Short Film Weekend: Trick Meter

Imagine you were out skating one night and suddenly got caught up in a life and death situation! That’s exactly what this one bloke gets caught in in a very innovative short film by Simeon Duncombe, called Trick Meter. Check out the film below:

I think that aside from the choreography of the tricks (which is pretty great), the most impressive element of this short is the lighting. Most of the time in film we focus on what’s lit; Trick Meter takes this to a new level by casting the subject and the obstacle in a spotlight fashion, making the entire situation appear as if it’s happening on some sort of stage.

This effect means that we as the audience feel like we’re watching a show of sorts (which we are kinda doing) but it’s also pretty gross in that it seems like if this guy loses the “game” he may just actually die. The first film I posted about in the Short Film Weekend series was called SEND, and also made great use of the “stage” effect to convey a message. While this film is not as explicit with that stylistic device, I feel it’still fairly noticeable; and very well done.

Did you enjoy Trick Meter?