RUDY WILLINGHAM ON CREATING HIS VIRAL LIL NAS X TIKTOK VIDEO
In June, short-form content creator Rudy Willingham posted a new video for his 4 million TikTok followers in his signature stop-motion cutout style: a colorful, kinetic clip set to the tune of Lil Nas X’s smash hit “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)”. He made the video to celebrate Pride Month and chose to center it on Lil Nas X “because he seemed like the perfect person to capture the LGBTQ spirit,” says Rudy. The video now has more than 15 million views. How did he do it?
All of Rudy’s work is essentially handmade and hands-on—very much the product of ingenuity, not just technology—and this video was no exception. He first printed 81 frames of Lil Nas X performing the song. Then he cut out LNX’s clothes and photographed the resulting cutouts against backgrounds around Seattle, where he’s based.
“Each background in the video reflects something about the genius that is Lil Nas X,” Rudy notes. For instance, the Pride flag symbolizes the singer’s LGBTQ activism. There’s street art because of his hip-hop roots. The sunset reflects his sunny, optimistic personality. Flowers show his beauty. The fire is a nod to the “Montero” music video. And Rudy included neon “because of Lil Nas X’s futuristic, forward-thinking art.”
Rudy photographing cutouts for his viral Lil Nas X TikTok on location around Seattle, where he's based. (Images courtesy Rudy Willingham.)
Rudy shot everything practically, with no green screens, bringing what he calls a human touch to digital art. As for the quick cuts that make the video so dynamic, he explains that he wanted to create "a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of color, almost hypnotizing your brain and forcing your eyes to focus on the subject moving on the page.”
The Ultimate Pivot
Nearly two years ago, the pandemic changed life as we know it, and so many people all around the world were forced to reassess how they earned a living and even to completely reinvent themselves—including Rudy. He had been working independently as a copywriter and creative director and lost nearly all of his advertising clients overnight. “I thought my dreams of running a small business were over,” he recalls. “I had a baby on the way and no paycheck in sight.”
When he applied for jobs all over Seattle and found he couldn’t even get an interview, he started making TIkToks, hoping he could save his business. “And things blew up very quickly!” he says. “TikTok is very pro-creator, and the algorithm is amazing at connecting you with a massive audience. They changed my life.”
A Good-Vibes Agenda
Spend a little time with Rudy’s TikTok or Instagram feed, and it quickly becomes clear that he’s got an agenda. “My goal is to make things that make people smile,” he says. “The internet can sometimes be a negative place, so I try to inject more positivity into it!”
He has previously created stop-motion cutouts to celebrate Earth Day (in collaboration with United Airlines) and International Women’s Day, and has been commissioned by brands including Reebok, New Balance, T-Mobile, and ESPN, for whom he made a stop-motion cutout to promote the big McGregor vs. Poirier UFC face-off this past summer.
“I think my stop-motion cutouts have connected with people because they have a homemade/organic feel that people enjoy,” says Rudy. “Also, they’re just a great way to show off the natural beauty of our world. You may walk by a tree and think nothing of it. But when it’s framed within a dress on a paper cutout, suddenly it becomes a design. It becomes art. It makes you realize: Everything is art if you look at it in the right way.”