Detailed Analysis of a Music Video – Coldplay Paradise

Detailed Analysis of a Music Video – Coldplay Paradise

Camerawork

 

 

 

Editing

 

 

Mise-en-scene

In this music promo from Coldplay they used quite a few different locations to conduct their filming. One of the locations that were used was the Paradise Wildlife Park in London which is used to show the elephant escaping from the zoo. This was one of a number of locations used and another location used was in Cape Town, the Klein Karoo in the Western Cape. We do see an aerial shot of Cape Town and then later on see the elephant (Chris Martin) wandering around Johannesburg as we see him walk past Nelson Mandela bridge. The locations used have been very well thought about and we feel they have been used very effectively as they help the narrative of the lyrics. The locations also portray a sense of reality and the sad truth about wild animals trapped in cages/zoos. The locations used show the difference of a poor life to ‘paradise’ for an elephant. The locations have been used to create the message about caged animals and that animal in the wild (shown on the plains in Johannesburg and Cape Town) elephant are happiest because they are with their families out in the wild.

 

 

The main costume that is used in the Coldplay Paradise music video was the use of the elephant costume throughout that the main character Chris Martin wore. The use of the elephant costume is effective because it represents the truth surrounding elephants and any animals stripped of their freedom. Although Coldplay has portrayed the song in a comical way with the costume but the story behind shows the views of Coldplay and the harsh truth of animals in zoos and represents animals being out in the wild as being their ‘Paradise’.  The lighting in the Coldplay Paradise song isn’t that effective as it hasn’t been used to indicate or create any messages. Although at the start of the music promo there is a sense of low-key lighting and represents a dark, gloomy day in the London setting zoo. Then by the time the elephant reaches Johannesburg the low-key lighting is no longer seen and the natural light represents happiness and as he has reached his paradise this creates the message of happiness for animals in the wild.

Intertextuality is portrayed in this music promo and uses Todorov’s narrative theory in the narrative for Coldplay Paradise. There’s equilibrium used in the promo and this means where everything is balanced. The link with intertextuality is with Coldplay’s own song called ‘Every Teardrop is a Waterfall’. In the Paradise music promo the lyrics “every tear a waterfall” are used and is a reference to one of their other singles and can get the audience to think about that single and then could get the audience to watch the music promo for that single afterwards – a good way to promote their songs/music promos. The meaning behind ‘Every Teardrop is a Waterfall’ is when people are in a negative situation and turning it into a positive. The use of the lyrics in the Paradise music promo helps portray the elephants story because the lyrics come when the elephant is entering the bike shop and this represents the elephant being negative before by a way of getting to his Paradise being hampered because he can’t get their but the positive turn is the bike shop and getting himself a bike to get to his ‘Paradise’.

The lyrics ‘Every tear a waterfall’ is heard across these two shots.

Narrative/Performance

 

The performance/narrative as a whole is very impressive, it uses a variety of locations to help show his travel from the paradise zoo in London to the plains of Africa where he meets his fellow Elephants (other members of Coldplay).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the shot to the left we can see the elephant in the zoo wants to be reunited with the other elephants which will later connote to his happiness when he is reunited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As seen in the shot to the right we see the Elephant has reached his paradise with the other band members and his happiness. Therefore the Narrative of the whole song is the Elephant trying to reach his paradise. 

The majority of the song is Narrative based until around 3:20 in where we see the Elephants reunited and start playing on the African Plains but then it cuts to them performing on stage so the last 1 minute is performance based. This is good as it keeps the variety and does add to the narrative as it shows the "Elephants" as being happy to be back together.

 

The performance is quite strange as when they perform on stage they're still wearing their costumes; this is a pretty clever idea as it makes the audience remember their music video but also adds a comical element. The narrative however is performed all over the world this adds to the video as it shows the trip to paradise and his journey, furthermore it offers a variety of locations which keeps the video interesting which would of not been possible if it was only shot in a couple of locations and it would of also weakened. The narrative is used to amplify the song lyrics; they do not directly relate to them like illustration but do have some relevance as the Elephant tries to reach paradise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this screenshot it shows one of the many narratives based shots which help amplify the lyrics as it talks about "Paradise" and we see him travelling to paradise.

As music video's go, Coldplay’s Paradise is pretty strange but is very memorable. The use of the costume really helps bring out the narrative as we see the struggle for him to get to paradise. It's not typical for a music video to be nearly all narrative and for us to see very little of the artists but it work well as the locations help to immerse the audience into the song. The performance at the end is strange as they perform in the elephant masks which for the audience are quite a weird site but again it helps relate to the narrative and tie them together as we could connote that Coldplay's Paradise is performing on stage.