"Formation" Stealing Film Clips? --Madeleine Norton, 4th period

It seems this weekend that Beyonce was a hot topic for various reasons, and not altogether good. Melonyce McAfee speaks directly from CNN stating that "Beyonce reigned over the weekend, dropping an epic video Saturday for the new song, 'Formation,' ahead of a planned appearance at the Super Bowl on Sunday. Controversy over the video put a dent in Queen Bey's crown, however, after a pair of documentary filmmakers complained footage from their film was used without their input.

The spat between the filmmakers and video's director, Melina Matsoukas, was quickly cleared up but underscores how borrowing and inspiration can blow up in an artist's face.

Director Abteen Bagheri and producer Chris Black released the short doc 'That B.E.A.T' (contains explicit language) about New Orleans's bounce music and dance scene in 2012. Scenes from the film were used in the 'Formation' video, a dreamy ode to Beyonce's roots in Louisiana and African American life. Amid frenetic dance numbers and Southern cotillion-style costumes, the video takes on themes such as police-involved violence, Hurricane Katrina and Creole culture.

The video debuted on the streaming service Tidal, which is owned by Beyonce's husband, Jay-Z.

Soon after its release, Black tweeted his disappointment that the video features scenes from his film, including a dramatic panning shot of a house submerged in water. The producer accused the video makers of not immersing themselves in local culture to shoot footage as his production team did with 'That B.E.A.T.'"

This can be somewhat synthesized with the Espionage and Sedition Acts that took place during World War One. Now, hear me out on this: the connection lies within the boundaries of what we define as "free speech", and how far we as just citizens and Americans can take that. Although this instance is definitely not treason against the country, theft of private property without permission is a serious issue, and not even one's celebrities can escape. By stealing other filmmakers' clips without asking, does Beyonce still have a granted freedom of speech, or does this particular case infringe upon the rights of others and limit her own? How far are these two men willing to drag out their complaints? Could it be possible this will divulge into a court case? Only time will tell.

Article link here: http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/07/entertainment/beyonce-formation-controversy-feat/index.html