Music video analysis - Cage The Elephant 'Aberdeen'

The opening shot of the video features a long shot of a city, however the city is noticeably made out of clay. This distinctive setting for the video is something expected of the Indie Rock genre, the video is also stop motion which we have seen previously in videos such as 'Fell in love with a girl' by The White Stripes and 'Mykonos' by Fleet Foxes; both these bands fall into a similar genre as indie rock. The buildings being of a parallel style and colour makes the city almost blend into the dark shadows that surround it. Being made of clay almost makes the city buildings appear fragile and weak, which in context will contrast with the vast larg-

eness of the protagonist.  
In the next shot, the camera zooms out to introduce us to the lead character in the video. We see a large dragon creating his own city. This subverts the typical 'Frankenstein's monster' image in the sense that he is the creator rather then the product of human experimentation. The red colour of the dragon based on initial impressions could suggest danger, destruction and rage; the standard connotations of the colour red, however as we learn more about the creature in proceeding shots, the colour red could also implicate passion and love. The fact that we see the creature involving himself in such a trivial act as painting, humanises the character.
 In this shot we see the dragon sat under a ray of light that is the only thing preventing complete darkness, in this case the light almost acts like a spotlight, 

the atmosphere created by the use of light intensifies the theatrical aspect of using narrative in this music video, it becomes aesthetically more cinematic. The light also
highlights the characters isolation and loneliness whilst attempting to engage the audiences emotions. We want to empathise with character because feeling alone is something that is universally relate-able, no matter the circumstance.

The next shot goes back to the dragon and his creation, he holds in his hands two figurines, one of himself and one of a human. The use of the figurines makes the creature seem child-like, he's using his imagination to create an alternate reality as do children. This concept is used effectively to portray a sense of innocence to the character. In the proceeding shot we see a close up of the two figurines smiling, emphasising the desire the dragon has to develop a friendship with the people in the city, this foreshadows the rest of the video. The fact that the figurines are of a similar size, could suggest the dragons naivety with regards to how their relationship would work out, like he is unaware that his size would cause a problem. 

The high angle shot of the citizens reaction to when the dragon visits the city is that of horror. The high angle shot is reflective of how the citizens feel helpless, the theme of misunderstanding is present throughout the video, this shot is an example of this. The people of the city assume due to the size and the connotations a dragon carries, he means to cause them harm when in fact he desires to be loved. This is reminiscent of the classic monster/rejection trope in texts, in tales such as 'Frankenstein' Frankenstein's monster is rejected by the citizens of the town because of his intimidating demeanour. The events that unroll next are the cause of the characters eventual demise, he causes accidental destruction to the town and in a panic returns to the comfort of his home. 

 The character turns on the television, which further personifies the dragon and adds to his human characteristics. There is a news report that depicts the dragon as a vicious creature with intent to destroy. This could be a comment on how the media tend to distort things to create a response in the audience and attract attention. 

The character is seen lied out in his 'spotlight' this resembles the theatricality seen in a tragedy such as 'Romeo and Juliet'; which also features the theme of 'misunderstanding'. This shot also foreshadows the characters eventual death. 
The final scene is a brutal, one sided attack by the military, it is similar to the climax battle that takes place in an old 'B' movie in which the people reclaim their land and triumph over the 'evil' monster, however the audience know that the dragon has the best of intentions, so when he is attacked we feel tense and desperately route for the dragon to reach out the his destroyers in time. His death is what gives the video the tragic element. Upon the discovery of his figurines the people belatedly understand his pure intentions, just a little too late.