This is an analysis of Paradise by Coldplay, particularly focusing on genre, audience and narrative theory.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.