Keep Sweet Pray & Obey
From the POV of ex-pats from Warren Jeff's fundamentalist FLDS sect, this Netflix docuseries details Warren's rise to power and systemic abuse of parishioners. Union created several animated shots for the series and provided toolkits for production to use in-house. These are the shots we completed for the series.
Keep Sweet Pray & Obey Exploratory - 1. Video
The exploratory period for this project was extensive. These frames and animations were conversation starters early in the design exploratory phase of production. Not all of these ideas made it into the show. These first two style tests explore video and film treatments in the series.
2. Archival Collage Exploratory
Inspired by actual collages from FLDS family albums, we created these frames to showcase archival materials in the show.
3. Destruction Exploratory
These frames, and the video tests above, were part of a larger story demonstrating a religious belief about the impending end of Earth. Following the Apocalypse, families ascend into space and populate new worlds. Each FLDS family will populate a new world.
My biggest personal regret on this project was not seeing these sequences come to life--in this iteration or the next. We loved where these were headed.
4. Illustration
Needing to communicate heavier content in the story, we pitched the idea of using illustrations. The illustrations would allow us to present sensitive material thoughtfully and convey emotions that would not otherwise be expressed in a traditional documentary archival format. The above motion test combined super-8 footage and illustration per a request from production.
5. A Storyboarded Idea
These storyboard frames detail a story of Warren Jeffs assuming power by kicking out his competition--men who didn't 100% agree with his ascension into prophethood. This whole sequence never got past the story-development phase, but I still loved where it was going and would have loved to see it through.
In this sequence, Warren gathers his (formerly his father's) flock into an auditorium and asks 21 men to stand up, claiming divine instruction. Then he tells these men they are all kicked out of the church and community--that they must leave without saying goodbye to their families. He then asks the remaining members to raise their hands in agreement with his actions. One by one, people overcome their emotions and submit to his authority.
6. Text & Imagery
Inspired by the cheesiness of FLDS archival materials from this era, we explored some “low-fi” looks to present text and imagery.
