Graham Annable’s The Last Duet on Earth is a simple but powerful story that uses a haunting soundtrack, gory sound effects, well-timed sequences, humor and a surprise ending.

The story is about a pair of musicians who are trying to survive and not be eaten by green monsters that now rule Earth. The musicians love to play music.

The post-apocalyptic setting is effectively established with haunting music, gory sound effects and funny visuals at 0:07 to 1:00. The main characters are introduced and the plot is revealed at 1:01. You root for the heroes are they scramble to run and hide. Will they survive? The story has humor and surprises. The resolution (3:12) is ironic and unexpected.

I appreciated the use of foreground elements from 0:29 to :40 to give depth to the scenes. The cut away used between 0:41 to 0:58 (specifically at 0:50) as a transition to another scene was effective. The animator uses a wide variety of shots–wide, overhead, medium and close-ups–and transitions quickly between them, from 1:24 to 2:42, to build tension.

One of the main takeaways for me was when I realized how long some of the key scenes were held still. For example, the scenes of the musicians being discovered between 1:01 and 1:10 and the end reveal between 3:09 and 3:12. Each scene was held for 2 seconds–and even one scene (when the musicians are first discovered) as long as 4 seconds. A scene can be made infinitely more powerful and meaningful simply by holding onto a shot just a second or two longer.