IN COLD BLOOD
A NOVEL BY TRUMAN CAPOTE
Truman Capote’s non-fiction novel In Cold Blood recounts the true story of the murder of the Clutter family in 1959. Set in the rural town of Holcomb, Kansas, this act of violence was in stark contrast to the serene landscape.
My book trailer aims to portray the perpetrator of the murders, Perry Smith, as a man who is just as capable of compassion as monstrosity. In the monologue from his time spent in prison, Perry expresses his contemplations leading up to the murders. The nuances of this narration are captured in the trailer, emulating moments within the novel where the reader is able to empathise with his condition, despite being fully aware of the immense suffering he caused. The trailer imitates the inner conflict of the audience in these moments – you follow what this stranger is saying until you realise who you are listening to.
The visceral nature of the imagery and audio allows you to gain a glimpse of the novel whilst maintaining a sense of the unknown.
— STILLS —
— CONTEXT —
Above: Perry Smith and Richard Hickock
Below: Four members of the Clutter family - Herbert, Bonnie, Nancy and Kenyon
On the night of November 15th, 1959, two recently released convicts, Richard Hickock and Perry Smith, killed 4 members of the Clutter family. Set in the rural town of Holcomb, Kansas, home to 270 odd people, there was no apparent motive, and almost no clues. These are pictures of the real people whose stories are told in the novel.
As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerising suspense and astonishing empathy.
— PROGRESS —
The beginning of the project involved a lot of time spent making marks on paper with a range of tools. These were eventually layered into the video, but during the stage when the project was taking shape they served as a way of conveying a tone without any sort of illustrative element.
This schematic I developed allowed me to take a step back and look at the bigger picture of the project. I was then able to consider each scene individually, as well as holistically. At each step I needed to be certain each scene told its story, and that they all merged cohesively.
This timeline shows each version of the project, from the first animatic to the final work. The screenshots are taken at 5 second intervals, and although each scene may not line up perfectly, it shows the development of the colour palette, tone and overarching aesthetic. Along the way you can see scenes which never made it to the final video - during the project it felt as though I had wasted my time, but looking back it helped me to focus on what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it.
