14:47Animating HORRIFYING things on a Zoetrope...
Save referenceCuriosity Gap
The machine is the star. Most viewers have never seen a zoetrope, and a hand mid-spin implies something is about to happen. Bloodied cartoon faces peek from the drum, but the trick only exists in motion, so you click to watch it spin.
Title
The title names the strange device and promises something horrifying on it.
Thumbnail
The thumbnail shows the odd machine mid-spin with the disturbing frames just visible.
When your process uses an unfamiliar physical tool, let the tool fill the frame instead of your face. A strange object mid-use asks its own question and needs no text at all.
An unfamiliar machine mid-use is its own question
Turn the lesson into a decision
Apply this pattern to your next video.
Bring the reference into a packaging brief, then decide what your title and thumbnail should each communicate.