Music Video 2 Analysis- Radiohead Burn the Witch
Burn the Witch- music video analysis
Colours used in the mise en scene are mostly saturated and the main reason behind this may be in order to portray the town as a positive and good place to live as well as to hide its negative side so towards the audience it will seem a nice place.
However the colours used in the clothing of the mare and the inspector can be seen as quit unsaturated and dull. It shows a use of colour grading to crate muted tones of black and brown. This editing effect connoted that the life in the medieval times was hard however the society wasn`t as distorted as it is now. The clothing of the residents and the mayor show great contrast which is a clear sign of the social division existing. For example we can see from the video that the mayor and the inspector`s clothes consist of unsaturated colours such as black which have the connotations of formality and therefore portray their higher position in the society.
Intertextuality
The music video of ``Burn the Witch`` can clearly be seen as having a direct intertextual to the 1973 film of ``The Wicker Man``. The story explains how a detective goes to an island to investigate a disappearance, where in the music video this detective is the inspector. After, the investigator gets to the island he finds a mad community of pagans indoctrinated by a person who has a fruit farm and its success depends on the rituals of the pagans. Among the rituals seen in the video, they also have a sacrificial effigy that houses a sacrifice where in the film as well as In the music video this is the inspector.
The video can be seen as being less explicit than the film, with the inspector climbing into the cage of his own accord, not being forced or dragged into it, and at the end of the sequence he escapes, visibly at the bottom left corner of the wide shot. Whereas, in the film he`s burn to a crisp in front of the setting sun.
The music video, furthermore connotes and reflects many famous medieval practices. The menacing tone gets more bleakly anti-intellectual via the medieval details such as the red crosses painted on doors- plague crosses which date back to 1665`s Great Plague of London and what looks like a Beef Willington is actually made from an entire cow.
A key and eye catching part of the video is the bird singing cheerily at its open and close, ignorant of the lyrics` nightmarish vision of mob-like communities. The happily singing of the bird at the closing shot of the video can be in order to reflect the view and fact that even the visit of the inspector will not bring about any changes to the community and its people therefore it will continue being controlled the same way and people will continue performing the sinister rituals. The fact that the community and its people will not change its attitudes could be a way of symbolising, the strong beliefs and traditions that people used to hold in the past and how hard it was to erode them.
Ethnicity
The video can be seen as being very discriminatory as a result of having all people being from a white background without having any ethnic diversity being shown. This can quote the society in the past as people were very close minded and narrowed believing that white people are the ruling and dominant society therefore being very discriminatory towards for example black people and segregating them. The video`s idea may be to date back that problem with ethnicity and discrimination which is still a current problem in the society we live in today, not just in the past.
Camera work
In the beginning at the opening shot, when the men is talking to the residents the shot is taken from a low angle which therefore causes the men to appear dominant in the community among the other residents. This is further emphasised by positioning him in the middle and having the residents standing around him and listening, exemplifying an obedient workforce.
- Tomato scene is showing the obedient workforce
- Usage of colours in the mise en scene
- Barthes and the Enigma code used
The inspector can be seen as an outsider and a person that rebels against the attitudes and operations of the modelvillage society therefore the leader does not agree with this and wants to protect the village so it can continue running/operating the way he wants it to operate. Therefore, the solution to this is to burn him.
Sound
- The title `burn the witch`
Mise en scene
- wicker man
- model village
- red crosses relate to the plague in london
- dunking post
- moris dancing women is there could suggest the gender domains and the submissive female gender
- high shot
- the cruelness of the village can be seen through the hanging ropes.
- - jobe`s part can be a reference to the immigration in today`s society and the obedient workforce. The people working for jobe`s in the video, some of them look like they are from an ethnic background.
The inspector can be seen as an outsider and a person that rebels against the attitudes and operations of the modelvillage society therefore the leader does not agree with this and wants to protect the village so it can continue running/operating the way he wants it to operate. Therefore, the solution to this is to burn him.
Sound
- The title `burn the witch`
Mise en scene
- wicker man
- model village
- red crosses relate to the plague in london
- dunking post
- moris dancing women is there could suggest the gender domains and the submissive female gender
- high shot
- the cruelness of the village can be seen through the hanging ropes.
- - jobe`s part can be a reference to the immigration in today`s society and the obedient workforce. The people working for jobe`s in the video, some of them look like they are from an ethnic background.
Ideology
- a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.
Ideologies of `Burn the witch` video
Xenophobia/discrimination- can be a potential ideology of `Burn the witch` video. This is the dislike or prejudice against people from other countries/ethnic backgrounds. This can be seen in the video as there is no ethnic diversity used and at the shot of the jobe`s tomato production we cannot be sure whethersome of the workers actually come from a different ethnic background than British. Furthermore, the video and the understandings of that pre- industrial society were very limited and narrowed down therefore in the video is visible that there are not other races being portrayed rathe than the white and british people.
Authoritarianism- can be seen in the video as the power and the force of that community was the town mayor and the community can be compared to a mob-like community where the villagers are following the rules put in place by the town mayor and are just an obedient society that listens anf follows the ideas of the mayor of how the village should be ran.
Populism- political philosophy supporting the rights and power of the people in their struggle against the privileged elite. For example all the citizens in the village are dependent on the town mayor therefore they are forced to do what he says has to be done. Also, in a way it can be said that they have been brainwashed by him to do what he wants therefore the audience will sympathise with them.
Nationalism- Devotion, especially excessive or undiscriminating devotion, to the interests or culture of a particular nation-state. In the video it can be argued that the views and interests as well as beliefs of the town mayor are dominating the village for example, the Morris dancing, gallows visible in the video portray these beliefs, therefore any other outside views such as the views of the inspector who is an outsider and tries to put forwards his views is totally excluded which clearly portrays the nationalism that the village holds as swell as the town mayor.
Individualism- Belief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence. the individualism is reflected in the representation of the town mayor. As he is very individualistic therefore he puts forward his own ideas and beliefs and makes them dominant in the whole town rather than making the citizens contribute their own ideas, which shows the ideology of individualism.
Globalisation- A way in which the world becomes more interconnected, countries start trading globally and communication is developing. Businesses or other organisation develop international influence or start operating on an international scale. Globalisation can be seen in the video but is not such a dominant ideology. The part in which it can be seen is when the workers In the greenhouse are ''happily waving'' which appears to be a reference to immigration farm workers. This therefore suggests that how the world is becoming more interconnected and therefore the skills of people in different countries are desired from other countries and this is when immigration begins to happen. Furthermore, as the inspector- outsider is represented as a bureaucrat by his suit and clipboard, representing urbanism and central authority in opposition to the 'time honoured ways' of rural communities, it could imply how the rural communities are starting to decline and that the representation of the inspector is a way of showing how he is reinforcing urbanisation/urban sprawl.
Furthermore, exploitation of foreign workers is represented by the polytunnels full of tomato pickers who appear to be different and do not feature or take place in the planning of the visit-- instead they are forced to wave cheerily by the drunken old man with the stick.
Consumerism-the protection or promotion of the interests of consumers. An industrialised society where consuming goods is the most important characteristic. People are being judged on the things they consume and the things they own. All the characters wear traditional rural dress, such as smocks and for costumers which connote stability and tradition however when the ''hero'' like inspector arrives we see that the car he arrives in is from the 1950's, bearing a clipboard which is the classic 50s signifier of bureaucracy and dressed in a suit portrays the ideology of consumerism as his representation seems very important portrayed In the way he is dressed and the car that he most likely owns.
Scapegoating- the air of blaming a person or a group for something bad that has happened or that someone else has done.
Ideologies of `Burn the witch` video
Xenophobia/discrimination- can be a potential ideology of `Burn the witch` video. This is the dislike or prejudice against people from other countries/ethnic backgrounds. This can be seen in the video as there is no ethnic diversity used and at the shot of the jobe`s tomato production we cannot be sure whethersome of the workers actually come from a different ethnic background than British. Furthermore, the video and the understandings of that pre- industrial society were very limited and narrowed down therefore in the video is visible that there are not other races being portrayed rathe than the white and british people.
Authoritarianism- can be seen in the video as the power and the force of that community was the town mayor and the community can be compared to a mob-like community where the villagers are following the rules put in place by the town mayor and are just an obedient society that listens anf follows the ideas of the mayor of how the village should be ran.
Populism- political philosophy supporting the rights and power of the people in their struggle against the privileged elite. For example all the citizens in the village are dependent on the town mayor therefore they are forced to do what he says has to be done. Also, in a way it can be said that they have been brainwashed by him to do what he wants therefore the audience will sympathise with them.
Nationalism- Devotion, especially excessive or undiscriminating devotion, to the interests or culture of a particular nation-state. In the video it can be argued that the views and interests as well as beliefs of the town mayor are dominating the village for example, the Morris dancing, gallows visible in the video portray these beliefs, therefore any other outside views such as the views of the inspector who is an outsider and tries to put forwards his views is totally excluded which clearly portrays the nationalism that the village holds as swell as the town mayor.
Individualism- Belief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence. the individualism is reflected in the representation of the town mayor. As he is very individualistic therefore he puts forward his own ideas and beliefs and makes them dominant in the whole town rather than making the citizens contribute their own ideas, which shows the ideology of individualism.
Globalisation- A way in which the world becomes more interconnected, countries start trading globally and communication is developing. Businesses or other organisation develop international influence or start operating on an international scale. Globalisation can be seen in the video but is not such a dominant ideology. The part in which it can be seen is when the workers In the greenhouse are ''happily waving'' which appears to be a reference to immigration farm workers. This therefore suggests that how the world is becoming more interconnected and therefore the skills of people in different countries are desired from other countries and this is when immigration begins to happen. Furthermore, as the inspector- outsider is represented as a bureaucrat by his suit and clipboard, representing urbanism and central authority in opposition to the 'time honoured ways' of rural communities, it could imply how the rural communities are starting to decline and that the representation of the inspector is a way of showing how he is reinforcing urbanisation/urban sprawl.
Furthermore, exploitation of foreign workers is represented by the polytunnels full of tomato pickers who appear to be different and do not feature or take place in the planning of the visit-- instead they are forced to wave cheerily by the drunken old man with the stick.
Consumerism-the protection or promotion of the interests of consumers. An industrialised society where consuming goods is the most important characteristic. People are being judged on the things they consume and the things they own. All the characters wear traditional rural dress, such as smocks and for costumers which connote stability and tradition however when the ''hero'' like inspector arrives we see that the car he arrives in is from the 1950's, bearing a clipboard which is the classic 50s signifier of bureaucracy and dressed in a suit portrays the ideology of consumerism as his representation seems very important portrayed In the way he is dressed and the car that he most likely owns.
Scapegoating- the air of blaming a person or a group for something bad that has happened or that someone else has done.
1. What is the main message of The Radiohead?
2. How may a viewer of the following groups respond to the video or the preferred meaning?
a) From a refugee point of perspective
b) From a wing politician perspective
1. The main message of The Radiohead is the ideology of authoritarianism which can be seen as closely relating to the political movement of a dictatorship where there is a single person that holds all the power and control and the citizens, in this case the villagers are an obedient workforce or society that follows all the rules set by him. The Radiohead may also be using this music video to draw attention to the issues of immigration in the contemporary society we live in today. The band may be trying to compare immigrants to the inspector because they are physically accepted in a country however if they hold different views and attitudes differing from the ones of the people that are originally from that country then they will be pushed away, isolated and neglected from the society, similarly to what happened to the inspector- the town mayor and the society saw that the views that he holds differ from the typical views and traditions held and followed by the people in ''Modelvillage'' and therefore they attempted to kill him.
2b) From the perspective of a right wing politician he is most likely to agree with the actions of the town mayor and the villagers as right wing politicians are very conservative upon things like that. They are people who follow traditional attitudes and view, and do not like to drift away from those. They are pro-Brexit and against the free movement of immigrants therefore they would relate and can be compared to the town mayor and his actions, as right wing politicians themselves would not like anyone interfering with the way they rule society- such as the town mayor being interfered and disrupted by the ideas and views of the inspector.
2a) A refugee is more likely going to have a negative response to the video because one of the main ideologies portrayed through the video is xenophobia therefore he will clearly understand that he will be a problem for the society and will not be accepted. He will feel discriminated against. Refugees is a new term, where in the past in the medieval times- pre industrial era, there was not much of migration going on and Birtain did not contain the same number of immigrants it has now therefore for the past it wasn`t something common and typical as it is seen now.
2. How may a viewer of the following groups respond to the video or the preferred meaning?
a) From a refugee point of perspective
b) From a wing politician perspective
1. The main message of The Radiohead is the ideology of authoritarianism which can be seen as closely relating to the political movement of a dictatorship where there is a single person that holds all the power and control and the citizens, in this case the villagers are an obedient workforce or society that follows all the rules set by him. The Radiohead may also be using this music video to draw attention to the issues of immigration in the contemporary society we live in today. The band may be trying to compare immigrants to the inspector because they are physically accepted in a country however if they hold different views and attitudes differing from the ones of the people that are originally from that country then they will be pushed away, isolated and neglected from the society, similarly to what happened to the inspector- the town mayor and the society saw that the views that he holds differ from the typical views and traditions held and followed by the people in ''Modelvillage'' and therefore they attempted to kill him.
2b) From the perspective of a right wing politician he is most likely to agree with the actions of the town mayor and the villagers as right wing politicians are very conservative upon things like that. They are people who follow traditional attitudes and view, and do not like to drift away from those. They are pro-Brexit and against the free movement of immigrants therefore they would relate and can be compared to the town mayor and his actions, as right wing politicians themselves would not like anyone interfering with the way they rule society- such as the town mayor being interfered and disrupted by the ideas and views of the inspector.
2a) A refugee is more likely going to have a negative response to the video because one of the main ideologies portrayed through the video is xenophobia therefore he will clearly understand that he will be a problem for the society and will not be accepted. He will feel discriminated against. Refugees is a new term, where in the past in the medieval times- pre industrial era, there was not much of migration going on and Birtain did not contain the same number of immigrants it has now therefore for the past it wasn`t something common and typical as it is seen now.
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