The Tell-Tale Heart
Animation
Art Direction: Scott Laserow
Overview
This project involved collaboratively animating Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart as a class-wide motion design project. Each student was assigned a section of the story to analyze, storyboard, and animate while also coordinating transitions between surrounding scenes to create a cohesive final film.
My portion focused on translating the emotional tension and rhythm of Poe’s writing into a visually atmospheric animated sequence.
Below is my portion of the animation but the full-length video can be found here.
Approach
For my section of the animation, I explored the recurring motif of the heartbeat and how it builds tension throughout the story. I wanted the pacing and movement of each scene to visually echo the rhythm described in the narration, allowing the heartbeat to act as a connective element across the sequence.
Inspired by my mood boards and storyboards, I created a series of illustrations in Procreate that emphasized dramatic lighting, texture, and contrast to reinforce the unsettling tone of the piece. The visual direction focused on creating a moody, cinematic atmosphere while maintaining continuity with the larger collaborative animation.
Research and Storyboarding
Research began with closely analyzing Vincent Price’s dramatic reading of The Tell-Tale Heart and identifying visual themes tied to pacing, suspense, and repetition. One of the primary inspirations for the animation was the opening sequence of The Twilight Zone, particularly its surreal transitions and psychological tone.
During the storyboarding process, I explored how recurring visual motifs and rhythmic transitions could help reinforce the emotional intensity of the narration while creating smoother connections between scenes.
