Paradise by coldplay analysis

Close ups have been used frequently in this music video, particularly on the face of the protagonist of this video which happens to be the elephant. Andrew Goodwin suggests these are important as it helps the audience appreciate the ‘star persona’ of the lead

singer. It is slightly different in this case as the ‘star’ happens to be a made-up character, however it has a similar effect and results in the audience feeling sympathy and concern for this character as it seems as if there is no calm equilibrium for him but immediately a disruption to it according to Todorovs narrative theory. The audience is playing the position of voyeur and merely observing the elephant as he goes on his

journey, however the close ups used create a sense of closeness and a bond between audiences and character.

This scene is particularly effective as framing has been used so that the elephant is seen to be trapped and enclosed behind bars. This plays on the audiences sympathies of animals being cooped up and mistreated in zoos . It is also reflective of how people

often feel in their lives, as though they are trapped in one place and stagnate, yearning for other places and to fulfil their dreams. Due to this, one of the uses and gratifications the audience may get out of watching this video is identification as they can relate to the story and protagonist. This is the metaphor which is being played out here as (we know from seeing the ending) that the elephant is actually a band member who went on the journey of running away and finding his true home and family with his band on

the stage.

This scene is reminiscent of a jail or someone being held as a prisoner. It is evident that this is

how the elephant feels as he is whiling away time counting down days till he’s free or can

escape. The bars of the cage are still seen in the background, creating a somber mood and

causing real sympathy in the audience. The use of a close up of the chalk sketching drawn on

the wall implies the elephant is missing people of his own kind and his family and is desperately

wanting to see them. This desperation foreshadows the narrative plot of the music

video and hints at what the recognition of the disruption of Todorovs equilibrium will entail as the main character recognises the problem and

is forced to do something about it.

The Elephants apparent lack of freedom and happiness invokes a feeling of motivation as if he is about to set out on a mission to

gain back what was taken to him. This suggests that he plays

the part of ‘hero’ in Propps character types. As far as the

‘villain’ goes, it is slightly more unconventional in this case as it isn’t so much a ‘who’ as a ‘what’.

The setting (that we can presume is a zoo) is the villain in this narrative as it is responsible

for holding him back and imprisoning him. When looked at

more broadly the metaphor of the zoo could be interpreted as

being society and the government who acts as the

‘villain’ in our everyday lives by holding us back from doing what we really want and living out our

dreams.

Other key uses and gratifications an audience member may watch this

music video for is entertainment and escapism. When first watching this video you are immediately shocked

and amused at seeing such a character as the elephant. The animal

suit has been used in a way that despite the serious underlying

meaning of the video, it appears humorous, funny and random. As this is a modern video they could of used animation or CGI to create a realistic looking animal but they have instead chosen to go with this which causes

the elephant to seem human-like and thus more relatable and amusing in it’s

human acts such as escaping on a bike. This amusement from the video

also offers an escape to those who are wishing to forget about reality for

awhile. As an audience member you can get lost in a media production and

become invested and part of the narrative occurring in the video,

feeling as though you are part of that world. Similar scenes such as these are shown frequently in varying location to demonstrate the idea of passing time

and vast areas being covered, emphasising the idea of a long journey

which the audience is witnessing.

In amidst the narrative telling of the elephants story of escape and freedom are performance elements. These are done with the clever use of lyrics written on cardboard which initially is quite amusing and funny to see. However Barthes symbolic codes come

into play here as the scene has deeper connotations. The setting is in a rough and dilapidated area with another sign behind the elephant asking for donations. This connotes that, by running away, he is essentially homeless now with nothing to his name-no money,

no possessions.

The use of written lyrics displayed in pop/rock official music videos is actually quite uncommon and mostly saved for a lyric video. The fact that this video doesn’t go along

with common codes and conventions of this genre makes it stand out and be more unique. Steven Neale stated that ‘genres are instances of repetition and difference’ and

adds that ‘difference is absolutely essential to the economy of the genre’. This is particularly shown here in this popular music video as mere repetition would not attract

an audience and instead by being different it attracts a secondary audience of those watching the music video, not so much for the music and song itself, but instead for the

narrative story and cinematography.

The narrative reaches Todorovs stage of returning and restoring a new

equilibrium where the story resolves with Propps ‘hero’ successfully

fulfilling his goal of reaching his band family and performing on stage like

he always dreamed of which connotes the message that you can do anything you want to do. This

suggests that the majority of the audience would have had a dominant

viewing of the video where Stuart Halls reception theory states the

audience decodes the message as the producer wants them to and broadly agrees with it as it is an

inspiring and moving message. This also almost against the effects model as, despite the consumption of this

media text having an effect and influence upon the audience, it is largely positive as opposed to the

usual negative influence that audiences are powerless to prevent.

When thinking about Rick Altman, this music video fits into it’s genre due to it’s syntactic elements

rather than its semantic elements as it has certain ideologies and narratives that are often explored in

alternative rock videos such as deviating from societal norms. John Hartley states that texts often

exhibit the conventions of more than one genre, which is true in this case as Coldplays music is

regarded as being part of many different genres and yet this music video lacks the violent and dark nature often related to rock music and the female demeaning and conforming aspects often seen in

pop music and instead sits happily between multiple genres with it’s unique and engaging

music video.