The Ellington Kid (2012)

The Ellington Kid is a short film directed by Dan Sully, which follows the story of a young man who is stabbed in London and finds his way to a kebab shop, and it is told by a guy eating at the same shop with his friend. 

The film follows a 3 part structure, with the film starting with Nathan and Beefy sitting in the kebab shop introducing our main story, the first part starting when the Ellington Kid gets stabbed, the second part starting when the Ellington Kid enters the kebab shop, and the third when Nathan and Beefy are talking, and we assume a fight went down but we are not told if this is true or not. The last shot is of one of the kebab shop owners sharpening his knife and smirking, so we believe that Nathan's story was not entirely made up.

The first two shots set the tone for the rest of the short film. They are both focused around knives (sharpening a knife and cutting meat) which foreshadows the violence and danger that is going to be covered in the film, creating a sense of fear for the audience. 

The cinematography in this film is very simplistic yet effective, with very slow and smooth movement at times. The film also uses micro-elements to portray the grittiness of London at night in an effective way, using lighting to create strong shadows. 

This shot under a tunnel is done well as the contrast between the sickly white lights and the Ellington Kid makes him stand out and makes his fearful expression very visible. He is centered and the lights are symmetrical and angle in on him, focusing the audience on him. He looks over the camera, looking for help or a way out. 

The short film is made up of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. The soundtrack is well made/chosen, and creates the eerie tension of the film. Towards the end, the soundtrack gets louder, showing the situation is more tense, and when the film cuts back to Nathan and Beefy after the supposed fight, the soundtrack stops immediately. This is done to relieve the tension and create a contrast. During the build up to the fight, we can hear the knives scraping on metal, and the gang shouting, but all unnecessary noises are cut out, so we only focus on what is relevant.

The acting is good, and it is an interesting contrast between the non-verbal communication of the kebab shop owners and the constant talking from Nathan and Beefy, and even the gang members shouting. This contrast takes hold of the audience's attention and the kebab shop owners immediately come across as mysterious, and makes them more intimidating. The Ellington Kid's acting is convincing, showing intense emotions such as pain and fear nonverbally as well. The gang members shout at the shop owners in a realistic way that does not come across as clearly scripted, and the delivery of the lines feel natural in the situation. 

The contrast between the two times during the short film are done very well, using the same set to create two different environments. With Nathan and Beefy, the place is well-lit with natural light, and the costume as well contrasts with the other time the film is set, with Beefy wearing a blue and yellow tracksuit. With the Ellington Kid, costume is very dull, with mostly greys and blacks (apart from shop owners) and the lighting is artificial white light inside the shop, and little lighting outside. 

I think this short film is done very well, and the slow pan to the owner smirking at the end was a really nice finish.