Beyoncé 'Formation' by Melina Matsoukas
David Knight - 9th Feb 2016
Queen Bey reclining on top of a patrol car that's sinking into rising floodwaters is one of the controversial images in her New Orleans-set video for Formation - directed by longtime collaborator Melina. It's not as incendiary as her Black Panther-referencing performance at the Superbowl the day after the video's release, but its implicit criticism of the police, together with her wide-ranging celebration of the American black experience, is a Beyoncé-shaped addition to the Black Lives Matter cause.
The video also uses footage that was originally shot for the New Orleans' bounce documentary That B.E.A.T. - which caused a furore in the hours after its release on Saturday (Feb 6th). Then it was cleared up, with Beyoncé's representatives releasing a statement saying that the footage had been "used with permission and licensed from the owner of the footage," and the documentary's makers, including Abteen Bagheri and Chris Black, duly credited.
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David Knight - 9th Feb 2016
Credits
Production/Creative
- Director
- Melina Matsoukas
- Producer
- Nathan Scherrer
- Production Company
- P
- Executive Producer
- Nathan Scherrer
Camera
- Director of Photography
- Malik Sayeed
Art
- Production designer
- Ethan Tobman
Choreography
- Choreography
- JaQuel Knight
Editorial
- Editor
- Jeff Selis
- Editing company
- Bonch
Grading
- Colourist
- Aubrey Woodiwiss
VFX
- Post production company
- EC
Commission
Misc
- Additional Photography
- Isaac Bauman
- Additional Photography
- Allendra Freeman
Other credits
Add'l photography Direction
Abteen Bagheri, Lily Keber
Add'l Photography Producer
Chris Black
Add'l Photography prod. company
Somesuch
David Knight - 9th Feb 2016