Burn the Stage is an 8-episode Documentary miniseries on Youtube Red - then re-released as a full movie - chronicling the behind-the-scenes of Korean boyband BTS's WINGS Tour, which started in March 2017 and ended on December of the same year.
Despite being about the tour for WINGS, both the series and the movie are themed around the LOVE YOURSELF Series, particularly the Hidden Tracks "Skit: Hesitation and Fear" and "Sea" from LOVE YOURSELF: Her, which talk about the group's filtered image (despite their desire to be honest with fans) and the difficult path to fame, respectively. Fittingly enough, the series was released right between LOVE YOURSELF: Her (about the creation of a Stepford Smiler mask) and LOVE YOURSELF: Tear (about the instability and inevitable destruction of the charade); the movie was released months after LOVE YOURSELF: Answer (the conclusion of the LOVE YOURSELF series).
The purpose of the documentary series, as stated in the page quote, is for the members to show a raw, more honest side of themselves. Because of this, the series documents stage preparations, rehearsals and members during their free time (not unlike their Bangtan Bomb videos on Youtube), but also arguments, injuries, and members giving their deeper thoughts on the tour, all during BTS's meteoric rise to the global mainstream during that year.
The Movie is considerably different to the Youtube Red series. Aside from containing new scenes and drastically different editing (notably featuring narration), it serves a slightly different purpose - being more of a reflection about the unpredictable and overwhelming nature of success, BTS' purpose and position as artists, and the way they function as a team. It got a limited release on theaters worldwide on November 15th to great success, surpassing One Direction's record as the most admissions for event-cinema of all time. You can find its official website here
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The full movie (like the series) is now available on Youtube Premium, on BTS' channel BANGTANTV.
In August 7th, 2019, another documentary movie was released in cinemas worldwide. This film, Bring The Soul, chronicles the behind the scenes of the Love Yourself Tour, with the members recounting the events during a dinner in the last night of the tour in Paris. It has a much Lighter and Softer tone than the previous film.
A Bring The Soul documentary series was announced to be released in late August on the app Weverse.
Both Burn The Stage (film and series) and Bring The Soul provide examples of:
- Fun with Acronyms: "Burn The Stage" is yet another addition to a growing list of meanings of "BTS".
- The second film follows the same pattern... "Bring The Soul". Subtitles in other languages change the title into other words that still form the BTS acronym, such as Brinda Tu Ser ("Offer your Being") in Spanish.
- Rockumentary: We see their general lives during the tour, which (in the case of Burn the Stage) also happens to be the time period where they suddenly found themselves rising to US mainstream fame.
- Talking Heads: More prevalent in the series, with each member showing their own thoughts and perspective on things. In the film, it's mostly averted until the final scenes, which contain interviews with the members from mid-2018, a year after the tour.
- True Companions: A theme for both the series and the movie (perhaps the series more-so), showing various instances of the members having to go through both happy and difficult times together. Arguments are peacefully solved by having all the members sitting down and talking about it, and seeing a fellow member injured is difficult for them. Awards and achievements aside, their main wish is to stay together for a long time, even if fame leaves them.
The series provides examples of:
- A Day in the Limelight: While the documentary focuses on all members, certain episodes focus on one or more members specifically.
- Groupie Brigade: A scene shows Chilean fans chasing BTS' bus for a bit while it takes off, to the amazement/astonishment of the members. Mostly averted outside of that, however, with all other scenes of screaming fans shown in or outside concert venues; some of them are interviewed for the documentary, with answers being more heartfelt than hysterical.
- Is This Thing Still On?: One of the first scenes shows the members discussing and joking about their upcoming rehearsal jokes while eating. Some members belatedly realize that the camera is filming.
The Burn The Stage movie provides examples of:
- Becoming the Mask: Suga's narration at the end states that their birth names have become somewhat strange to them, while their Stage Names have become part of them as well.
- Call-Back/Continuity Nod:
- Near the end, there's a compilation of very early Bangtan Bombs and Bangtan Episodes.
- There are also call-backs to events shown only in the web series.
- A comedic example. Suga's rendition of "Awake" makes a comeback.
- Drinking on Duty: Suga serves himself wine while attempting to write songs at one point, though he states he doesn't usually do it (because it gives him headaches).
- Funny Background Event: Somewhat inevitable when you have seven guys on-screen. For example, while the rest of the members are dancing or jumping to the water, Suga is briefly seen on a chair in the background, watching merrily with a glass of wine.
- Instant Expert: Taehyung somehow learns the choreography of "Begin" with little difficulty.
- Mood Whiplash: The film generally reflects on BTS' difficult road to success and the uncertainty of it (constantly referencing the Hidden Track "Sea"), but given the members' personalities there's plenty of comedy throughout coming from the guys themselves. This is all intercut, sometimes with the narration being much sadder than what's actually going on. This does manage to amp up the melancholy of it all, framing these scenes as momentary happiness in the face of the uncertainty of success, but the effect can be jarring.
- A particularly egregious moment is the barbecue-at-the-swimming-pool scene, which itself comes right after a particularly somber inter-title. The members are messing around the pool (or not, in the case of Suga), then Suga takes a bottle of champaign to open it, with a lot of build-up around it. Slow motion kicks in as he opens it - goofy faces all around (and it's hilarious)-, but then, so does a narration about the fleetingness of moments, wondering about whether it'll all end. You'll be laughing one second and crying (or going "wait... what?") on the next.
- Pungeon Master: As always, Jin. He starts making dad jokes even while a physical therapist is helping him stretch.
- Running Gag: Suga drinking wine.
- So Unfunny, It's Funny: As it's the rule with Jin, his jokes are so bad that the physical therapist who's helping him stretch ends up laughing. Jin is satisfied.
- The Stinger: The credits end with a special thanks message directed to ARMYs.
- Stylistic Suck: At one point, the members start doing covers of other members' WINGS solo songs during a concert rehearsal. Hilarity Ensues. Suga's... heartfelt rendition of Jin's "Awake" makes a comeback.
- The Unreveal: We never get a full performance from the tour, only showing bits and pieces throughout (and often with incidental music).
- Wine Is Classy: Suga appears several times sitting with a glass on wine in hand. Even during a barbecue.
