Terence Nance's Weird World Of Fantastical Blackness
Terence Nance's Weird World Of Fantastical Blackness
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 27: Filmmaker Terence Nance speaks at the "An Oversimplification of Her Beauty" screening and Q&A during Sundance London at Cineworld 02 Arena on April 27, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Sundance/AEG Europe) Ian Gavan/Getty Images hide caption
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 27: Filmmaker Terence Nance speaks at the "An Oversimplification of Her Beauty" screening and Q&A during Sundance London at Cineworld 02 Arena on April 27, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Sundance/AEG Europe)
Ian Gavan/Getty ImagesTerence Nance's new series "Random Acts of Flyness" takes viewers on an abstract comedic journey in every episode of the show. But the issues that he writes about are very real.
In a profile of Nance in The New York Times, reporter Reggie Ugwu writes:
Each of the first season's six, half-hour episodes explores an array of modern social and political fault lines — gender nonconformity, sexual harassment and assault, police violence — in short segments that are brought to life using an even broader medley of cinematic techniques.
In one segment from the pilot, featuring a mock talk show called "The Sexual Proclivities of the Black Community," a story of a date gone awry is illustrated in detailed stop-motion animation. In a subsequent episode, a running theme of toxic masculinity culminates in an eight-minute original musical. The effect is a dreamlike carnival of images and ideas that suggests a toothier Adult Swim, or "In Living Color" as filtered through Nell Irvin Painter.
Nance's show has been renewed by the network for a second season. He joins us to talk about how getting weird got him to where he is today.