The Lion's Den

Short Movie Project: The Gashlycrumb Tinies

I love reading out loud to people, I specially love reading the poems of T.S. Elliot or Edward Gorey. For some time now one of my favorite poems to read has been Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies, a morbid alphabetical trek through the deaths of 26 children. Sometime earlier this year I got a strong visual image of what the poem might look like as short film and have decided to try and shoot it. The setup is rather simple, a narrator (me) reading the poem while a cello player plays languid morose music in the background. She appears in the bottom right corner of the screen while I appear in the bottom left and the images from the poem fade in and out above us. To shoot it we need a Cello player, some props (a lectern, a candelabra) some Victorian costumes, a space with good acoustics that is large enough to the two characters can be lit without capturing any background and some compositing software. Sven and I spent some time discussing the visual style of the short and how it could be shot. I have prepared the script and am now looking for a Cello player. Once a player has been found I will need to hunt down some costumes and do some location scouting. If you play the Cello and would like to participate or know someone who does please contact me.

                       The Gashlycrumb Tinies

SCREEN BLACK.

START CELLO MUSIC.
SLOW FADE IN BOTTOM RIGHT.
The image of a CELLO PLAYER dressed in a Victorian 
black dress with white ruff slowly fades into scene 
from the bottom right of the screen.  She is 
illuminated by a soft spot that quickly fades along 
the edges.


SLOW FADE IN BOTTOM LEFT.
A matchstick sound is heard as a candle is lit at 
bottom left.  As more candles are lit we slowly start 
to see NARRATOR dressed in a Victorian black suit 
with a top hat and ribbon as if he were a mortician.  
In front of him is a lectern, on either side are 
candelabras which he is slowly lighting.  Once the 
last candle is lit and we can clearly see the narrator 
he opens a large heavy hard cover book in front of him 
and begins reading.


As he reads each entry the drawing fades in the space 
Above floats a bit then fades away.


                          	NARRATOR
		The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey


		A is for Amy who fell down the stairs.
		B is for Basil assaulted by bears.
		
		C is for Clara who wasted away.
		D is for Desmond thrown out of a sleigh.


		E is for Ernest who choked on a peach.
		F is for Fanny sucked dry by a leech.


		G is for George smothered under a rug.
		H is for Hector done in by a thug.


		I is for Ida who drowned in a lake.
		J is for James who took lye by mistake.


		K is for Kate who was struck with an axe.
		L is for Leo who swallowed some tacks.
	

		M is for Maud who was swept out to sea.
		N is for Neville who died of ennui.


		O is for Olive run through with an awl.
		P is for Prue trampled flat in a brawl.


		Q is for Quentin who sank on a mire.
		R is for Rhoda consumed by a fire.


		S is for Susan who perished of fits.
		T is for Titus who flew into bits.


		U is for Una who slipped down a drain.
		V is for Victor squashed under a train.


		W is for Winnie embedded in ice.
		X is for Xerxes devoured by mice.


		Y is for Yorick whose head was knocked in.
		Z is for Zillah who drank too much gin.

Once NARRATOR ends reading he closes book and uses a
candle snuffer to quickly put out the lit candles 
returning the corner to darkness.  CELLO PLAYER then
fades out leaving the screen dark.  Music continues as

CREDITS ROLL (single page) then FADE TO BLACK