# Penny Dreadful Portraits

> Three animated portrait films for Sky Atlantic's Penny Dreadful, exploring the cultural history of Dracula, Frankenstein and Dorian Gray.

Canonical page: [Penny Dreadful Portraits](<https://gergely-wootsch.com/projects/penny-dreadful-portraits>)

Project ID: bea\_pen

Year: 2014

Role: Designer & Director

I designed and directed the films, and composited and edited them.

Work: Penny Dreadful (2014)

Production: [Beakus](<https://www.beakus.com/>)

Client: Sky Atlantic

Beakus made three animated portrait films for Sky Atlantic's Penny Dreadful, each on the cultural history of a Gothic character: Dracula, Frankenstein and Dorian Gray. Matthew Sweet narrates the essays, and the drawn animation illustrates them with maps, book covers, timelines and portraits.

I designed and directed the films, and composited and edited them, with animators Iria Lopez, Daniela Negrin Ochoa, Joe Sparkes and Luiz Stockler.

## Dracula

[Penny Dreadful: Dracula](</media/video/bea_pen_dracula.mp4>) (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

## Frankenstein

[Penny Dreadful: Frankenstein](</media/video/bea_pen_frankenstein.mp4>) (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

## Dorian Gray

[Penny Dreadful: Dorian Gray](</media/video/bea_pen_dorian.mp4>) (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

## Stills

[Red sun rising between two grainy black mountain peaks under a gray sky.](</media/image/bea_pen_image5_xxl.webp>) (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

[Grainy monochrome face of Frankenstein's monster amid overlapping white gothic lettering.](</media/image/bea_pen_still2_xxl.webp>) (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

[Black animal with a white eye strapped to a white table, wires trailing from it.](</media/image/bea_pen_still1_xxl.webp>) (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

[Laboratory bench with a retro computer showing waves, a DNA strand, flasks and a test tube rack.](</media/image/bea_pen_still3_xxl.webp>) (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

[Black gloved hand with a signet ring pointing at London on an old map of England.](</media/image/bea_pen_still4_xxl.webp>) (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

[Vintage book covers, including Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, on a dark surface.](</media/image/bea_pen_still5_xxl.webp>) (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

[Two black bats hang upside down against crumpled white paper.](</media/image/bea_pen_still6_xxl.webp>) (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

[Dim room with three tall arched windows letting in pale light.](</media/image/bea_pen_image2_xxl.webp>) — Interior background design. (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

[Overlapping red, orange, teal and purple painted shapes on a black background.](</media/image/bea_pen_image14_xxl.webp>) (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

[Timeline with 1839, 1847 and 1859 markers and novel titles including Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.](</media/image/bea_pen_still8_xxl.webp>) (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

[Man in black reclines on a chaise longue holding a bottle before a large red disc.](</media/image/bea_pen_still9_xxl.webp>) (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

[Framed profile portrait of a man in a dark suit on dark floral wallpaper.](</media/image/bea_pen_still10_xxl.webp>) (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

[White outlined flowers climb a wavering line across dark textured fabric.](</media/image/bea_pen_still11_xxl.webp>) (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

[Two large white eyes peer over an open book titled Studies in the Psychology of Sex.](</media/image/bea_pen_still12_xxl.webp>) (Beakus for Sky Atlantic)

## Links

- [Project on beakus.com](<https://www.beakus.com/work/sky-penny-dreadful>)

## Credits

- Client: Sky Atlantic
- Production Company: Beakus
- Voice: Matthew Sweet
- Designed and Directed by: [Gergely Wootsch](<https://gergely-wootsch.com>)
- Producer: Steve Smith
- Production Manager: [Laura Thomas](<https://www.behance.net/laurathomasproducer>)
- Sound Design: [Marian Mentrup](<http://marianmentrup.com/>)
- Additional Direction and Design: Iria Lopez, Daniela Negrin Ochoa
- Animation: Iria Lopez, Daniela Negrin Ochoa, [Joe Sparkes](<https://www.joe-sparkes.com/animationwork>), [Luiz Stockler](<https://www.luizstockler.com/>)
- Compositing & Editing: [Gergely Wootsch](<https://gergely-wootsch.com>)