Set Research Film No. 3: The Ellington Kid
The Ellington Kid; dir. Dan Sully, 2013
One of the more enigmatic and popular pieces we were given to research was The Ellington Kid, a five minute dark-comedy/drama/crime piece set playfully within the conversation of two young men in a kebab shop. It must be said from the get-go that this came out as perhaps my least favourite film of them all, but that doesn't mean to imply it as unhelpful in the process of research; whilst I didn't personally attach myself to the humour at hand, a collaboration with Vice UK meant that it gained some real traction at release, particularly within a younger demographic with a Youtube release as well.
The story is told in colloquial fashion between two friends, with urban rumour circulating around the recent stabbing of a certain Ellington Kid. With some nice editing in speed and grading to give the effect of storytelling, the narrative unfolds, right onto the pair's doorstep in the kebab shop; I won't ruin the 'twist' for you, but the tale wraps around neatly to a mock-cliffhanging ending. As a self-contained unit of a story, I dare say even that The Ellington Kid is perhaps one of the most cohesive pieces we have, neat and ultimately inoffensive. But that's exactly the problem.
Maybe I'm wrapped up in my own perceptions, too obsessed with these films as pieces of art, or whatever; for me, any way you see this film, in comparison to the other films on the list, The Ellington Kid simply says the least. That is to say, it's just too unprovocative to elicit much praise; technically accomplished and solid, just so... safe. Now there's nothing wrong with that in theory, and I certainly should acknowledge the aspects of urban representation, cyclical storytelling and (mostly) charming dialogue that made this film fun - but that's the extent of it, fun. I'm far more interested in the pieces that really strive for something, that want to show something new and intriguing, utilising their format in innovative ways to really tell a story worth telling; Ellington just didn't so it for me.
One of the more enigmatic and popular pieces we were given to research was The Ellington Kid, a five minute dark-comedy/drama/crime piece set playfully within the conversation of two young men in a kebab shop. It must be said from the get-go that this came out as perhaps my least favourite film of them all, but that doesn't mean to imply it as unhelpful in the process of research; whilst I didn't personally attach myself to the humour at hand, a collaboration with Vice UK meant that it gained some real traction at release, particularly within a younger demographic with a Youtube release as well.
The story is told in colloquial fashion between two friends, with urban rumour circulating around the recent stabbing of a certain Ellington Kid. With some nice editing in speed and grading to give the effect of storytelling, the narrative unfolds, right onto the pair's doorstep in the kebab shop; I won't ruin the 'twist' for you, but the tale wraps around neatly to a mock-cliffhanging ending. As a self-contained unit of a story, I dare say even that The Ellington Kid is perhaps one of the most cohesive pieces we have, neat and ultimately inoffensive. But that's exactly the problem.
Maybe I'm wrapped up in my own perceptions, too obsessed with these films as pieces of art, or whatever; for me, any way you see this film, in comparison to the other films on the list, The Ellington Kid simply says the least. That is to say, it's just too unprovocative to elicit much praise; technically accomplished and solid, just so... safe. Now there's nothing wrong with that in theory, and I certainly should acknowledge the aspects of urban representation, cyclical storytelling and (mostly) charming dialogue that made this film fun - but that's the extent of it, fun. I'm far more interested in the pieces that really strive for something, that want to show something new and intriguing, utilising their format in innovative ways to really tell a story worth telling; Ellington just didn't so it for me.
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