Research and planning: Redundancy and Entropy

I am going to research and analyze the way redundant and entropic features are used within the music video 'Paradise' by Coldplay. I want to discover how these features are used to create a successful Coldplay music video.

Terminology 
Redundancy is a high level of predictability in a message. 

For example in most genres of music a performance element is expected and typical in a music video.

Entropy is unpredictability. Something you do not expect in a particular message.

In the music video 'Paradise' there are aspect of both redundancy and entropy.

The first redundant feature used in the video is the use of intertextual references. This is a key feature of a music video according to Andrew Goodwin's theory. The video begins with a film like introduction with credits and titles at the beginning. This is a intertextual reference to the media form of Film. This is a redundant feature as it is a expected and predictable feature in a music video, especially a Coldplay videos which frequently contain intertextual references to film. This is therefore a feature that is in-keeping with the band's image and appealing to their target audience and fan base.

The video then cuts as a prominent beat is heard in the music. This is a redundant feature as it is typical of a music video for to have visual links with the music according to Goodwin's theory.

The cut leads to a shot of a man dressed in an elephant costumes trapped behind bars. This is a very entropic feature as we as viewers would not expect to see a man dressed as an Elephant in a music video especially as the image has no clear links with the lyrics. The video is narrative following the Elephant as he esapes from the zoo. We see the Elephant being chased by police and
riding a bike. This again is not what we predict or
expect in a music video so are therefore Entropic
 features.

One of the settings in the video: London, is very redundant for a music video, especially for a band like Coldplay, who's British nationality is a big part of their band image. This is, therefore, an expected and unsurprising feature.






This shot demonstrates a redundant feature through the visual representation of the songs lyrics. The lyrics: 'When she was just a girl' are seen on a piece of cardboard. This is an example of Goodwin's theory that there is a relationship between music and visuals. Although this is a redundant feature the visual image of a Elephant in an underground station holding a cardboard sign is very entropic.


The video contains close up head shots which are typical redundant cinematography features usually found in music videos in order to promote the artist visually; creating a memorable brand image. However once again the presentation of the key character of the video as a man in an elephant outfit makes the feature entropic. This video is a good example of how a combination of both redundancy and entropy can create a humorous and emotive music video.



The set design of this shot, that contains a background of graffiti, is a redundant aspect of the video's and Coldplay's mise-en-scene. The graffiti is a very prominent motif in the image and mise-en-scene of Coldplay's current album, so would therefore, be expected and unsurprising in this video. Graffiti is also a regularly used redundant motif in pop videos.


 This shot shows the Elephant doing the moonwalk.

This shot is a mixture of both redundancy and entropy, as the moonwalk dance move is a intertextual reference to the music and performances of pop star Michael Jackson, making it a redundant feature (suggested as typical in Andrew Goodwin's theory of music videos). The entropic aspect of this shot is that dance routines are an unexpected surprise in a Coldplay video and their genre of pop/rock; the band are never seen performing dance routines in videos or live performances. The very entropic elephant character allows this dance routine aspect to be included in the video without completely contradicting Coldplay's established band image.


This long shot of the elephant riding an unicycle is an entropic shot, whilst the setting of a beautiful extreme landscape is a redundant typical setting for a high budget music video like this.
The long isolated shot centring on the alone elephant is a visual presentation of the lyrics, relating to themes of isolation and loneliness from the song.

 The revelation of Chris Martin (lead singer) as the man in the elephant suit is a very entropic surprise in the music video that further adds to the humorous  and unserious tone of the video. The shot does not cut to a close up head shot of Chris therefore communicating the bands attitudes to fame and their efforts to keep the focus of their video on the music. This is a very big aspect of their brand identity which appeals hugely to their target audience and fans.

 As the video nears its end, we are introduced to the other three band members, who are also dressed in elephant suits. There is a very entropic shot of one of the elephants playing the guitar. The style of the guitar (decorated with graffiti paint) is a very redundant image as it is a stylistic feature of the mise-en-scene. The continuity of visual motifs is very typical and expected in music video, as suggested by Andrew Goodwin's Theory.

Lastly, a redundant performance shot is shown in the video, showing the band at a live gig. The high angle of the shot, looking down on the crowd communicates Coldplay's importance. Performance sections are very typical in music videos and the use of shots and framing to present artists in a powerful and influential way is also very typical. The presence of the stylistic motif specific to this video: the elephant masks, is also an example of a very redundant image continuity technique used in music videos.

In conclusion, through my analyse of the music video 'Paradise' by Coldplay, I have discovered how the video has used redundancy and entropy through a range of techniques such as shot types, cinematography, mise-en-scene, editing, intertextuality and representation.