THE ELEVATOR TAPE & ITS AFTERMATH
The infamous surveillance video, leaked by TMZ.
Saturday Night Live’s cold open sketch a week later, parodying JAY-Z (Jay Pharoah), Beyoncé (Maya Rudolph) and Solange (Sasheer Zamata) with their bodyguard (Kenan Thompson).
“We love each other and above all we are family. We’ve put this behind us and hope everyone else will do the same.”
Exclusive statement to the Associated Press, released by the Knowles and Carter families
Tabloid speculation that persisted even after the couple’s press release attempting to dismiss the rumors.
Beyoncé’s April 16th, 2016 Instagram post. In it, we hear Beyoncé ask, ¨What am I gonna do, love?¨ before the title card announcing its forthcoming HBO release.
LEMONADE’S OPENING MOMENTS: A PROLOGUE
“She wanted to show the historical impact of slavery on black love, and what it has done to the black family.”
Melina Matsoukas, one of Lemonade’s directors and Beyoncé’s longtime friend and collaborator
The opening shot of the film is followed by this black and white image of a chain filmed at a slave plantation in Louisiana, the first of many images that transport us back to America’s history of tortuous slavery. Low angle shots are used to emphasize power dynamics, and the extremity of the angle depicts the chain looming over the viewer, as if we’re the ones chained to the wall.
Fort Macomb, an intimidating Civil War era brick fortress that serves as a symbol throughout the film.
Left, a wide shot that demonstrates the fortress’s size and expanse; right, a canted angle gives viewers an implication of stress, intimidation, or uneasiness.
Beyoncé in front of the curtain on stage, which mimics a director addressing an audience before a performance. Like the fortress, behind the curtain is some truth to her story, and she is preparing us, and herself, for its reveal.
Continue reading “Ch. 1 – Intuition (Pray You Catch Me)”