Radiohead- Burn The Witch

      

The establishing shot of the village immediately allows the audience to gather an idea of the focus of the music video, such as it centering around a medieval model village and there being a person in a position of power- aka the mayor. The medieval setting also alludes to how the videos main message is about the sanitisation of the past and people only remembering the good things in our history. 

The next shot creates connotations of blood with red paint dripping out of the bucket, which juxtaposes the seemingly innocent task of the villager painting a postbox. This also foreshadows the end of the video where an attempted murder takes place. This is also the same paint used later in the video when painting an x on peoples doors, which links to the alienation of those who go against society such as those with the black plague or immigrants. 

The first shot showing the red x being painted on the doors of peoples houses, insinuates the isolation of people from society who 'dont belong'. Such as people who might have disabilities or illness (which links to the black plague and red x's on doors.) Therefore it shows historical context and also post modernism. It also links to the immigrant crisis and asylum seekers which is occurring in our society today. 

The end of the music video depicts the inspector being placed in the wooden man structure (intertextuality to 70s film The Wicker Man.) It also summises Radioheads entire message of the video, such as the inspector being us, an average person who is turning a blind eye to the villages activities and failing to notice the impending doom that surround them throughout the video. This can be inferred as people failing to notice or make a difference about the persecution and alienation of people in todays age such as muslims and immigrants, and that because it doesn't affect us we don't have to care. This is then turned on its head because the Inspector is then placed in danger, with the rest of the village continuing to smile and wave in one of the closing shots (symbolising the rest of society turning a blind eye) and implying that we could be the ones next in danger and 'in the gallows' like the people we currently ignore. 

 This shot references society turning a blind eye, the villagers are indoctrinated in to believing this is the norm. Whilst the inspector who symbolises the public, is being placed in danger after ignoring others. 

This creates an eerie ambience for the audience as the villagers turn and wave to the camera.