Media Studies OCR Exam Blog - Kate Ovington

EQUILIBRIUM THEORY APPLICATION: The video tells the story of an inspector visiting a village, appearing a pastoral idyll, only to reveal the darkness that lies under the surface. The status quo, or what Todorov would term 'equilibrium', is established through a colourful mise-en-scene with close-ups of flowers, multi-coloured houses, trees and people. This is almost a visual of the Inspector's expectations of what he is coming to visit. The disruption, or initiating incident is revealed through  parallel  imagery, unfolding only once the Inspector actually arrives. The man once painting a postbox (British symbolism) is now painting a red X on a 'traitor's' door. The flowers on the pole are revealed to actually be on a noose. these, once close-up shots are now long/mid-shots, revealing darkness through the inspector's perspective. As the narrative builds towards the climax, more sinister elements are revealed through the use of changing time. The morning ...

ALBUM COVER: THE VIDEO: VIDEO LINK LYRICS: Stay in the shadows Cheer at the gallows This is a round up This is a low flying panic attack Sing a song on the jukebox that goes Burn the witch Burn the witch We know where you live Red crosses on wooden doors And if you float you burn Loose talk around tables Abandon all reason Avoid all eye contact Do not react Shoot the messengers This is a low flying panic attack Sing the song of sixpence that goes Burn the witch Burn the witch We know where you live We know where you live

SOCIAL + HISTORICAL CONTEXT: // Burn the Witch comes from Radiohead's 9th studio album, A Moon Shaped Pool.  It is the lead single on the album, i.e. it was released to coincide with the album: if you like the song, you will love the album. // It was released as a download on the 3rd of may 2016 on Radiohead's website, followed by 7-inch single released exclusively in independent record stores.  // Critics interpreted the lyrics and video as a warning against group-think and authoritarianism. // It was named one of the best songs of the year by Rolling Stone, Billboard, and the Village Voice,  and was nominated for best rock song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. It was one of the bestselling UK vinyl singles of 2016. // The lyrics direct the listeners to "Abandon all reason/avoid all eye contact/do not react/shoot the messengers/burn the witch". Yorke said the lyrics were inspired by the News of the World newspaper publishing the names and addresses of sex offen...