Thursday, 20 September 2012
Coldplay
This video displays perfectly the idea of binary opposition, contrasting the solitude and isolation we see at the beginning of the video, to the large arena performance in the second half of the video. This video is primarily a performance video and does not display the storyline which we see in a lot of music video. The apart of the video is made up of a long shot using a constantly moving camera following Chris Martin (will be abbreviated to CM from now on). It changes from a long and wide shot to a close up of him from the shoulders upwards. There is an affect of the video almost being in slow motion as the lip syncing isnt quite in time to the music. Having the location outside exaggerates the fact that he is alone and the low lighting created gives a more solemn atmosphere. At 0.58 the camera slowly zooms out showing CM's full surroundings as a building site, quite industrial and dirty. This makes the audience wonder what he is doing there and in what circumstances, this adheres to the enigma code that is sometimes used in music videos. There are connections between the lyrics and the composition of the video. The line "lights will guide you home" is shown as CM is walking down the street with a line of street lights in the left third of the screen as if he were following them to get to where he belongs. From 1.32 there is a montage sequence showing his current surroundings and it allows the audience to take in his location. He is alone in all of these shots, emphasising his loneliness. It is uncommon for a band to have such focus on just one band member. In contrast to this the performance sequence shows the full band. It is also implied that the lights have guided him to the stage which could be the "home" that he refers to in the song, meaning that he finds being on stage is like being at home and the line "and ignite your bones" refers to the excitement that he feels when he is performing on the stage. The camera switches from showing performance shots of the band to reaction shots of the audience in the arena. This gives the audience watching at home the impression that they are watching the band live like those in the video- this again creates that relationship that has been previously referred to.
Coldplay are a british rock band who have found success through their heartfelt memorable lyrics and amazing stage presence during their live shows. They attract a large and loyal fan base because of this. Early
Coldplay portrays the men as "normal guys" as they do not dress like rock stars or have the rock star persona that the press like to exploit.
Here you can see an example of how Coldplay look like "regular men". They are not flash or flamboyant and this is what so many people like about this band. This is a promo shoot for when "A rush of blood to the head" was released. The black and white filter adds a simplistic approach much like their music did on this album. The hands crossed and hands in pockets along with the challenge to the camera (looking straight into the camera) gives the men power and makes them seem more in control. Also the slight low angle of the camera makes them seem bigger and more powerful. In spite of all this, the band do not look menacing as you would expect. The direct address to the camera connects the audience to the band and begins that important relationship that an artist needs to have with their audience. The warehouse gives an industrial look to the shoot and with low lighting gives a sense of melancholy. Also the focus isnt as sharp as you would expect from a promotional shoot and their faces aren't entirely clear adding mystery to the photo.
Later on in the bands career they begin to develop a new and individual image, using fluorescent paints and bright colors. The extended from their music videos, to their live performances.
This is a photo taken from their performance on their Mylo Xyloto tour. As you can see brightly colored painted balloons have been released into the audience. Not only does this give the performance an interesting and unique visual along with the staging and lighting but also allows the audience to participate with the show as they are able to bounce the balloons around the arena. Also in this particular photograph the balloons look like planets and gives the impression that their music could speak to anyone in the universe and still mean something to someone.
This is a screen shot from the video "Every teardrop is a waterfall" and shows the fluorescent paints that Coldplay are now known for. Against the dark brick wall, these bright UV paints stand out immensely and create large collages of drawings and patterns, creating unique visual effects for the audience. The UV paints also cover their costumes and instruments giving the song and album an overall concept that the audience can recreate. Their instruments are covered in lyrics from previous songs reminding the audience of their previous songs but also creates sentiment for loyal fans that have loved the band since their first formed in 1996.
After marrying Gwenyth Paltrow, lead singer Chris Martin became more known in the media but they still have a clean image with know scandal forming in the media; unlike many rock bands that we know. They have managed to keep their personal lives fairly private and are much more about the meaning of the music. The lyrics written by Chris Martin do however give some insight into his private life but also help build that all important relationship with the audience and give the audience something to relate to.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment