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The music video Princess of China by Coldplay ft. Rihanna is very much based around the

theme of a movie. For example, the opening scene resembles a film. This can then be

supported by a credit like sequence following to introduce

the characters (the artists). The fact that the credits are

written in Chinese connects to the title and lyrics of the songPrincess of China, relating the visuals to the song, which is

part of Andrew Goodwins music video theory.

During this opening, the camera slowly tilts up from a long

shot towards our male singer, striding across a desert. The

audience knows that this character is most probably the protagonist, especially as the

camera is angled up, demonstrating his power. Although, the ripped clothes and rough

appearance suggest that he has been through hardship, mid-shots are used here. He stays

in plain grey/black costumes throughout the video.

When we first see Rihanna, her appearance and status contrasts dramatically to the lead

singer of Coldplay (the male character). She is made to look

very traditional and orient, but also very rich and powerful by

using colours such as dark reds, purples and gold. Throughout

the video, her character is always seen in traditional Chinese

dress which supports the orient Chinese theme, therefore,

relating back to the title. The one time we see her out of

formal Chinese attire is when she is with the male character;

she wears a flowing, white robe which reflects her

vulnerability and innocence when she is with him. There are also many close-up shots of

Rihanna, which are used to focus on her princess beauty compared to the other plain

female characters.

Technical aspects such as special effects are used regularly in the video. Due to the scale of

the locations that are present, it would have been extremely

difficult and time consuming to have not used special effects.

The locations make the video a lot more like a movie, which is

the desired theme. The size and scale make it much grander.

Throughout the music video, there are short clips of

traditional Chinese culture to draw attention to the fact that

the video/song is strongly based around China. These shots

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are often match-on-action of drums being hit to the rhythm

of the beat in the song, rather than using a modern

instrument to re-enact the sound. The visuals relate very

strongly to the music video.

As well as technical aspects just being used to create the

vivid backgrounds, wires are used several times to make

characters seem like they are floating, and another time

during a martial arts later on. In the screen shot to the right,

here we can see Rihanna in the white dress mentioned in the third paragraph. Wire is used

to give her the appearance that she is floating, wind machines would have also been used

to cause her dress to wave in the wind. The fact that she is floating amongst the clouds in

white gives the impression that she is angelic, as well as God-like. Tracking cameras follow

her movements using a long shot so the audience is able to view her against the vast

background. The white also contrasts effectively with the dark, night sky.

Reds and oranges are used repetitively in the video as they

are seen as orient colours. The video never loses its orient

theme. A mid shot creates a very effective scene during the

video. Rihanna has several dancers behind her, with just

their arms on show, and therefore, it gives the illusion that

she is a god. The location is rich and vibrant, representing

money and tradition, unlike the desert of which the male

comes from. The two locations vastly contrast, like the

characters.

Many of the scenes have a slow-motion effects placed on

them so the whole scene is slowed down to create a more

fairytale effect. An extreme long shot is used in the image to

the right. Both characters are kneeling in a desert. The fact

that the sun is rising behind them supports the fairytale

theme throughout the video, as it brings new hope. Sunrises

are normally used to indicate a new day, new start.

During the martial arts fight scene, the editing is quickened

as the shots change to represent a more violent setting than the tranquil sun set. Thisrelates to the lyrics in the way that both characters are always fighting each other. The

shots are match-on-action of swords and aerial images of the two ninja characters.

The end of the video reminds the audience that its similar to

a film, another set of credits appear. The audience leaves as

if they have watched a short film rather than a music video,

leaving them up to decide on how they perceive the story

(another Goodwin theory). Again, reds are used to indicate

orient tradition.