The Elevator (2000)

Director:

Alrick Riley

Writer:

Lemn Sissay

Genre:

Short

Plot:

Two men in a lift, one white and middle-aged, the other young and black. The younger meditates on his neighbour, on his own life, on his own excitements, on the other's response to him, his own to the other. |

Cast

Ashley Walters	...	Young Man
Gary Lewis	...	Business Man
Stina Dahlsrud	...	Dancer
Victor Power	...	Dancer
Arnie Hewitt	...	Dancer
Wade Jacks	...	Dancer
Zak Lee	...	Dancer
Sean Martin	...	Dancer
Rebecca McGrath	...	Dancer
Aicha McKenzie	...	Dancer
Scott Murtaugh	...	Dancer
Graham Nelson-Williams	...	Dancer
Derek Nesbeth	...	Dancer
Chudi Okoye	...	Dancer
Frankas W.	...	Dancer
Mark Welsh	...	Dancer
Yasmin Amenor	...	Dancer
Justin Levy	...	Dancer
Donna-Marie Patten	...	Dancer
Frederica Marius	...	Dancer
Fiona Mcleod	...	Dancer
Lori Mcphearson	...	Dancer
Mote Ofogba	...	Dancer
Antoinette Onyejiuwa	...	Dancer
Vanessa Suchitt	...	Dancer
Natascha Thompson	...	Dancer
Katherine Vernez	...	Dancer
Netsanet Soloman	...	Dancer
Lloyd Walker	...	Dancer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lemn Sissay	...	Narrator

Directed by
Alrick Riley

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Lemn Sissay

Produced by
Kate Ogborn	....	executive producer
Nikki Parrott	....	producer

Original Music by
Mark Russell

Cinematography by
Baz Irvine

Film Editing by
David Gibson

Production Design by
Paul Cripps

Art Direction by
Cliona Harkin

Costume Design by
Karen Hobbs

Makeup Department
Dianne Jamieson	....	makeup designer

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Steve Cheers	....	first assistant director
Beth Elliott	....	second assistant director

Art Department
David Engleman	....	carpenter
Stephen Harrison	....	storyboard artist
Lee Hosken	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Mark Hargreaves	....	boom operator
Andy Shelley	....	sound designer
Andy Shelley	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Kris Kolodziejski	....	Inferno operator
Martin Wells	....	telecine colorist

Camera and Electrical Department
Chris Allkins	....	electrician
Peter Bateson	....	clapper loader
Ben Chads	....	focus puller
Micky Cooper	....	electrician
Pat Deveney	....	electrician
Ian Fitzgerald	....	camera trainee
Kevin McMorrow	....	gaffer
Rick Woollard	....	key grip
Abi Wyles	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Chloe Emmerson	....	casting consultant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
David Allen	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Mark Wills	....	telecine colorist

Music Department
Justice	....	music mixer: song "Grow"

Other crew
Sophie Arnold	....	floor runner
Paul Cook	....	floor runner
Melanie Crawley	....	production assistant
Philip DeRise	....	unit runner (as Philip De Rise)
Emma Earle	....	floor runner
Bonnie Jensen	....	floor runner
Lillian Nnonyelu	....	script supervisor
Sonia Rai	....	production coordinator
Dan Raybourn	....	floor runner

Production Companies

• Tigerlily Films

Distributors

• British Film Institute (BFI)

Other Companies

• ARRI Lighting Rental  lighting
• ARRI Media  camera equipment provided by
• Soho Images  post-production
• Wood Hall Catering  catering

Runtime:

4 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Company:

Tigerlily Films

Works better as words

A young black man gets into a lift which he shares with a middle aged white man in an expensive business suit. The young man can feel the older man wondering if the young man is in the right place and imagines what it would be like if the discomfort was reversed.

Based on a section from his own book, the narrator takes us in both the mind of a white man and a black man. He talks about how uncomfortable the black man must be feeling as he is made to feel out of place by the white man. The narrator imagines the tables turned with the elevator opening into a club full of young people of all ethnic backgrounds. This has some value as it is an interesting idea - although the film's stereotypical view of the white man is almost as bad as the view the white man holds of the black man.

The words are the better part of this short and it is clear to all that these came first and that the short was later built around it. For this reason the visuals don't really add anything to the words as they are merely trying to reflect what is being said. The short thus only really served to put pictures to the words for those who cannot imagine it themselves from the original source. That said the words are interesting enough to justify watching this, the only downside of the words being that the delivery touches on the pretentious at times and the narrator sounds like he is getting more from it that the film lets on.

Overall this is an OK short whose source material sounds a lot more interesting than the film manages to be itself. Solid delivery but it really doesn't add anything to the words other than giving them another media in which to be heard.