Etude

Made for a college course. My instructor gave me a template for the Hero's Journey and instructed me to follow it. I did so to the letter, if not in spirit.

  • Hezekiah Fleck Sims
    Director
  • Hezekiah Fleck Sims
    Writer
  • Hezekiah Fleck Sims
    Cinematographer
  • Hezekiah Fleck Sims
    Composer
  • Hezekiah Fleck Sims
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Student
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 58 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 26, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Syracuse University
Director Biography - Hezekiah Fleck Sims

I have made several films over the past few years, including eight 2-10-minute films and the upcoming longer film "The Valerian Onion Affair." I believe that art has a critical role in shaping society, and it is my goal to question assumptions, finding what we take for granted and and dismantling societal habits in a playful, imaginative, but responsible and morally engaged way to open up possibilities for positive change.

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Director Statement

I made this project for a college class in which the main piece of storytelling advice we were given was the the Hero's Journey, a theory introduced by the venerable Joseph Campbell. For the assignment, we were given a template of how to "do" the Hero's Journey and asked to follow it. I found this vexing and objectionable. While the Hero's Journey can be a useful framework for analysis and even for creativity, no structure should be seen as a "formula" for how to tell a good story. The only true limits on storytelling are the limits of the storytellers' imagination. To claim there is a right way, or even a reliable formula that one can fall back on, is to impose artificial limits on human creativity and excuse complacency, which has dangerous implications in all areas of life.