The Ellington Kid by Dan Sully

The Ellington Kid is a sharp dark comedy that was well received by audiences after its debut at the 56th BFI London Film Festival. There are many things it does well but one underrated element is its sound.

Diegetic sound is used well to create an atmosphere of unease from the outset. A good example of this are in the opening shots of the short film which deploy sounds of knives scraping against each other and the thud of meat being chopped up. Although these acts are normally seen as mundane and inconspicuous, the intensified, abrupt sound coupled with close ups focusing on the previously mentioned knives create an association with violence. As a result, this made me uneasy when I watched the short film. I believe this was intentional by Dan Sully because the meat is implied to be human flesh in the punchline delivered by the boy in the shop.

As well as this, non-diegetic sound is used well in the form of the soundtrack. Although the soundtrack only features on a small portion of the short film, it is used to great effect in the build up to the climax or punch line of the story. When the music begins it is slow and quiet, but as the story develops the music builds to a crescendo, amplifying the atmosphere of tension. In my opinion, the music is crucial in creating atmosphere and this is complimented by quick cuts.

To summarise, I think that diegetic and non-diegetic sound are used well in creating an atmosphere of tension and unease in The Ellington Kid. Due to the good use of sound by Dan Sully, the positives of this short film are accentuated and a good part of its success is down to the use of eerie, unnerving sounds.