Do you know about the famous Beale ciphers? Me neither. But apparently it is pretty famous is the code-treasure-hunting-mystery circle. According to wikipedia, the three ciphertexts originates from an 1885 pamphlet detailing treasure being buried by a man named Thomas Jefferson Beale in a secret location in Bedford County, Virginia, in 1820. Beale intrusted the ciphers to an inn keeper in the near by town, then never seen again.
The short film by Andrew Allen showcase a beautiful way of animation as well as secret hidden message for the viewers. From the official website:
Using pioneering animation techniques to create a look never seen on film before, this 10-minute award-winning film tells the true legend of history’s most challenging cipher. Professor White, cryptographer extraordinaire, is on the trail of the notoriously uncrackable Thomas Beale cipher—a century-old riddle hiding the location of a fortune in gold that has tormented its pursuers since inception. But White is not alone—shadowy forces are tight on his tail.
The film contains 16 hidden messages that hold clues to the characters’ secrets. Eight are fairly easy and require only a close eye. Six are moderately difficult using various encryption methods. Two are extremely difficult and will require a genius mind to decrypt.
Check out the short film and see if you could find clues needed to solve the riddle. Who knows, you might just find the 65 million dollar treasure.
