The Tell-Tale Heart
Animation
Art Direction: Scott Laserow
Overview
The objective of this project was to animate Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart as a class. We were each given about a minute and a half of the poem to analyze and animate and then had to work with the classmates before and after us to create effective transitions. Below is my portion of the animation but the full-length video can be found here.
Approach
For my portion of the animation, I decided to focus on the different representations of a heartbeat that Poe illustrates in his writing. I found the best way to show this was to have all of the different scenes carry the beat throughout and flow into one another. Following the visual style of both my mood board and my own storyboard, I moved forward with Procreate illustrations that focused heavily on the contrast between light and dark. The texture incorporated was also important not only for visual interest but also in setting a more somber tone.
Research and Storyboarding
When listening to Vincent Price’s dramatic reading of the poem at large and more specifically my part, my first thought was the opening title sequence for The Twilight Zone. The relation of the heartbeat to different objects along with the subdued mood of the poem brought up this connection and it became the primary visual inspiration for this animation.
