The music video for “Paranoid” was directed by Nabil Elderkin and along with “Amazing,” filmed in Hawaii. During a brief interview at the Tribeca Film Festival, West revealed he had cast Rihanna as a lead in the video. West said the following about working with Rihanna:
“Yep, she’s my Paranoid girl in the video. She’s an amazing talent though. Collaborating with her is always a pleasure!”
Island Def Jam chairman L.A. Reid presented a version of the video during an Island Def Jam Event in New York City on May 20, 2009. The music video leaked online on May 27, 2009. The next day, West clarified on his blog that the video was an unfinished version and posted screenshots of the final version.In an interview that took place the following day, Elderkin stated that the leak was merely an early rough cut. In terms of visuals, Elderkin had originally wanted to design the video in an artistic style reminiscent to that of A Clockwork Orange, but West subsequently opted for an abstracted noir concept instead.The video’s premise is rooted in fantasy, as it centers around Rihanna’s paranoid state of mind causing her to experience a surrealistic dream sequence. Meanwhile, West appears in some scenes in his human form and also his wolf form during the dream sequence. On June 3, West released the finalized version of the music video on his blog, just hours after premiering an unreleased video for “Spaceship.” Mr Hudson doesn’t appear in the video.