Shortage – Donny Steezo
- Eric Peters
- Mar 7
- 2 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Some records announce themselves quietly. No buildup, no grand gesture — just a feeling that something has shifted.
Shortage is that kind of record. And it demanded visuals to match.
The Direction
When Donny Steezo brought this track to us, the brief was instinctive: strip it back. No distractions, no spectacle for its own sake. Just presence, contrast, and atmosphere.
The creative direction built itself around a single tension — control versus chaos. Pristine black and white studio performance on one side. Raw, handheld in-car footage on the other.
Two worlds that shouldn't coexist, but do — and the friction between them is exactly what gives Shortage its edge.
Controlled environment vs. real-world motion. Precision vs. unpredictability. Studio clarity vs. late-night atmosphere.
That duality isn't just an aesthetic choice. It mirrors the track itself.
Production
The project was filmed over two days across Winnipeg.
Day 1 — Downtown Core
We started in the streets. In-car sequences and parking lot visuals shot late in the evening — headlights cutting through darkness, reflections on wet pavement, movement that feels lived-in rather than staged. The digicam footage introduces a grain and immediacy that no studio setup can replicate. It's restless. It breathes.
Day 2 — Swish Studios
The second day was the opposite in every sense. At Swish Studios, we locked in controlled lighting, deliberate compositions, and expressive close-ups that let Donny's performance carry the frame. No noise. No distraction. Just the artist and the lens.
These two worlds — the street and the studio — are cut against each other throughout the edit, each making the other feel more distinct.
Craft
Shortage was shot on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 6K — chosen for its ability to hold tonal detail and dynamic range in challenging low-light conditions, particularly the downtown night sequences.
Post-production was handled entirely in DaVinci Resolve. The black and white grade wasn't an afterthought — it was the decision everything else was built around. Contrast was pushed deliberately. Highlights were shaped to feel cinematic rather than blown. The pacing of the edit mirrors the track's energy: slow and controlled in the studio passages, then urgent and tactile in the street sequences.
The result is a video that moves the way the song feels.
The Team
Role | Name |
Directed, Filmed & Edited | Eric Curt Peters |
Artist | Donny Steezo |
Produced By | Swerve Sound × DIRXECP |
Digicam / Assistant | Manuk Garcia |
Location | Swish Studios, Winnipeg |
What This Represents
Shortage isn't the loudest thing we've made. It's not the most elaborate. But it might be the most intentional.
For Donny Steezo, this video marks the opening of a new chapter — one built on restraint, confidence, and a clearer sense of identity. For DIRXECP, it reflects the direction we're moving toward: fewer gimmicks, more craft. Minimalism not as a limitation, but as a creative commitment.
Timeless visuals don't chase trends. They define a feeling and hold it.
Shortage holds it.
Working on something that deserves this level of attention? Let's talk.
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