The Murder Capital 'Ethel' by Maxim Kelly
Rob Ulitski - 22nd Nov 2022
A young maid finds herself at a crossroads, in Maxim Kelly's mesmerising promo for Ethel.
Waiting hand and foot on a slightly surreal family, we see the main character run errands and try to stay out of the way, as the father figure lip-syncs to the track, getting oppressively close to her wherever she tries to escape to.
Ending with a climactic dance in the living room - performing to the awkwardly apathetic parents and daughter - the video is haunting and contemplative, echoing films from French and Korean arthouse cinema. A subtle manipulation of the textures of the image at certain points also heightens the surreality of the concept, which creates an unnerving atmosphere.
“Initially I thought Ethel should be the main character and do the dance at the end, and I always had this image from this French film called My American Uncle, where it’s like a little girl standing up at a table," Kelly explains.
"I originally had that image in my head for a rap video, but it didn’t really make sense to the song. I wanted this to feel more like surreal so then as I started finding more imagery. It kind of transpired that maybe the maid was the more interesting character.”
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Rob Ulitski - 22nd Nov 2022
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Production/Creative
- Director
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- Executive Producer
- Production Manager
- 1st AD
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- Director of Photography
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- Gaffer
Art
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- Lead actor
- Lead Dancer
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Some credits on this video are only available to PRO members.
Rob Ulitski - 22nd Nov 2022