Music Videos - Questions

1. What stereotypes can we see in the 2 videos?

• Perfection - Burn the Witch has the idea of a perfect town, perfect people, perfect life. But in reality, the way they achieve this is very sinister and costing. It reflects the way any 'perfection' is found in that it's actually a very damaging concept. There will be resistance - the blonde girl maybe standing out. And ultimately, she was punished until she conformed to lighting the fire. It creates a very negative idea around it, suggesting the idea of perfection is the real problem - there is no such thing.
• Strong woman - Sande is very much presented as a strong female artist. It's achieved through the focus on her work, little makeup, short hair, modest clothing. But this gives a negative reflection on any woman who isn't like that. It's then typically seen as a weak or girly for a woman to have a lot of makeup, provocative clothing, focus on her looks. If people just understood a woman can be strong regardless of her looks and presentation - furthermore, the girl in BTW who stands out, who is seen as a witch is supposed to be the strong woman. But she's punished and broken to fit the mould.

2. Do you think any groups are mis- or under- represented in the 2 videos?

• POC are greatly underrepresented in Burn the Witch. It is a town full of white people but perhaps that is done to further the representation of our society. If they are calling out our government, the obsession with a perfect Britain, then surely racism is going to be highlighted as it's one of the main issues. However, they could have made the inspector a different race which could have highlighted the problem more in that he is the 'other' and the outsider that they are against.

3. A student once said: "I know it's stop-motion animation, but actually 'Burn the Witch' feels more realistic than 'Heaven'". Do you agree?

• In a way, yes. The objective of 'Heaven' was to be raw and show Sande's background, where she grew up and also the type of person she grew up around. But it's still got a filter over what actually occurs. It does represent a wider range of people which could be argued as more realistic in terms of who is in these towns. However, it's very pleasant and one sided. Where as 'Burn the Witch' takes it even further to not only show a potential positive in how towns across Britain seem - like the flowers decorating everything. But they also touch on the negative side of society, focusing on a lot of the bad that may not appear in a lot of the media but is very much real. 

4. Heaven is considered by the exam board to be the most conventional of the two music videos. Does it deserve this label?

• Partially. As far as music videos go, it is the most conventional of the two. But, this could be because 'Burn the Witch' is so non-conforming. 'Heaven' does have a non-conventional way of representing those who generally aren't in the media. As an artist, Sande focuses on the work over fame which is very much different to the usual or expected content of a pop artist. However, it is a video of performance shots with no solid narrative or step out of line - unlike 'Burn the Witch'.

5. What genre would you say the two videos belong to and why?

• Burn the Witch: Alternative - the music alone would fit this by having not only a very real/daunting message but also the sound being different. The video was a risk without permission of Trumpton and the overall imagery would not be accepted by popular media. It stands out and almost takes one for the team by calling out what others are afraid to.
• Heaven: Ethereal/dark wave - the music could fit pop with it's upbeat sound but the video doesn't fit is as much. The soft/pastel colours along with light effects give a ethereal look and feel. The field featured, various angles and blending remind me of the Cocteau Twins. This also fits the message and title in that it's almost other worldly.