Intertextuality- Burn The Witch- 03/03

 Intertextuality in Burn the Witch

Radiohead are well known for using intertextuality within their videos. 

  • Trumpton used to create the Village to appear as a perfect English Village. Represents Middle England- white, middle class place. Trumpton was teaching children community values. The creator said that there was no trouble in Trumpton- very unrealistic. Shows a mythical small town with views often shared by the Right Wing party. 
  • The Wickerman 1973- used to show the darker sides to society and reflects the us vs them mindset. During the film the villagers think that they need to make a sacrifice for their crops to grow but the policeman is trying to tell them that it is due to the weather but the villagers won't listen. This reflects the stubbornness of believes in society- politics. 
  • Lord of the Flies- During the film the boys kill a boar with a spear and leave its head on a spear as a trophy. The name of the pub 'The Speared Boar' in the music vid. This reference may be used in the music video to show the country is losing morals and turning into a tribe like country. The boys are driven by fear and kill the boar- suggesting the fear of the unknown may drive us to bad actions. Shows the dark things that humans are capable of. 
  • Reference to the Bible- 'Jobes' are written on the boxes where the fruit pickers are. Job's story in the Bible features him being tested by God as he loses everything yet keeps his faith in God. This may be Radiohead saying that we need to keep our faith in God and in each other.
  • Witch trails- The girl on a chair above the river. Witch trails are famous for their stupidity. Anyone could accuse anyone-this turning on each other mindset. 
  • The dark ages- The red cross on the door- The plague. The blood dripping from the meat- sinister medieval. 
Explain how media language in music videos incorporates viewpoints and ideologies.

- Britain has an Us vs Them mindset- outsiders are not welcome- critical of Brexit. The way that they turn on the Inspector and burn him in the Wickerman.
- The idealistic society is not realistic- The village first appears perfect like Trumpton but as the video goes on strange things start to happen such as the person in the house with the red cross drown on their door.
-People have a darker side to them: The villagers all seem welcoming at first but are really out to get each other- the knives around the girl, person in the house with the red cross- burning the inspector

The media language in Burn The Witch incorporates viewpoints and ideologies of the band as it represents to how Britain has created an Us vs Them mindset, with outsiders not being welcome. This viewpoint is shown in the way that the villager treat the Inspector as they attempt to burn him to death in a giant wickerman- just like the villagers in the 1973 film 'Wickerman'. As the Inspector is in the wickerman and it is alight, the camera pans away from the villagers as they appear to be waving to the camera. This creates a sinister atmosphere as they appear to have achieved their aim of destroying the outsider. The use of the camera panning away creates the effect that the audience are now running away as they are now scared of this community after witnessing what happens to outsiders. This us vs them mindset may be the band reflecting how Britain has responded to Brexit and migrants with many British people being unwelcoming to people from other countries.

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