USC Originals’ Latest Film  “Voodoo Macbeth” focuses on the power of collaboration

As the most iconic director of the 20th century, Orson Welles is often considered the “ultimate auteur.” Ambitious, egotistical and domineering, Welles relentlessly pushed for his visionary ideas to come to life on both the screen and stage. However, in order to tell Welles’ story, USC School of Cinematic Arts students and alumni needed to challenge exactly what this legendary figure stood for in USC Originals’ latest film “Voodoo Macbeth.”

Focusing on the 1936 theatrical production of Shakespare’s “Macbeth” with an all-Black cast directed by an inexperienced 20-year-old Orson Welles, “Voodoo Macbeth” highlights the chaos and beauty that emerged during the making of the show, as political tensions, egos and cultural differences clashed. Only when Welles learns to relinquish his hubris and respect the voices of his fellow artists does the production finally come together to transform into a hit sensation. 

 “The message that [the film] sends is really important; it is a message of collaboration and a message of believing in one another, taking a risk and learning how to be an artist,” said Sabina Vajrača, one of ten directors on the film and a graduate of SCA’s Masters of Fine Arts in film and television production program.  

Both on and behind the screen, “Voodoo Macbeth” embraces collaboration as a key foundation of creating art. With ten directors, eight writers and three producers, the film strays away from the sole auteur approach in favor of a new style of filmmaking based on diversity and teamwork, satisfying the mission of USC Originals, the University’s production company which provides SCA students with the resources to create films, like “Voodoo Macbeth.”

“USC Originals was inspired by the realization that we have an enormous number of very talented filmmakers both in undergraduate and graduate programs, who are yearning for an opportunity to work on both feature films and television,” said John Watson, SCA professor and executive producer on “Voodoo Macbeth.” 

The film came to fruition in SCA’s Feature Film Writing and Production class, where students write and produce a film under the direction of Watson. In 2019, Watson gathered a group of student screenwriters to create a television-style writer’s room that worked to develop the script for “Voodoo Macbeth.” Then in the following months, after ten graduate directors as well as three producers were chosen from a large pool of applicants, the film dived into production with students and alumni joining forces to bring the picture to life. 

Vajrača and SCA alumnus as well as producer on the film Jason Phillips both expressed gratitude and excitement for the unique opportunity “Voodoo Macbeth” provided for film students, like themselves. 

“For a lot of us on this project, it [was] a launching pad for us to work on independent features and gave us a chance to break into that field,” Phillips said. “And specifically for me … I was shocked that I had not heard this story before, as someone who loves theater, and I thought I need to be a part of this [since] it aligned both my professional and creative interests.” 

With such a large crew and cast, one would assume that it would be an unachievable feat to get every artist on the same page without any conflicts arising. After all, as the film portrays, collaboration is not always easy when dealing with artists.

“It’s [like having] ten cooks in the same kitchen. Everyone wants to be a chef, right? And on top of it, we’re all just graduating from the top film school in the country being told that we’re the best, right? There could have definitely been a lot of ego issues,” Vajrača said. 

However, in order to create a positive environment that would enable cooperation and respect amongst the filmmakers, Watson provided everyone involved in the film with wise advice: “Leave your ego at the door.” Thus, in addition to collaboration, communication served as a leading principal on set. From extensive pre-production meetings, where directors discussed every element of the script, to test shootings, the filmmakers constantly opened themselves up to constructive feedback to ensure that the film remained tonally cohesive and consistent. 

“It [was] about continuously communicating with one another –– we just did so many meetings, like we would do 10-hour days, where we would have each director come in with all the department heads and the producers,” Phillips said. 

The directors as well as the below-the-line crew worked together to establish the same “basic visual language.” However, at the same time, the directors still possessed enough creative freedom to insert their own style and perspective, with each of them in charge of directing a sequence within the film. 

“Once we created a basic visual language, then we could play with it in our own way,” Vajrača said. “[It’s] basically like we all spoke English, but everybody had a different accent.” 

 Debuting at over 20 film festivals, “Voodoo Macbeth”  received many accolades from Best Feature Film to Best Director(s). As the film continued to screen at festivals across the country, it came to the attention of Lightyear Entertainment, an independent film studio, who ultimately attached itself as a distributor. 

As the first USC Originals film to receive a theatrical release, “Voodoo Macbeth” has become a major accomplishment for not only the cast and crew but also the student filmmaking community as a whole. 

“A lot of people discount [student films] and they think it’s not going to work … [This film] provides a way to remove the stigma and bring a professional nature to [student films],” Phillips said. “We had a mission to put [the film] out there and to learn everything we could about the distribution process … we really pushed forward to get that.” 

Emulating Welles’ daring spirit, these rising filmmakers are not afraid to push back against the traditional boundaries of the entertainment industry and place their voices front and center in Hollywood. “Voodoo Macbeth” reflects the future of filmmaking in the hands of young artists. 

“We are certainly pioneering something completely unique. When [USC Originals] started out, there were a lot of people who told me this was a crazy notion. And it probably was, but it has taken collaboration [to make it work],” Watson said.