About this video
Omar Little, the character portrayed by Michael K. Williams on HBO’s “The Wire,” changed television forever. We genuinely believe that. Omar shattered diversity stereotypes and made gay love accessible and relatable for the masses. That’s why BIEN wanted to create a passion project in honor of this character and the great actor. We came up with the idea of the cocaine-filled King chess piece as a visual analogy inspired by the famous scene in Season 1, Episode 3 when D’Angelo teaches the corner kids how to play chess. When a dope boy asks, “How do you get to BE the King?” D’Angelo answers, “It ain’t like that. See…the King stays the King,” as the scene cuts to Omar in the middle of the action. This project was a labor of love involving deep research into Omar’s character. We chose to go with his favorite handgun, the SIG-Sauer P226, instead of his signature shotgun for two reasons. One, it was his weapon of choice when Omar was going after the King himself, Avon Barksdale, and umm, two, the muzzle flash is awesome at close range. Technically, we mixed many techniques, from 3D printing, to live-action and actual 3D. Wait—if you 3D print a 3D model of a real chess piece and shoot it live, what do you call that technique? It didn’t matter to us. We’re just glad to pay homage to one of the greatest feats anyone has achieved in advancing a culture of inclusivity for all. Rest in power, Michael.
About BIEN
Credits
Creative Director: Hung Le Executive Producer: Ricardo Roberts Producer: Alisha Kramer Art Director: Carlos Alegria DP: Kent Willard AC: Trevor Jackson Live Action Production: Summit Collective 2D Design: Carlos Alegria 2D Animators and Compositor: Andrea Gendusa, Hung Le 3D Modeling and Animation: Andrea Gendusa, Deanna Reilley Sound Design: Carlos Alegria 3D Props Design/Printing: Eric Kramer Practical effects: Alisha Kramer, Trevor Jackson