Coldplay - Paradise

What this video is

Released 12 September 2011 as the second single from Coldplay's fifth album Mylo Xyloto, 'Paradise' arrived at the apex of the band's commercial power. The video's nature-documentary conceit — a man in an elephant suit escaping a zoo and travelling to South Africa to find his herd — drew both affectionate praise for its inventive charm and critical scrutiny for its romanticised depiction of Africa. It was produced…

Why it matters

A landmark in 2010s arena-pop music video production, 'Paradise' demonstrated that high-concept, low-budget spontaneity could outperform expensive, heavily produced visuals at viral scale. Its nature-documentary aesthetic and costume-based comedy influenced subsequent Coldplay visual output and…

The director

Mat Whitecross (born 21 September 1977, Oxford, England) is a British film director, editor, and screenwriter. He began his career at Revolution Films under Michael Winterbottom. His co-directed debut The Road to Guantánamo (2006) won the Silver Bear for…