coldplay - paradise
The Coldplay music video for Paradise was directed by Mat Whitecross, which focuses on the idea of freedom. The song is from Coldplay's album 'Mylo Xyloto' which was released in 2011. The director has filmed the video in the style of a documentary, as it features a person in an elephant suit, making the video ironic.
The concept of the video is about captivity, and how people long for freedom and will break the restraints holding them down. The video follows an elephant, played by the band's lead singer Chris Martin, who escaped from the zoo in England and begins a journey to his homeland of Africa.
We see the elephants relentlessness as he busks on the street, sneaks into an airport and onto a plane, and also as he rides in the scorching weather of Africa on his unicycle.
He longs for 'Paradise.'
The video is conceptual due to the frequent use of artistic shots and the creativity that is present within the video.
Despite this, other types of music video conventions are present in the video, such as the use of performance shots at the end, and also the fact that the idea of the elephant becomes a story, therefore incorporating narrative elements into the video.
Goodwin's theory of lyrics and visual is demonstrated clearly in the video, as the elephant holds up cardboards placards of the lyrics whilst busking on the street. This is seen as creative, because instead of having the singer lip syncing to the lyrics, we instead have a more clever concept of the lyrics being demonstrated by the elephant whilst also incorporating the action into the plot.
The use of lyrics and visual is also demonstrated throughout the video. The word 'Paradise' is repeated several times throughout the song. The video focuses on serene landscapes, warm colours and atmospheric settings , which are all associated with paradise and heaven. This shows the link between the words of the song and the visuals on the screen.
The video looks at the concept of finding where you truly belong and being with the people who you love. We are unsure of the identity of the elephant until a certain point in the video, where we find out that it is Chris Martin, which incorporates himself and the rest of his band into the video.
When the elephant finds his family, it is also Chris Martin finding the band, and the idea could be percieved either way.
The band elephants start playing as a band, which cuts to them being on stage. The transition shows that this is where they really belong - on the stage, performing. This links with the elephant discovering his family and being where he belongs, and shows the audience that the band is taleneted and they belong in the music industry.
The video finished with the group of elephants all running together, which repreents freedom and tells the audience that the elephant is now where he belongs; paradise.