Twothousandstrong, led by creative director Craig Tozzi, has recently wrapped two corporate shots for Electronic Arts. The promos, created for popular game maker Electronic Arts, in conjunction with Arnson Communications, were specifically designed to promote EA's new games at the annual E3 (Electronics Entertainment Expo) conference in Los Angeles.
"For the people who play these games, accuracy is very important," said twothousandstrong ceo and creative director Craig Tozzi. "They will call you on things that aren't right. For both jobs, the details were crucial. Whether it's tanks or cars, EA always wants to be absolutely authentic. We were determined to get it all exactly right. The creative challenge was, therefore, envisioning as many scenarios as we could and then bring them together into a cohesive, accurate piece."
"This was a big project, which is why we went to Craig and twothousandstrong," said Todd Arnson of Arnson Communications. "Having worked with Craig in the past, we knew he had the artistic sensibility, technical prowess and animation expertise to make this project all it could be. Without exception, Craig and his team understood the nature of situation and resources, and were able to calmly and easily react to modifications and changes as they came up. The company was very helpful in modifying the creative, as well as in all aspects of post."
BATTLEFIELD 1942: SECRET WEAPONS OF WWII takes viewers to a World War II battlefield including surprises. The game brings experimental weaponry from WWII to life. Twothousandstrong teamed with San Francisco's Mondo Media using 3ds Studio max to create the spot. The piece concludes with a large tank bearing down on a soldier from behind, but with a wry smile, a jetpack appears on his back, rapidly raising him straight up.
"Our challenge was to tell a story of what might have happened if these weapons had made it into the war," said Tozzi. "Not only that, but all of them had to come into play in just one battle lasting one minute and ten seconds. For that reason, one of our biggest challenges came in selecting from the many possible scenarios and weaponry we could have used. In the battle we created, the weapons just appear through the course of the battle, and each appearance causes the tables to turn, keeping up the tension and excited. They previewed the game at E3 and it seemed to be really well-received."
NEED FOR SPEED: UNDERGROUND transports viewers into a world of racing exotic automobiles down crowded city streets. With previsualization help from Venice, California-based Pixel Liberation Front, twothousandstrong create a street race where after tearing through the streets, the cars find themselves approaching a retracting drawbridge. As one driver chickens out, the other hits a nitrous oxide button and catapults over the abyss.
"EA is actually approaching car manufacturers in order to license and create perfect digital replicas of their cars," said Tozzi. "Players then take those cars and outfit them for street racing. There is a technical and an aesthetic side to that outfitting, where car color and decals can be as important as engine parts and aerodynamic body parts. In the spot, two stock cars go into a tunnel and are gradually outfitted with more and more stuff, from an outrageous sound system to a whole new car body. Once they emerge from the tunnel, the race is on!"
Founded in 1996, twothousandstrong (www.2000strong.com) is a leading design/production company providing creative services to television network, advertising and corporate projects. The company specializes in 2D and 3D animation, film production, editorial and music direction.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
