Finding X: A Mathematical Short Film

Finding X is an animated short film about X's search for meaning in a world full of numbers.

Credits:
Created & Produced by Toby Hendy & Cedric Scheerlinck
Animated & Directed by Benjamin Zaugg
Music = Cassie To
Sound = Daniel Goh
Script & Narration = Toby Hendy
Felt art = Toby Hendy & Cedric Scheerlinck
Story consultant = Petr Lebedev
Poem consultant = Dan Simpson
Special Thanks = Louise Cocks, Lee Naimo, Alyce Adams, Adele Vuko, Christiaan Van Vuuren, David Peterson, Skip Ahead 6 cohort, Tibees’ Patreon supporters.

Supported by Screen Australia and YouTube through the Skip Ahead initiative.

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[tibees]

I tried my best to sprinkle the video with hidden math references, let me know which ones you spot! 🚀

[MedlifeCrisis]

Aw Toby this was magical. I watched with my kids and loved every second. So many little Easter eggs and it all rhymes! Beautiful and almost brought a tear to my eye, wouldn’t be the first time algebra has made me cry. You should feel extremely proud of this.

[carykh]

Wow, this is such a beautiful way to turn math into a story! 😊 I loved watching the Roman Numeral section and X and Y trace out graphs at the end.

[novanonsense]

I'm not crying over a math video, YOU'RE crying over a math video.

(But really, this was beautifully done!)

[zdino]

I fell in love with this animation. Fortunately there are still people who actually appreciate math and show everyone else the magic within numbers and variables. Congratulations!!!

[tomslastname]

I have never been brought to tears by a math video before.
I tell you, you've never seen true talent until you've seen someone tasked with making a >10 minute video about "finding the value of x" make a video like this one. I am stunned.

[pranavangadi]

"Math is not about your value. Math is about relationships." Amazing video! Easily one of the best I've seen.

[Lynn-eehq]

Wow...I'm in awe. Math has been my weakest of weak spots my entire life, and honestly...when I clicked on this video, I was expecting some kind of an animated equation I wouldn't understand, and was ready to tune it all out and just enjoy the visuals. But the amount of creativity, heart, and tenderness that went into making a full story--one that resonates with the heart just as much as the brain--touched me deeply. 🥰 At the end, when Y spoke about variables being more about relationships than value, it clicked something into place, and I now have a desire to try studying math again. Thank you to all who worked on this video! It's a true inspiration!

[ankurhaldar]

Although I am not very good at studies(especially maths, physics)but I appreciate the people who do understand and love the subjects. Good job on spreading the knowledge you are doing a good work👍👍

[Jabrils]

X was so special without all that validation & they didn't even know it. 😭😭😭 im not crying, my allergies are flaring up.

[drpeyam]

This is so amazing, thank you for your hard work 😁

[Vexins]

The effort put into this looks to be tremendous. Deserves so much more attention, keep it up and I appreciate the creativity.

Edit: it has so much rewatch-ability too for attention to details with the animation outside of the puns even that you may miss.

[anupamdebnath]

This is truly amazing! I loved the line : "Math is not about your value. Math is about relationships". It's wonderful!

[susanne]

If this had been mandatory viewing when I was around 10 years old - I wouldn't have dreaded mathematics existentially, fearing continuous failure and wrong solutions ... Thank you so very much for this beautiful new narrative what mathematics is actually about: creative exploring of all the patterns and relations we can think of!🌈🖖

[umarus]

This video deserves billion views at least. All my students love it and some ask to watch it again and again. (I still not sure why x's parents are 40 and 42 though.) Fantastic piece of art, thank you!

[lucaseverini]

The part where X and Y start creating all shapes together literally makes me cry. This is not just a video about maths. This is something philosophical. This is something very comforting, something lovely to watch and hear. Great one.

[lunarcramshell]

That was amazing Tibees, it was truly magical

[Thomasfrank]

This is an absolutely stunning video. Amazing work, Toby.

[JulianOShea]

This is delightful. Congrats to all involved in it. Love the end sequence - opens the door for the ‘X’ cinematic universe.

[Raven_Black_]

I don't know anything beyond basic math, has never been my thing so I'm not able to spot math references but I can spot a good and well-written story very well as a writer myself. The stop-motion looks very good and the colors you used are not much like any other I've seen in a stop-motion film, they are very vibrant. The ryhmes give the story a fairytale vibe, I think this short film is going to be a classic in 10 years. We will come back to this beauty to appreciate it's nostalgic wonders in the future and yearn for the past where everything felt more simple and innocent. Well done!