Video & Motion — Case Study
THE BOOK OF SECRET & FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE
The animated trailer for the book of secret and forbidden knowledge — three minutes of hand-drawn 2D animation, drawn frame by frame.
FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE. FRAME BY FRAME.
The Book of Secret & Forbidden Knowledge is a book of curious lore and hidden things — and its trailer had to feel like opening it. The result is an animated film of three minutes and thirteen seconds, drawn by hand and animated frame by frame, in which the Moon leans down over the fields, birds carry secrets across the sky, and every scene spills into the next.
The film moves between three registers: the main storybook style in rich, saturated colour; a retro cartoon commercial break — get your new brain now, call now! — played dead straight; and rough black-and-white sketch sequences where the drawing shows its workings. The full trailer sits at the top of the gallery, followed by loops and stills from across the film.
Title Card
The Book of Secret & Forbidden Knowledge
The title card: the book’s name carried in a speech bubble through a sky full of birds — the motif that opens the film.
Film
The Full Trailer — 2:03
The complete animated book trailer. Press play, and watch the book come alive.
Still
The Moon Looks Down
The Moon herself, leaning over the sleeping fields — the film’s presiding spirit, watching over everything the book contains.
Animation
The Moon, Drifting Off
The Moon in motion, eyes closing over the fields — a looped moment as the night settles and the dreaming starts.
Still
The Valley Below
The world beneath the Moon: green hills, spring flowers and a purple mountain on the horizon.
Still
The Cowboys
Three red-hatted cowboys on impossibly long legs, wading through the shallows.
Still
The Swirling Birds
The birds again, wheeling in a spiral against the blue — the book’s knowledge on the wing.
Still
The Tree
A great purple tree with a face in its trunk, and children swinging from its branches at sunset.
Animation
The Tree, Stirring
The tree in motion — branches swaying, children swinging, the face in the bark alive.
Still
The Night Desk
A hand, a mouse, and a laptop full of sketches — the small hours, when forbidden knowledge gets looked up.
Animation
The Town from Above
A candy-coloured town seen from the rooftops, in slow motion from above.
Still
The Shopkeeper
Caught mid-gasp behind the counter — jars of strange preserves and two very surprised tomatoes.
Still
The Night Shift
Working late among the specimen jars, lit by the glow of the screen.
Still
The Cookie Van
A travelling baker with a tray of biscuits shaped like little creatures — one of the film’s stranger deliveries.
Animation
The Jar
Something being lowered into a jar of pickled birds, in the shadow of giant boots.
Still
Caught in the Jar
The jar at eye level: a tangle of small creatures, preserved mid-squabble.
Still
The Jar, After Dark
The jar again, after dark — its red contents restless among the boots.
Animation
The Helicopter
A lone green helicopter crossing a dark and empty sky — a held breath in the middle of the film.
Still
The Bargain
A strawberry-headed hero strikes a bargain with a long white spirit, hard cash flashing between them.
Still
The Cookie Army
An army of biscuit soldiers, armed and ready, taking the field beneath a red banner.
Still
The Crocodile at the Controls
A crocodile in a flight jacket, calmly working the levers of some enormous machine.
Animation
Rough Sketch — The Dog
From the rough sequences: a boy and his dog, worked out in loose black-and-white line.
Still
The Sketch, Held
The same rough drawing held as a still — the pencil-stage energy the finished film keeps.
Still
Two Panels
Two more sketch panels: a boy mid-sip, startled — and a hand offering up a bowl of something bright.
Still
The Worm
A great pink worm among the bones, wearing the film’s widest and most unsettling grin.
Still
Get Your New Brain Now
The commercial break: a deadpan sales pitch and absolutely no refunds. Call now!
START YOUR MOTION PROJECT
From the first frame to the final loop — we've got you covered.