burn the witch analysis

1. Burn the witch- musicvideoanalysis
The song ``Burn the Witch`` wasreleasedbythe BritishrockbandRadioheadonthe 3rd May 2016.
The main aspectisthat the videoisa step-motionanimatedmusicvideowhichattractsthe attention
of the audience astheybegintowonderwhatisthe reasoningbehindformingananimatedvideo
where in2016, technologyisverymuchdeveloped.The musicvideoexplainshow aman isgivena
tour arounda town wholooksperfecthoweverthe residentsof the societyactuallydoveryviolent
and unmoral thingstoeach other.
Thisstop-motionanimatedmusicvideopayshomepage toTrumptonshire seriesof 1960`s British
children`stelevisionprogrammeaswell the 1973 horror filmThe WickerMan. The videohas
establishedintertextual linkswithboththe TrumptonshireandThe WickerMan. Firstly,the
intertextualitywiththe Trumptonshire canbe seenthroughthe constructionof the videoandthe
featuresusedinitwiththe mainone beingthatit isan animatedbasedvideo.The groupRadiohead
may have beeninfluencedby the Trumptonshireasitthe serieswere basedinthe 1960`s so they
demonstrate the pre-industrial life thatpeople livedinandmanypeople inthe post-moderneranow
still wantto goback to the oldtimesandlife theirlifeashow theyusedtoin the past therefore the
animatedvideomayhave beenusedtoportraythisideaaswell toshow the disapproval of today`s
life bythe oldergeneration.Furthermore,animatedvideosmostof the time have positive
connotationswhichinthiscase isusedto create an illusionaboutthe village of the videoasif itis the
icture-perfectvillage everyone wouldliketolive inhoweverthere are sinisteractivitiesgoingonin
fact. Whereas,the intertextualitywiththe horrorfilmThe WickerMan isthat the mainidea of both
mediapiecesisthe portrayal of howat firstthe townand the societywe live inmaybe looking
picture perfecthoweverunderneaththe underlyingstructuresthe residentsandthe societydo
unspeakablycreepyandviolentthingstoeachother.
The videomainlyuseswide shotswhichallow the audience tohave abetterlookof the mise en
scene aroundthe characters inorder toimprove theirunderstandingof the surroundingsandwhat
may be goingon.There is a part in the musicvideowhere the mare andpersonhavingthe tour
aroundhave beenshotfroma lowangle therefore the shotconveyspowerandmakesthe two
characters andespeciallythe mare lookdominantashe isthe personcontrollingthe whole
village/townandthe residentsinit.He maybe viewedasthe social constraintothe people livingin
there as everyone isobedienttohimandtheyare notfree to do whattheywouldlike to.The video
mostlyfocusesonusingthe conventional andtraditional shotswhichare longshots,wide shots,mid
shotsand close shottherefore the more modernconventionssuchastiltshotsor pans to leftand
rightare not usedwhichcan portrayingthe traditional valuesandconventionsthatthe residentsof
societieshadtofollow.The videocanbe seenas usingthe framingtheoryasframesare abstraction
that workto organize or structure message meanings.Inthisvideoone of the framesusedcanbe the
shotsof groupsof people throughoutthe videowhichcanimplythatinthe medieval daysandthe
oldtimessocietieswere more collectivisticratherthanindividualistic.Inthe medieval timesthe
social structure wasintroducedwhichplacedpeople tothe grouptheybelongedto.Theywere no
individualrightstherefore thisreinforcedthe ideaof collectivism.The social groupshaddifferent
attitudestherefore people fromthe same social groupwouldacttogetherespeciallythe working
classwho were the disadvantagedone wouldbe collective andsupportive of eachother.Thistwo
tieredsocial systemisreflectedin the videoaswe can see thatthe residentswerethe obedient

2. workforce andthenthere isthe higherclasssuch as the mare whichisthe mainforce of the town
and iscontrollingthe citizenswhichare collectivelyfollowinganddopingwhattheyhave been told.
The editingof the musicvideoof the songis verycomplex asitconsistsof manyideasand features.
The videoconsistsof longtakeswitchcutson the beat of the songinroder to reflectthe tempoand
of the song.
Coloursusedinthe mise enscene are mostlysaturatedandthe mainreasonbehindthismaybe in
orderto portray the townas a positive andgoodplace tolive aswell asto hide itsnegative sideso
towardsthe audience itwill seemanice place.
Howeverthe coloursusedinthe clothingof the mare and the inspectorcan be seenasquit
unsaturatedanddull.Itshowsa use of colourgradingto crate mutedtonesof blackand brown.This
editingeffectconnotedthatthe life inthe medievaltimeswashardhoweverthe societywasn`tas
distortedasit isnow. The clothingof the residentsandthe mayorshow greatcontrast whichisa
clearsignof the social divisionexisting.Forexample we cansee fromthe videothatthe mayorand
the inspector`sclothesconsistof unsaturatedcolourssuchasblackwhichhave the connotationsof
formalityandtherefore portraytheirhigherpositioninthe society.
Coloursusedinthe mise enscene are mostlysaturatedandthe mainreasonbehindthismaybe in
orderto portray the townas a positive andgoodplace tolive aswell asto hide itsnegative sideso
towardsthe audience itwill seemanice place.
Howeverthe coloursusedinthe clothingof the mare and the inspectorcan be seenasquit
unsaturatedanddull.Itshowsa use of colourgradingto crate mutedtonesof blackand brown.This
editingeffectconnotedthatthe life inthe medievaltimes washardhoweverthe societywasn`tas
distortedasit isnow. The clothingof the residentsandthe mayorshow greatcontrast whichisa
clearsignof the social divisionexisting.Forexample we cansee fromthe videothatthe mayorand
the inspector`sclothesconsistof unsaturatedcolourssuchasblackwhichhave the connotationsof
formalityandtherefore portraytheirhigherpositioninthe society.
Intertextuality
The music videoof ``Burn the Witch`` can clearlybe seenashavinga directintertextual tothe 1973
filmof ``The WickerMan``. The story explainshow adetective goestoanislandtoinvestigate a
disappearance,where inthe musicvideothisdetective isthe inspector.After,the investigatorgetsto
the islandhe findsamad communityof pagansindoctrinatedbyapersonwhohas a fruitfarm and its
successdependsonthe ritualsof the pagans. Amongthe ritualsseeninthe video,they alsohave a
sacrificial effigythathousesasacrifice where inthe filmaswell asInthe musicvideothisisthe
inspector.
The videocan be seenas beinglessexplicitthanthe film, withthe inspectorclimbingintothe cage of
hisownaccord, not beingforcedordraggedintoit, andat the endof the sequence he escapes,
visiblyatthe bottomleftcornerof the wide shot.Whereas,inthe filmhe`sburnto a crispin frontof
the settingsun.
The music video,furthermore connotesandreflectsmanyfamousmedieval practices.The menacing
tone getsmore bleaklyanti-intellectual viathe medievaldetailssuchasthe red crossespaintedon

3. doors- plague crosseswhichdate backto 1665`s Great Plague of Londonand whatlookslike aBeef
Willingtonisactuallymade fromanentire cow.
A keyand eye catchingpart of the videoisthe birdsingingcheerilyatitsopenandclose,ignorantof
the lyrics`nightmarishvisionof mob-like communities.The happilysingingof the birdatthe closing
shotof the videocan be inorder to reflectthe view andfactthateventhe visitof the inspectorwill
not bringaboutany changesto the communityanditspeople therefore itwillcontinuebeing
controlledthe same wayandpeople willcontinueperformingthe sinisterrituals.The factthatthe
communityanditspeople will notchange itsattitudescouldbe awayof symbolising,the strong
beliefs andtraditionsthatpeople usedtoholdinthe past and how hardit was to erode them.
Ethnicity
The videocan be seenas beingverydiscriminatoryasaresultof havingall people beingfromawhite
backgroundwithouthavinganyethnicdiversitybeingshown.Thiscanquote the societyinthe past
as people were veryclose mindedandnarrowedbelievingthatwhite peopleare the rulingand
dominantsocietytherefore beingverydiscriminatorytowardsforexample blackpeople and
segregatingthem.The video`sideamaybe todate back that problemwithethnicityand
discriminationwhichisstill acurrentprobleminthe societywe liveintoday,notjustinthe past.
Camera work
In the beginningatthe openingshot,whenthe menistalkingtothe residentsthe shotistakenfrom
a lowangle whichtherefore causesthe mentoappeardominantinthe communityamongthe other
residents.Thisisfurtheremphasisedbypositioninghiminthe middleandhavingthe residents
standingaroundhimand listening,exemplifyinganobedientworkforce.
Mise en scene
There isa close shotof the name of the village whichis``Modelvillage``,assoonas the inspector
enterswhichtobeginwithcreatesa wrongimpressiontohismind.Thisisbecause ata glance,andat
firstthe village looksperfect,howeverasthe leadertakesthe inspectoraroundwe cansee that there
a small detailswhichclearlyportraythatthe village issinisteranddisturbed.Thiscanbe firstlyseen
throughthe red cross beingpaintedonthe doorwhich symbolisesthe plagueinLondon,inthe
Medieval times,asatthose times,itwascommonto mark the doorsof victimsof the disease witha
large paintedcrossinred paint.However,the dunkingpostlateroninthe music videocanbe usedas
a juxtapositionthatportraysthe smoothrunningof the village asthe girl and the boyboth lookquite
happyand that they`re enjoyingthemselves.
However,asthe inspectorcontinueswalkingthroughthe villagehe becomesawitnessof agallow
builtbythe villagers, whichhasverydull andterrifyingconnotations.Firstly,there isashotof the
decorationandas the shot movesupitbecomesclearthat itis a gallow,thereforethat’sasignof the
crueltyof the village.
As the musicvideoIsapproachingitsend,the inspectorwitnessesthe jobe`s workforce,withsomeof
the people lookinglike theycome fromanethnicbackground.Thiscan linktothe contemporary
societyandthe immigrationorthe exploitationof workersfromethnicminoritybackgrounds.The
workershoweverare the obedientworkforce whoactuallykeepupthe village due tothe production

4. theymake.However,afterthisshotthere isashot of an old manwho isdrinkingsomethingand
offersitto the inspectorhoweverhe refusesandthenthe oldmanputsa stick upto show to the
workersthatthe juice isnotas nice.
- Tomato scene isshowingthe obedientworkforce
- Usage of coloursin the mise enscene
- Barthesand the Enigmacode used
Tomato scene isshowingthe obedientworkforce
- Ethnicity- discriminationasall the people in the vide are white,noethnicdiversity
- Usage of coloursin the mise enscene
- Barthesand the Enigmacode used
- Openingscene where the mare istalkingtothe residentslookatthe angle of the scene
showinghimasdominantandthe residentsassubservient