HBO: Random Acts of Flyness

Random Acts of Flyness is different. It's fresh, inspiring, artistic, beautiful, funny, challenging, and totally changing the game. Our team had the pleasure of animating a segment for director Terence Nance's pilot episode in 2017, hoping to help it receive the almighty greenlight from HBO.

With only 5 weeks, a limited budget, and 4 minutes of prototype animation to create, our team pooled its resources to in order to craft a visual that would embody the story of Yeleen, a young bisexual man who shares his personal dating experiences. From character designs through delivery, we designed a stop motion world full of fabricated puppets, mixed-media sets, and hand-drawn characters. To watch how the piece came together, see our behind-the-scenes video below.

Not only did the show air on HBO in August of 2018, but it has already been renewed for a second season. And our prototype? It made its way into the pilot, and received some kind words from The New Yorker Magazine, Vulture, The Hollywood Reporter, and The New York Times. The full pilot can be watched on YouTube (just click above!)

“This highly personal conversation interweaves bright cartoon drawings, stop-motion animation with clay-like figures, and a more traditional studio set complete with lush foliage. It’s joyful, buoyant, and, most important, personal... ”

— Vulture

“The beauty of the series is that it feels lived-in. In a sequence on the sexual lives of young black adults, Nance and artist Doreen Garner interview a young queer man who recounts various experiences dating women. Onscreen we’re treated to a gorgeously low-tech stop-motion adaptation of his story that lacks the antiseptic perfections of mainstream animation.”

— The Hollywood Reporter