IOW: Dolls dwell in “Elephant”
We think it goes without saying Elsinore is probably the most prolific C-U group since the Poster Children when it comes to creating or commissioning music videos. Below we embed another example which we somehow missed before now, a dark stop-motion scenario animated by the band’s bass player, Chris Eitel, and set to the title track of their most recent release, the Life Inside an Elephant EP. Presented as fragile and willowy dolls, its characters may be father and daughter or captor and captive, or even both; they seem to harbor secrets and a quiet desperation, with the man keeping the little girl locked in her bedroom for unspoken reasons. A cut-out style black butterfly, integrated as computer animation, implies their (or at least her) freedom to fly can be attained at a price. Even if this isn’t the cheery Wallace & Gromit adventure you might normally seek from miniatures and puppets, watch it anyway. It’s good. Sam Carlson designed the costumes and characters while Eitel’s daughter Zoe assembled the “ransom note” titles.
~ Jason Pankoke
[Updated 3/21/17, 4 a.m. CST]
Elsinore – Life Inside An Elephant from Chris Eitel on Vimeo.