Britpup.

         

Hahaha, that was lovely and amazing!! :D Great fun, and plays with coldplays image in a clever way. Did Dougal Wilson direct this? Looks like something only he might cook up!

         

It was directed by Dougal Wilson.

And it's awesome. Particularly, I am going to assume, if you are British.. But yeah, generally it has a lovely tone- and definitely makes Coldplay a lot more likeable than anything else they have done recently.

         

love the plate smash. haha

         

makes sense it's dougal, thought of his dizzee vid as i was watching this one.

         

VIDEO OF THE YEAR already. Pure joy.

         

So great to see him back making videos.

EDIT ..and I just can't stop rewatching it, an instant pop CLASSIC just like his Jarvis video!

         

the end was cute. just... JUST DARLING!

         

Pure brilliance. Let's hope more big bands are willing to take chances like these.

         

Dougal Wilson for President - best video yet for Coldplay!

         

Great stuff. Took a seed of a concept we've seen before and didn't miss one opportunity to make it brilliant and three steps beyond. In my eyes that's a true mark of greatness. Anyone know the Art Director or Production Designer on this? They deserve major kudos as well.

         

Team america world police.

         

very nice. i love the sound-mixer in 2:41.

         

best ending EVER. love it.

         

great uk video, but coldplay hurts

         

wonderful!

         

I know I've said this before, but Dougal's videos feel like commercials to me (and not the kind focused on selling the band).

Like he's making these videos with ideas/execution that can be stolen by ad agencies and eventually get him rehired to do the ad that is based upon his (very ad feeling) music video.

         

I just saw an entire Coldplay vid. And ENJOYED it quite a bit. I'll be in the shower if anybody needs me.

         

CRAP!

         

well that was constructive! idiots

         

so lusk you're saying that flawless execution, precise timing, general wondrous competency all around is just too good for you in a music video now and has to be in some way a cash grab by someone? that's a pretty damn speciously cynical statement.

         

lusk, shut up you wanker.

         

msm- this ones a great one is it? Ok, thanks for letting us know mate.

         

Awesome. Instant classic. Bravo Dougal Wilson.

         

I'm with Lusk. I looks like a commercial. Not because its "too good"... i don't know. It feels like a commercial.

         

I really like it. I don't mind utilizing kind of an "ad aesthetic". Maybe it's directed so well, so precise and on point without room for that musicvideo-randomness one can see everywhere, that it gives you a commercial look and feel.

         

luk&lusk - explain to me again why that's a bad thing? (considering the specific context of this band, this director, etc.) also: the only thing that felt off was the first puppet-identifying finger-point to the coldplay photo.

         

aaron/budget/prog: It's an issue I have with almost all of dougal's work. Copying a commercial aesthetic makes the work feel very disposable. The piece feels if it comes from a very particular world (that of adverts). This could literally be an orange commercial, or one for an insurance company, or a tetley tea spot. It's made in that same type of self conscious way that a lot of adverts are. It's even shot/styled/graded/and overly sound effected in the same way.

This isn't cynical, and I'm sorry aaron, but "flawless, precision and competency" is not what I take from this.

The guy wants to be (and is!) an advert director front to back. He does some great work for that world, but outside of it, the intentions, and ultimate end product, are always so disposable to me.

Have you guys forgotten about the old navy ad that fucked a bjork video? videos.antville.org

         

hm. what you're missing is... sincerity? authenticity? (trying to gauge exactly what your "disposable" boils down to.) in the vein of jarmusch?

         

Lusk, there's something wrong with a music video that has high production value? It seems like that's what your beef boils down to...

         

Budget: Pop videos have high production value and I wouldn't ascribe the same slash to them.

Dougal's work lives in the same world as people like this guy: aruell.com

It's this sensibility that says, Oh isn't this so funny, look how clever and funny this is, oh oh oh. We won't actually put any involvement or feeling into our work because that's not cool. It's so cool to be detached and ironic and at arms length.

Dougal's best work hands down actually IS his orange commercial: www.youtube.com

I know they're very different, but compare these two. One is covered with that ironic, self consciousness. The other is a really interesting, really powerful take on a withstanding relationship. Filled with both humor and poise.

I have no issues whatsoever about well crafted videos, but fuckin get into it. This ironic shit is junk.

Prog: I'm not the biggest fan of jarmusch. A lot of his work (also) is totally self conscious - but also rife with his personal take on things. It's very hard to defend, "Well Jarmusch isn't about anything". Cause the guy's totally a thinker. Whether you like him or not.

Ehh, this video could've been a snickers commercial.

         

i'll give you this: involved kids are something else.

         

my only problem with this video has nothing to do with "commercial aesthetics". This really is just shot well and that's about it, as far as aesthetics. Not sure what the fuss is about, especially compared to more obvious examples, kinda like this video that posted just before this Coldplay one. THAT looks like an ad. (and either way, still doesn't bother me, like that one too)

I think this is a pretty good video, it's funny and makes the band seem a little less like douchebags (which is related to my one problem with the video...that I don't like the song, which is a minor thing and really such criticism doesn't belong on this particular site anyway, in my opinion)

         

i wndr if this vid was made with real ppl instead of puppets, if it was a performance vd invlvng the actl bnd mmbrs, would people still jeez their pnts like this? bcz this is wht it rlly iz. its cldplay drssn up lk the mpptz nd prfrmng at glstnbry.

this vid is prtty, sure. prrty bland.

its nthing like the xcllnt wts a grl t do. wt a shme.

         

Lusk I think your comments have more to do with your personal feelings about the creative industry than anything in Dougal's work. Dougal style is high concept and he happens to be great at it, nothing wrong with that. This video is exactly what Coldplay needs right now, after all of the previous videos that them look like self-important assholes performing in military uniforms this finally shows that they can take a joke. Besides do really expect/want Dougal to "pour his heart out" over a schlocky coldplay song? Not saying that affecting work can't be done with shitty music, but Dougal's strength is humor and the a-list mv world needs a voice like that.

         

prog thanks for that jarmusch thing, that was lovely. and on that note, i have nothing positive to add. except to say that one of the great things about Dougal's work is how earnest it is - the ideas it commits to it does with true filmmaking intent.

         

so, dougal should carry on doing what he's doing.... but make it a bit sloppier next time?

dougal - try and make everything a bit less well-executed ok? some dodgy cuts and badly judged camera angles, that's what will get you the antville seal of approval.

good on you with your good ideas...

but please, not so aesthetically pleasing and perfectly executed.

we don't like it around these parts.

         

Sometimes trying to communicate (what to me seems like) some very simple ideas gets rather impossible 'round here.

And aaron, you and I have disagreed on many things before, but all in all, I'm very excited to see you posting again.

         

they needed to make that chris martin pupppet alot more goofier and awkward, and some crazy fluffy hair would've helped.

         

it's a good video apart from the little girl identifying the band member puppet - that took me out instantly - automatically assumes the audience is slow to pick-up and dumbs the whole thing down. I can't help but imagine the video commissioner thinking "okay, coldplay is not being taken very seriously these days... what can we do to make them look 'cool?' Ah ha, we'll pick an idea that doesn't take them seriously! perfect!" ...the coldplay version of tom cruise being in tropic thunder... I may be a cynic... wouldn't be the first time. Any other band, minus the puppet ID shots and I'd really dig it.

         

Actually, I think it works because Coldplay are so easy to hate. Well done, Dougal. Chris (Mr. Martin), sorry, I still hate your band with a vengeance. Would have been a great video for U2 as well.

         

I would never listen to Coldplay for pleasure, and neither would any of my friends, but we've been emailing this video around to each other pretty constantly since it came out. I'm no fan of the actual song, but as far as I'm concerned the video is made of win.

(although I agree with boncharney - the little girl actually pointing to the band member pic was too on the nose - it could have been better achieved with a simple look down to the book)

         

This video made me laugh out loud and each time you got used to what was going on something new and wondrous would happen. Dougal is a masterful storyteller because he knows how to make videos that are entertaining, engaging and connect with the artist and song in a very intelligent way.

The way lusk is criticizing this video makes me think he's just jealous of Dougal's career and in that he's wrong. It's his talent he should be jealous of.

Well done!

         

Dougal on making music videos.

         

I pretty much agree with everything lusk says above, Coldplay are a big commercial cheeseburger act and as such they get a glossy commercial video in line with the rest of their publicity, they basically are a commercial, cut and dried. Sure there is a slight sideways slant to this one that makes it seem "different" and will initiate allot of empty water cooler talk about Coldplays "new direction" but really this is all very familiar safe territory.

Despite all this its nice to see Dougal returning to level where I think he is more at home compared to his live action outings. Also as mentioned this video should be acknowledged and applauded as a whole, obviously there has been some serious work done by art department and puppeteers on this one and they are the stars as much as Dougal.

Finally trueblue your comments are ridiculous