Coldplay are reinventing music videos for a modern age with innovative new film-Danni Scott-Entertainment – Metro

Coldplay love to try something out of the ordinary (Picture: GETTY/Justin Sutcliffe)

Never afraid to be experimental, Coldplay are pushing music boundaries once again with their brand new A Film For The Future exhibition.

While we’re more overwhelmed by music than ever in the world of streaming, sadly, once crucial music videos are fading into the background.

Sure, most artists from Fontaines D.C. to Taylor Swift are still making them but really, when did you last watch a music video? And more importantly, when did you last truly take it in?

Coldplay could be about to change this apathy by blurring the traditional music video with album visualisers into a concert film like no other for their latest album Moon Music.

Chris Martin called it an ‘experiment gone right’, according to executive producer Ben Mor who introduced the show at London’s Lightroom on Wednesday, January 22.

What followed was 45 minutes of artwork by over 150 contributors, stitched together and projected over four walls for a 360-degree experience.

Coldplay’s A Film For The Future is a 360-degree experience (Picture: Justin Sutcliffe)

It was created by over 150 artists in 45 countries (Picture: Justin Sutcliffe)

A Film For The Future is a bold move from Coldplay, asking fans to sit and listen to their album in its entirety while watching seemingly random images with no narrative structure.

The artists – hailing from 45 different countries – were given snippets of the album and asked to create part of the project with no rules, guidance, or knowledge of their collaborators’ creations.

The opening track Moon Music doesn’t hold back on the chaos either, you’re immediately plunged into numerous animation styles mixed with live-action clips.

Ben, who also directed Hymn For The Weekend with Beyonce, accurately described the film as a ‘kaleidoscopic patchwork quilt’.

There are moments where the artists seem to be completely in touch with each other, with lead single feelslikeimfallinginlove proving a standout moment.

The images sail through different representations of love and connectivity, using unexpected mediums like one adorable stop-motion needle-felt creature.

Dancing crabs anyone? (Picture: Justin Sutcliffe)

The visuals reflect Coldplay’s album Moon Magic (Picture: Justin Sutcliffe)

Chris Martin called it an ‘experiment gone right’ (Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

In the age of fried attention spans, Coldplay’s video is an incredibly smart move as it has enough going on and constantly changing to keep you engaged but never distracts from the music.

There’s no quick checking of your phone here or you could miss the vaguely 80s dancing crabs in jumpers – a real highlight of the show.

Coldplay themselves are rarely seen in the show, opting to let the artists shine over any potential vanity project which this could have easily spiralled into.

We do see multiple animated dancing Chris (Chrises?) in his signature blue jacket at one point, prompting a rare chuckle from the audience.

Sometimes the artwork doesn’t blend so seamlessly, creating slightly clunky moments in what would otherwise be a visual feast.

These moments include a clip that has the energy of a car advert and an oddly long shot during track Jupiter which appears to be an Arriva Trains Wales cameo.

But that’s art – what doesn’t resonate for one person could be a favourite moment for another, maybe someone who is a big train fan.

A Film For The Future moves at such a fast past any jarring moments are over before you can think too closely about them.

Overall the effect is an uplifting film, underpinned by Coldplay’s Moon Music album which leans itself to more experimental imagery.

While the Fix You hitmakers have released music videos for two of the tracks so far – feelslikeimfallinginlove and All My Love – this is an entirely different beast.

The show is screening in London and Manchester (Picture: Justin Sutcliffe)

A Film For The Future is a ‘kaleidoscope’ of art (Picture: Justin Sutcliffe)

Could this be the future of music videos? (Picture: Justin Sutcliffe)

As musicians look for more innovative ways to connect with their fans, it’s possible we could see these 360 album visualisers become more commonplace.

However, it’s unlikely there will be one on the scale of Coldplay’s vision for a while. It is captivating in a quiet way, letting both the music and the art speak for themselves.

This is the Pink Floyd Laser Light Show reinvented for a modern age. This is the Windows Media Player sound visualiser on a huge scale.

It’s for people who spent hours watching Top of the Pops or MTV. For people who want to reconnect with music, rather than just have a backing track to their day.

A Film For The Future might not be everyone’s cup of tea but for music fanatics and Coldplay fans, this is not one to miss.

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