For this project, I created the official booktrailer for the novel Madre Dolore, a noir set in Scampia and written by Daniele Sanzone. The story follows Mirco Del Gaudio, a former boxer and head of the Scampia police station, as he investigates the mysterious case of an alleged suicide.

The video conveys the dark and introspective mood of the book through a slow and suspended visual direction, where light and shadow play a central role. We see Del Gaudio in his solitude, haunted by the past, training on the punching bag, driving along Naples’ Asse Mediano, and navigating through interrogations and clues.

Unlike my more colorful and rhythmic works, here I chose a rougher style, with looser lines and a strong use of chiaroscuro to reflect the noir tone of the story.

The project was released in two versions: one with an original music track by ’A67 (audio editing and adaptation by me), and another with the voice-over of Claudio Santamaria (Italian actor and the voice of Bruce Wayne in Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy), accompanied by the baritone sax of Giuseppe Giroffi.

Musical version

TECHNICAL SHEET
Art Direction & Visual Concept: Massimo Di Pinto
Motion Design & Character Animation: Massimo Di Pinto
Sound Editing: Massimo Di Pinto
Project Type: animated booktrailer
Length: 2 minutes
Year: 2023
Techniques: 2D animation (frame by frame), compositing
Software: After Effects, Animate
Book Author: Daniele Sanzone (journalist, writer, and frontman of the band ‘A67)
Title: Madre dolore. La prima inchiesta del commissario Del Gaudio
Publisher: Les Flâneurs Edizioni
Voice-over: Claudio Santamaria
Baritone sax: Giuseppe Giroffi
Music: Comme na' droga - 'A67
Genre: noir