Analysing Short Films- THE ELLINGTON KID

SHORT FILM- THE ELLINGTON KID (2012, SULLY)

'The Ellington Kid' premiered at the London Film Festival in 2012 and has since played several festivals in the UK and abroad. It's TV premiere was on Channel 4 as a 'Random Act'. When it was released online, it was featured on the Vice Youtube Channel where it got half a million hits in under a week and made the front page of Reddit. Whilst the most famous of urban myths always seem to revolve around escaped convicts, babysitters, or the backseat of cars, Sully puts a very British twist on his modern fable by setting his own story in a late-night kebab shop in London. Speaking to the director over email, he told me where his own slice of inner-city folklore originated:” A long time ago I made a music video for an artist who lived on what they used to call ‘Murder Mile’ in Clapton.  He told me the story of his friend who got stabbed, ran into a kebab shop for safety and was saved by the workers in the shop.  The story stayed with me and in retrospect I guess it’s a classic urban myth, but hopefully I got a bit of extra life out of it for the short!” 

By spelling out his own directorial philosophy with a quote from Stanley Kubrick atop his website, Sully may have set himself an ambitious ethos to emulate. Yet, the cinematic flair, passion for storytelling and maturing confidence on show in his brief but powerful debut proves he is determined to leave his own distinct mark in the world of filmmaking.

representation

- of gang violence in London and the dangers of knife crime/ carrying weapons. 

narrative

- this sticks to the 3 act structure but also includes a flashback that is very dramatic.  

micro elements

-sound - continues on throughout the title sequence, bringing it all together (L & J cuts). The attackers can be faintly heard at times which allows us to be more connected to the victim. The diegetic and non diegetic sounds create a looming sense of danger. 

-mise-en-scene

costumes- the workers are wearing aprons which shows what they do and allows them to be recognised.
props- knives play a big role in this and are heavily emphasised, we can see their damaging effects. 
location/setting- It's set in a kebab shop which is something that is common in towns and cities. They often generate lots of customers. 

-editing- There is a moment where the two sides are in a face off at this point the editing is quite slow as the focus is on the tension. In the flashback it's more dramatic and fast paced.

-performance- there's a dramatic recount of the stabbing which allows us to see what the motivations of the workers actions were. 

-cinematography- Close ups emphasise the weapon and knives in general. 

meanings/ messages 

- It shows how there are pockets of safety in communities in places you wouldn't expect. As well as thing we can see that there are consequences for knife crime and gangs.