I imagine today is the most dreaded day of the Blogging from A to Z challenge – the infamous letter X. There just aren’t that many words out there that start with X, and most of the ones that do are pretty strange: xenolith, xylograph, xanthic. If today were Willy-nilly Wednesday, I’d just grab one of these weirdos and start babbling about them. But it’s Film Friday, and since I couldn’t find a short film that started with X, I’m going to have to cheat a little (don’t judge, I’m sure lots of a-z bloggers got creative today!). So my “X word” is eXceptional, and today’s short film is Sebastian’s Voodoo, which definitely lives up to that description. It’s only four and a half minutes long, so if you haven’t seen it yet, give it a watch:
As you can see, in addition to being eXceptional, the voodoo dolls have X’s for their eyes and hearts – another connection with today’s letter, so I didn’t cheat too much.
Anyway, I first saw this short at the Charleston International Film Festival a few years ago, and I was blown away by it. I actually teared up, which feels a little silly. I mean, they’re voodoo dolls – they don’t even have real faces! And they’re only on screen for four minutes and don’t utter a single line of dialog. Yet the message of sacrifice is so powerful it really makes an impression. It’s bolstered by amazing animation and a perfect musical score, but it truly demonstrates that sometimes the simplest stories can be the most effective.
I’ve actually seen the film several times since then, and it gets to me every time. One of the places was a screenwriting class where the instructor was showing it to drive home the point that oftentimes less really is more. I also think it’s a great illustration of the writer’s mantra “show don’t tell” – the body language of the voodoo dolls and a few simple actions not only tell us everything we need to know, but also impact us emotionally. Sebastian’s Voodoo is an example of simple, yet powerful storytelling I think we should all keep in mind while writing.
What did you think of Sebastian’s Voodoo? Do you think it has anything to teach us as writers? How eXited is Chloe with her letter X? (Actually I’m not sure what kind of eXpression that is on her face!)
I imagine today is the most dreaded day of the Blogging from A to Z challenge – the infamous letter X. There just aren’t that many words out there that start with X, and most of the ones that do are pretty strange: xenolith, xylograph, xanthic. If today were Willy-nilly Wednesday, I’d just grab one of these weirdos and start babbling about them. But it’s Film Friday, and since I couldn’t find a short film that started with X, I’m going to have to cheat a little (don’t judge, I’m sure lots of a-z bloggers got creative today!). So my “X word” is eXceptional, and today’s short film is Sebastian’s Voodoo, which definitely lives up to that description. It’s only four and a half minutes long, so if you haven’t seen it yet, give it a watch:
As you can see, in addition to being eXceptional, the voodoo dolls have X’s for their eyes and hearts – another connection with today’s letter, so I didn’t cheat too much.
Anyway, I first saw this short at the Charleston International Film Festival a few years ago, and I was blown away by it. I actually teared up, which feels a little silly. I mean, they’re voodoo dolls – they don’t even have real faces! And they’re only on screen for four minutes and don’t utter a single line of dialog. Yet the message of sacrifice is so powerful it really makes an impression. It’s bolstered by amazing animation and a perfect musical score, but it truly demonstrates that sometimes the simplest stories can be the most effective.
I’ve actually seen the film several times since then, and it gets to me every time. One of the places was a screenwriting class where the instructor was showing it to drive home the point that oftentimes less really is more. I also think it’s a great illustration of the writer’s mantra “show don’t tell” – the body language of the voodoo dolls and a few simple actions not only tell us everything we need to know, but also impact us emotionally. Sebastian’s Voodoo is an example of simple, yet powerful storytelling I think we should all keep in mind while writing.
What did you think of Sebastian’s Voodoo? Do you think it has anything to teach us as writers? How eXited is Chloe with her letter X? (Actually I’m not sure what kind of eXpression that is on her face!)
Jocelyn Rish is a writer and filmmaker who never imagined her cheeky sense of humor would lead to a book about animal butts. When she's not researching fanny facts, she tutors kids to help them discover the magic of reading. Jocelyn has won numerous awards for her short stories, screenplays, short films, and novels and lives in South Carolina with her booty-ful dogs.
I imagine today is the most dreaded day of the Blogging from A to Z challenge – the infamous letter X. There just aren’t that many words out there that start with X, and most of the ones that do are pretty strange: xenolith, xylograph, xanthic. If today were Willy-nilly Wednesday, I’d just grab one of these weirdos and start babbling about them. But it’s Film Friday, and since I couldn’t find a short film that started with X, I’m going to have to cheat a little (don’t judge, I’m sure lots of a-z bloggers got creative today!). So my “X word” is eXceptional, and today’s short film is Sebastian’s Voodoo, which definitely lives up to that description. It’s only four and a half minutes long, so if you haven’t seen it yet, give it a watch: