The music video for “Formation” by Beyoncé contains many important political messages throughout it. The largest message I got out of the music video was the topic on the empowerment of women. More notably, the empowerment of black women. The majority of the music video consists of a large group of black females dancing in “formation,” the dancing takes place in different scenes throughout New Orleans. The idea of feminism and the empowerment of black women and culture is prominent throughout this video because it is something that is important to Beyoncé and females everywhere. This idea is displayed through a long shot when Beyoncé and the group of women are dancing in the empty pool, when sitting silently in an old fashioned attire, and again with the various examples of contrast in the color scheme of the video. The different style shots used in the filming of this video, the color scheme of the scene, and the setting help to emphasize the main message of feminism and empowerment Beyoncé is trying to send to her fans and America. 

The main part of the video that stands out the most is the scene where Beyoncé is dancing in an empty pool with a large group of black women beside her. This scene starts off at the 1.24-minute mark with all the women sitting still in the pool, and then seconds later the women appear to be standing up and dancing in the pool which is a metaphor for them standing up and empowering each other. The body movement along with the facial expressions of Beyoncé and all the dancers emphasizes the seriousness of the motif. There are also multiple details throughout the scene that tie into the underlying theme of women empowerment. When this scene begins all the women are shown to be similar physically, are dressed very similarly, and as they dance they use powerful motions such as flexing their arms, linking their arms, and leaning onto each other for support all while in “formation”. The importance of the women leaning onto each other for support is that it shows they have each other and aren’t alone in creating a voice loud enough to stand up for what they believe in. In today’s society, what it means to be a woman is very important and taken more seriously than it has been in past generations. A lot of the time women are underestimated and viewed as if they are inferior to males. Another issue in society that Beyoncé is addressing in this music video is the oppression of African Americans, she uses the platform and power she has to bring awareness to these issues and make the viewers more informed on what is going on in the world. Although this scene can relate to any gender or race, it is clear that it is mainly directed to the women of the black community due to the fact all the women are African American. Through the physical appearance and motions of the women, Beyoncé gets her message across very clearly to the viewers. 

Beyoncé used multiple different tactics to place emphasis on the women being stronger together. The type of shot used when this scene was filmed is called a long shot. A long shot is a type of shot that shows the entire background of what is being filmed and helps set the scene for the viewers so that the rest of the video can be put into context, this shot also helps to show where the scene takes place. Another aspect of the setting is the lighting. In this scene the lighting is darker than most of the other scenes throughout the video, this makes the mood of the scene appear to be more serious. The way the lighting shines on the women like a spotlight may relate to the spotlight effect that occurs when police shine their flashlights directly on a suspect, the spotlight on the women makes the women appear to stand out more from the background, and adds a more serious tone to the scene. The way the colors in this scene are darker, and the lights are beaming down onto Beyoncé and the dancers draw the eyes towards the middle so that the viewer really focuses on what is going on during this scene. Along with the lighting differences throughout the scene, the color of the dancer’s skin contrasts with the red white and blue colors of their clothing. This too draws the viewer’s eyes to the subjects. The colors incorporated in the clothing of the women resemble the same colors incorporated into the American flag. Those colors typically symbolize freedom and justice which relates back to the message Beyoncé is sending of the freedom, justice, and equality the African American community and women deserve. Beyoncé included this feature in the video as a way to place emphasis on the dancer’s physical appearance, motions, and the deeper message behind it. In addition to the lighting and contrast of this scene, the empty pool that can be seen in the background of the longshot is important as well. It can be assumed that the emptiness of the pool is symbolic of the emptiness Beyoncé believes African American’s feel due to the unjustified stereotypes and burdens placed on them. These characteristics of the music video give more meaning to the movement Beyoncé is encouraging.

Another important scene in this music video is the one in which Beyoncé and a group of women are all sitting down in what appears to be an older fashioned home, in civil war era style clothing. All the women in this scene are wearing white dresses and are gazing at the camera in a very serious manner with almost poker face like expressions on their faces. The feeling viewers get from this scene is a very serious one, Beyoncé is trying to emphasize the importance of the message she is attempting to get across through the actions and expressions of herself and the dancers throughout the video. This is important because it sends a sincerer message to viewers when they experience the feelings this scene in the music video gives off. 

Some of the lyrics used in the same scene of Beyoncé and her dancers in the pool are important in getting Beyoncé’s message across to the viewers as well. As the women are dancing in their group at the 1.51-minute mark, Beyoncé sings “I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros.” In this line she is talking about how she likes her baby (Blue Ivy) with her natural baby hair, and plays on the fact that African Americans naturally have afros. The message Beyoncé is trying to get across here is that the black females should embrace their culture and embrace those particular stereotypes because their culture is something to be proud of. 

Beyoncé herself is largely popular and is an icon to many girls, both white and black, throughout the world. She has a lot of influence on people all over because of her popularity and should get a lot of praise because of the things she accomplished based on that. By releasing a music video as powerful as this one she is getting the message across of women sticking together and empowering one another to fight the oppression they face in their day to day lives. The visual motif of the women dancing in the pool indicates the power and determination the women have to fight the oppression they face in their day to day lives. The visual motif of the women sitting in white gazing at the camera indicate the serious tone that is associated with the issue Beyoncé is addressing. The cinematography techniques used in the filming of this video are important because they help to tell the main story, and give more meaning to what is being displayed. Through the use of different types of shots used in filming emotions are portrayed more clearly, and the color schemes of each scene allow Beyoncé to attract the attention she needs to bring more awareness to the oppression of black women and culture in today’s society.
