Default is a performance video that features Django Django playing/lip syncing to the song in a warehouse-type setting. There is also a significant concept aspect to the video as well however as the footage has all been filmed in black and white then printed out frame by frame and animated as frames taped onto paper in a stop-motion style. This setup allows additional concepts to appear: paint is applied to the frames, multiple shots are seen simultaneously running, and some frames have parts cut out so only certain areas of the shots have motion.
GENRE CONVENTIONS
The video is a prime example of modern alternative rock music videos. Black and white is a common design choice for music videos in this genre and this is applied here. Also the video has a notable rugged and imperfect aesthetic that makes the music seem more grounded and casual, which is a characteristic of alternative rock music. There's also an emphasis on the band members as much as the singer, with instruments and musical equipment frequently shown, which is a common characteristic of alternative rock band videos where usually the music in general is the main focus, not a lead singer or personality.
Firstly, the camera is sometimes obscured by people, hands or objects like plants or wood. This deliberately makes the video seem amateur and home-made which helps creates the down to earth atmosphere the video is representing. The decision to zoom out on the frames reveals the black tape sticking each frame down to the paper in all four corners of each frame makes the video more rugged as the tape keeps moving places in each frame. There could also be said to be a sense of humour to this as the video breaks the fourth wall in showing the audience they are watching a sequence of frames that are photographed. It breaks the fourth wall later when separate shots interact with each other. The laidback humour here is another characteristic of alternative rock videos.
STUDIO INFLUENCE
The band are wearing simple, minimalistic clothing and often are looking not directly at the camera when performing, making them seem like an everyday group of people, which is likely influenced by studio executives marketing the band in a not-showy way to make them seem relatable and casual.
MISE-EN-SCENE
There is heavy focus on the instruments which are shown in close ups frequently. In one shot a nearby work surface can be seen with all the previously used pieces of tape gradually added which adds to the down to earth vibe of the video. In other shots discarded tape is placed outside the frames on the paper background, which at one point gets stained with paint. Paint has also been added onto the frames which dances around as the frames change. Items or blank space are coloured in and the painting is done roughly, again not subscribing to a polished aesthetic.
The band are performing in what appears to be a sort of art galley with eclectic items fleetingly seen in the background including a cactus, stepladder and sculptures on plynths. This gives the video a lighthearted feel and a sense of humour which matches the eclectic song.
Something the video does in the intrumental sections to punctuate the rhythmic beats of the tambourine is to sow various items dropping on the floor in medium close up. Things like a piece of Tupperware, a bouncy ball, and an egg which impact the floor in time with the music. Again they're quirky objects so add to a feeling of playfulness and fun in the video.
The colours used as paint are all very bright primary and secondary colours which adds pops of brightness and fun to the video.
SHOT TYPES / SET UPS
There are stationary medium close up set ups for all 4 band members and close ups of all the instruments which are staple shots that recur. There is also a master shot of the whole quartet playing together which repeatedly appears. These give the video unity and consistency.
There's also lots of creatively conceived shots that make use of the stop motion concept. At one point there is a sequence where there are 9 shots placed in a 3x3 formation that all interact with an illusion of passing a pole across from shot to shot. Later on one shot is cut into 9 and runs as individual pieces are switched for other shots in time to the music.
Another technique employed is cutting out small sections of frames and just adding them on top of previous frames, creating an effect where only certain parts of the shots move:
'Kerala' is a conceptual video with a loose narrative following a woman who is running through streets, distressed by surreal imagery that nobody around her appears to be able to see. The most striking concept to the video is the non-linear editing: the video features long takes that keep looping back slightly on themselves in time to the music, so the audience watches the shot progress very gradually. There are also many surreal and confusing visuals hidden in plain sight within the video, most of which I hadn't noticed until reading the comments on the video from YouTube.
NARRATIVE
The limited plot shows an unidentified woman frantically running through the streets of London looking at the sky in fear. It is unclear what she is looking at. She appears very distressed and tries to avoid other people, who look on with confusion at her desperate behaviour. She makes her way to a rooftop where the people on the streets below stand in a grid formation. At the end we see hundreds of unidentifiable flying objects rising out of London city centre.
PACE
Almost the entirety of the video cuts in time with the drum beat, creating a rhythmic effects suitable for the dance/tech genre of music playing. When there are breaks in the drum track including at the start and ending, the video has long takes that don't loop back which helps break up the looping sections by adding moments of calm normality.
SHOT VARIETY/SET UPS
The entire music video uses only 3 elaborate long shots with repeating footage. They are complicated setups as they are all tracking shots that follow the female character interacting with many extras in a variety of camera angles and proxemics to the actress. She is established as the central character this way as she remains in focus throughout and the camera at times reaches extreme close up proxemics to her.
At one point, a television seen has footage from later in the video playing on it, meaning the same shot has been edited into itself.
MISE-EN-SCENE
Among the interesting surreal incorporated into the video is the following. Most appear to have been achieved with after effects including colour correction and CGI but some are performance or set-dressing choices:
A comet is seen in the sky at the opening
In the park, a rock floats off the ground in the background
A man on the park bench is feeding non-existent birds
A building rotates in the background
A man in the cafe has glowing white eyes
A TV is playing future events in the video
A man crossing the road splits into two people
A poster on a building featuring large black circles
The car she passes changes colour every time the camera cuts
A man is levitating over houses in the sky
People are stood in a perfect grid in the car park below
A swarm of birds are all flying over the city
A solar eclipse is seen in the background
Sunset lighting is used for the final shot on the rooftop which gives the ending an otherworldly feeling.
The setting of suburban London is shown in several references as the long shot format doesn't allow for simple establishing shots. The final shot shows the London skyline clearly with The Shard prominently framed under the sun. There's also a location that looks very clearly like the city, with small council houses and tower blocks shown explicitly.
Some archetypes have been employed for the strangers in the background. Early in the video we see a businessman-type, wearing a black suit and glasses, holding a cup of coffee and a mobile phone who seems stereotypically aggravated that he's been bumped into. This helps contextualise the woman as frantic and distracted. There are also other characters like a woman who seems like she wants to help and is concerned for her which can be thought to use the stereotype of female characters being caring and protective. There's also an archetypal teenager wearing a beanie hat and an archetypal East End man who gets aggressive and physically threatening with the woman and has to have another stranger intervene. All these characters help create the illusion of a believable street full of people with a group of diverse characters, even though they all appear very briefly and fleetingly.
STAR TREATMENT/ RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MUSIC AND VIDEO
Kerala has no lyrics and is an unconventional dance track with interesting rhythmic ideas which explains the inventive music video without lip-syncing. Bonobo is also not the star of the video because as a DJ not a performer, he can take a back seat and let the music be the centre of focus. This means the video has more freedom to be experimental as it's not the kind of music video that needs to advertise performers to an audience. Being more of an alternative song also gives reason to the artistic and thought provoking feel to the video. the video could be interpreted as a story about mental illness as the way the strangers interact with the woman show concern and worry and she is seen with her hands over her ears at one point.
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:
