Princess of China (Coldplay) Music Video Analysis

STYLE OF MUSIC VIDEO

The video is predominantly a performance video, with Rihanna and Chris Martin lip-syncing and Rihanna engaging in choreography. Additionally it is also partially a narrative video as there is a loose plot intercut with performance where Rihanna portrays a warrior princess in China and Chris Martin a lone warrior who has a love affair with her. I would argue however as it is non-linear and simplistic this plot serves to support the performance aspects and isn't the most significant aspect.

INTERTEXTUALITY

A key feature to the music video is its homage to martial arts movies, shown through the unrealistic martial arts fights (at one point Chris Martina and Rihanna fly high through the air in recognisable green screen), the title cards at the beginning and ending and the Far East choreography setting, styling (costume, props, green screen backdrops, make up, hairstyles, Chinese lettering titles) and cultural references.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISUALS AND LYRICS 

The title, Princess of China, never appears in the lyrics but is a key influence on the plot, production design and visuals of the music video. Featured singer Rihanna portrays this titular character and in the lyrics refers to herself as a "princess" as we see her in a formal throne room. She is central to the frame, regally dressed and lit in gold to establish her as a powerful royal figure.

When the two singers sing together for the first time they are shown in shot together. They repeatedly sing "You really hurt me" as they kneel intimately together, implying a relationship of heartbreak.

GENRE CHARACTERISTICS

There is lots of choreoography in the music video as well as lip-syncing, two major signifiers of the pop music genre. Also there's prominent featuring of the two popular music artists, Coldplay's Chris Martin and Rihanna, helping the studio promote this song by featuring its famous vocalists.

The video is edited rhythmically, often cutting in time with the beat. There are also visual accents to beats in the music too (e.g. A drum is hit or a sword drawn). 

STAR TREATMENT

Rihanna and Chris Martin are the only two highlighted characters in the music video and receive the bulk of the screen time. This is likely at the request of the studio, hoping their significant presence makes the song have a stronger brand identity. Rihanna and Martin look directly in the camera frequently and are often framed centrally and in medium or close up shots, drawing the audiences attention.

The dancers, musicians and stunt artists are all in service of the artists and aren't ever highlighted on. One such example is this shot where Chris Martin is positioned central further forward than the drummers and becomes an imposing figure that towers over the supporting cast, who are stood in such a way that they appear much shorter.

It's interesting that no other band members in Coldplay feature in the video. This is likely because Chris Martin acts as the face of the band, being the lead singer, and is as a result the person his studio would prefer to be focused most heavily on and be associated with the Coldplay brand.

Rihanna's brand as glamorous is strongly used as a tool in this video. She wears 3 elaborately styled costumes that are revealing and intricate. She also has a tough image which here can be seen in her casually lounging on a chaise-lounge and taking part in a sword fight.

Chris Martin appears cool and Bond-like in the video. He successfully fights a ninja and is seen walking confidently to the palace through a desert, making him reminiscent of action heroes celebrated by male audiences.

MALE GAZE/REPRESENTATION

There can be said to be lots of elements added such as eroticism and violence to make the video appealing to a male audience. This can be seen best in the respective presentation of its male and female leads:

Rihanna wears very tight and exposed clothing in red and black, showing off legs arms and cleavage commonly, as do the female dancers, and is shown with wind machines acting on her. This gives her character a significant sexual context making her appealing to male viewers.

 She also dances provocatively in suspenders with long red fabric at the end of the video while Chris Martin stares on, making her seem in service of his character. Slow motion is also used to make her seem sensual and seductive.

Chris Martin is instead presented as a typical masculine hero. He's first introduced first in an extreme-long shot waking through a desert in a Western-like shot. His costumes are neutral, military and warrior-like and he fights a ninja early in. It is easy to interpret the video as being about Chris Martin and Rihanna serving as the femme-fatale supporting character which would be appealing to the male viewers but less so for female audiences.

On the other hand there are some elements that break gender roles: Rihanna is seen herself as a warrior in one scene and demonstrates an air of confidence and toughness so isn't the damsel in distress role her "princess" may be expected to be. Likewise there is hints of romance and lots of choreography which can be thought to be appealing to the female audience as well. This matches the respective female and male key audiences of Rihanna and Coldplay so that the video appeals to fans of both however being Coldplays song first and foremost the video is very guilty of serving the male gaze.

In terms of racial representation there is perhaps a problematic way in which the video depicts China. The two leads aren't of this ethnicity and stereotypes fuel the entire video which can be thought of as inauthentic and offensive to a Chinese audience. Japanese and Thai culture is also blended into the video through the presence of a ninja fighter and the choreography, making it questionable in its presentation of the region. Alternatively the main market for the song is western audiences in the UK and USA so these choices make the video easier to understand and more appealing for these audiences, which would allow the song to make more money. Also the video does have a martial arts B-Movie theme which these elements do contribute effectively towards.

SHOT VARIETY AND SETUPS

There are lots of different locations and set-pieces however they can all be seen to have been achieved through green screen/CGI assistance and were likely shot in a studio environment. The setups are as follows:

• Desert
• Exterior of palace
• Throne Room
• Hallway where fight happens
• Chaise-lounge
• Clouds
• Room with drums
• Room with lots of Lanterns
• Columned room
• A silhouette against red background

Almost every shot has either Chris Martin or Rihanna central in the frame. Still camerawork dominates and any movement is smooth. However in the romantic desert setup a hand-held camera is used as well as shot-reverse-shot to make the characters' chemistry seem genuine. There are lots of medium and medium-close up shots of the singers and occasionally long shots which show off the costumes and settings.

Other frequently employed techniques to make the shots look more cinematic and ethereal include vertical symmetry, subjects out of focus and heavy lens flare.

PACE

The video is comprised mostly of relatively short shots that cut rhythmically with the music. In the final chorus, jump cuts are used and there's a greater variety of shot types so the ending feels solidly like a finale. This section cuts between multiple setups very fast to give the impression of an amalgamation of ideas.

In contrast to this is the shots in the bridge and instrumental which are slow and drawn out and focus on one scene at a time. The "you really loved me" sequence features long takes of the pair in the desert and the instrumental where the singers fly through the air in slow motion is also drawn out and long. Also similar to this is the opening where the majority of the shots depict Chris Martin in single locations in long takes to start slowly and build up to a climax. Rihanna's introduction and solo verse are also slower and more drawn out, allowing the viewer to clearly see the performer make an entrance.

FX

Green-screen and CGI are used to create the striking locations like the palace rooms and the desert. This doesn't always convince which gives the video a martial arts B-Movie feel. At one point the actors look to have been recorded on wires to give the impression they are flying or jumping very high. CGI dust is added to the desert to make it look more vast and dream-like.

Slow-motion is used on the physical scenes such as dances, stunts or fight scenes to give them a cinematic quality. This effect being used on Rihanna for instance highlights the patterns her trailing red sleeves make at the end of the video. Some footage is also reversed for the same reason.

Blue tints are used on the cloud sequence and the ninja fight scene to suggest a night time setting and contrast the red and gold colours that dominate the video.

The red background shots have a dark border bringing focus central as do many other scenes in the music video. Rihanna and the dancers have been digitally edited to be a solid black silhouette here which looks artistic and bold.

At one point Rihanna dances while many pairs of arms seamlessly perform and create shapes around her. This has been created by the dancers bodies being edited out and their arms positioned exactly around Rihanna in after-effects so they can appear invisible and shielded by her.

Titles have been added in after-effects. An opening shot has been edited in aftereffects to look like Super 8 footage.

MISE-EN-SCENE

There are many on-screen indicators of the Eastern setting. The following is a list of some:

• Chinese lanterns
• Eastern Asian supporting performers
• Chinese characters/typography
• Pagodas
• Red and gold colouring
• Arches and latticework
• Tattoos
• Architecture
• Ninjas
• Samurai Swords
• Chinese Drums
• Dragon Statues
• Chopsticks
• Kimono
• Gongs