Damian and Steve flat in a house together but sometimes it's not all it's cracked up to be...
PEAKed is a six-minute short (that can be viewed in its entirety in the embedded player above) that was sent through with a request for a review. So why not...
The short follows our protagonist Damian and his day-to-day with an insufferable flatmate. A very simple premise, that works well because of its strong relatability. Everyone that has been in a flatting situation has come across these "quirks" from time-to-time and it instantly instils a sense of empathy and sympathy for our protagonist.
For a six-minute short, there is a delightful amount of variety in camera shots, with a good mix of static and panning, and well-designed cinematography overall. A lot of thought has gone into camera placement and angles, with the frequent pans creating a visually appealing dynamic. Though admittedly, there are a few shots where the shakiness of the camera during moving shots does become distracting.
The short does make use of natural light as much as possible to great effect, only really causing slight issues in the exterior shots where excessive direct sunlight does lead to a slight blow-out over our characters face.
Perhaps the weakness of the short is in its musical score. It doesn't quite fit the tone of the short, seeming more fit for a children's adventure story, or a mystery caper. That is up until the climax, when the music builds suspense and tension well, with some great use of sustained strings.
Overall, a solid effort for a short that was co-written, shot, directed, and edited, by one man. A simple, fun premise that was well-executed.