2002 Great Lakes Independent Film Festival

Tales of Mystery

Category: Animation  3min 
Director: Jose Acosta

Tales of Mystery features legendary gothic horror writer Edgar Allan Poe auditioning for the part of host on his very own horror anthology series!  This 3-minute gem highlights Poe's exhausting day on the set. Unfortunately things do not go as planned for the author of The Raven who just can't seem to please the director on this dark and stormy night.  Even in his humbling life, Poe wasn't subject to this sort of humiliation! Critics declare Tales of Mystery a "highly amusing short" with "exemplary, shadowy CGI work and an excellent vocal performance provided by Acosta himself." With a zero budget and a little inspiration, the filmmaker worked nights on his home PC for six months to deliver an engaging "cartoon realism" style of 3D animation.  He recorded all dialogue and sound effects on a camcorder in his basement, and had to spend days eliminating the ambient noise from the sound track.  The effort paid off in this memorable animated short.

  
Director: Jose Acosta
Jose Acosta began his animation career with a Best Music Video award at Georgia State University where he received his Masters degree in 1991.  He went on to receive First Prize at the 1996 Decatur Film Festival for his 30-minute live-action film Young Alien.  Acosta received the 1998 Southeastern Emmy Award for his animation work on Georgia Public Television's SALSA, which was later syndicated on the Univision network.  He resides in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Julia and their children Joseph and Elena.  He serves as the art director for web-based training at The Home Depot headquarters