints towards the point that Beyoncé making. She is drawing awareness to a topic, in this case the racial unrest, that most music artists would not talk about. 

Another visual motif that is present in Beyoncé’s music video, Formation, is camera angles. There are several instances present in the video regarding the camera angles that forces you to gain a different perspective on the meaning of the video. One example would be the beginning of the music video. The video opens with multiple frames that include picture and scenes from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This plays a major part in the video because it gives you a more personal perspective on what the African American community in New Orleans went through post-Katrina. These frames tie back into the main focus of this video being African Americans and the racial injustice that is occurring in our country when it gives views of the communities that obviously home the local, black population. It is easy to notice that the creators of this video are not showing views of more middle class neighborhoods. Later in the video, at 3:25, Beyoncé is standing in the foreground with five other African American men in the background. It is apparent that the videographer is using the long shot to, in my opinion, reinforce the point Beyoncé is trying to get across, which is bringing awareness to the Black Lives Matter movement and the racial transgression that has struck our country in recent years. 

Beyoncé’s “Formation” is full of different visual motifs that, for the most part, portray the same message. Beyoncé solely wanted to get point across to the public that they otherwise possibly would not think about, in a way the public will actually listen and see. Racial injustice is a very important issue that is unfortunately occurring all across the United States. Beyoncé found a way to alert the younger audience about these issues. Prior to viewing this music video, I was aware of these issues, but after watching it, I believe I gained a new perspective. The visual motif of the colors in the video, as well as the motif of camera angles, helped to make the viewers think about the video in a different way. Other than just watching the video, you are forced to analyze the reasons behind why she, the background dancers, and the police were all dressed in black, and why certain frames and scenes were filmed the way they were. Ultimately, through the music video “Formation”, Beyoncé is using the visual motifs of color and camera angles, through examples from New Orleans and Katrina, to bring awareness to the racial injustice and police brutality currently taking place in our country. 