Formation By Melina Matsoukas Analysis

Let’s Get in Formation for a Revolution In Beyonce’s “Formation” music video, Melina Matsoukas’ visual choices construct a powerful portrayal of black culture and issues in New Orleans. More specifically, Matsoukas’ use of composition, angles, and mise-en-scene portrays the racial and gender inequalities in society and the need to unite black female power to rise against oppression. Through composition, Melina Matsoukas portrays the capability of black women to reverse patriarchal standards. In Shot 1, Matsoukas utilizes the rule of thirds and symmetry to emphasize Beyonce’s power to reverse typical gender roles. In the shot, Beyonce is in the center and is symmetrically surrounded by men, so she is reversing the patriarchal standard by …show more content…
Throughout the music video and especially in shot 9, Beyonce’s moves her head up and down, without revealing her face. This repetition of the movement emphasizes female power because with her hat covering her face, she can possess the same mysterious power that men have maintained throughout history. Her movement contrasts with the men standing around her because they remain completely still. This acts as a direct opposition of typical music videos, because men are often the focal point and women are often objectified. With this opposition, Matsoukas demonstrates the need for women to break patriarchal standards within the music industry and the greater world. Matsoukas questions the genre within music videos, which goes along with Lipsitz’s commentary on how genre perpetuates racial and gender inequality. Beyonce and Matsoukas are breaking away from genre anxiety by challenging societal norms that are typically represented in music videos. Choreography is also an essential element of the mise-en-scene, because every dance shot consists of all female dancers. In shot 4, the quantity of dancers and their precise movements enforce their power in numbers. This represents how women, especially as a collective, can prove patriarchal standards wrong. In addition, they sit and dance on the floor, which dramatizes the choreography to reinforce the power of the black female dancers. By shot 5, they move into an X formation. Hence the title of the song, their specific formations emphasize the power in organization. The use of choreography, but specifically formations, portray the effectiveness of power in numbers and organization while making a difference in the world. At the end of the music video in shot 10, the police car completely sinks and the camera is at a high angle. Since this action is unconventional, it portrays how taking initiative