April 2013
1 post
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Happy Birthday To Us!
One of my team-2HC cohorts brought up the fact that it has been a year since we launched this blog, and that maybe this was a good opportunity to get off my duff and post something, anything dammit! (That’s only partially true; he did notify me of the occasion, but there was no pleading or cursing.)
That’s right, it’s been a year since we launched the Two-Headed Cop site. And, sure, it’s been...
January 2013
1 post
5 tags
Happy (belated) New Year From Two-Headed Cop!
Hope everyone had a great holiday season and a happy New Year!
November 2012
2 posts
3 tags
A Great Expo, Now The Turkey!
Were you at the Burbank Marriott this weekend? Well if not, I’m afraid you made a bad decision. What happened at the Burbank Marriott, you ask? A great time was had by all, THAT’S what happened.
The Marriott hosted the CTN Anim Expo, a weekend of all-things-animation for fans, enthusiasts and industry folks alike. Talented artists sampled their wares, panels of pros bestowed wisdom,...
6 tags
CTN Anim Expo!
Also known as the “Creative Talent Network Animation Exposition”, but I guess that comes off a little long-winded.
Regardless, it’s this weekend, and I’m excited to announce that we’ll be there to promote Two-Headed Cop!
You can find us at booth number 47, the AnimationRigs.com booth:
When you get there just look for the giant version of this.
Just like at...
October 2012
1 post
3 tags
The Jail Sequence and Other Updates
It’s quieted down a bit here at Two-Headed Cop headquarters since the hectic flurry of Comic-Con and the subsequent (and sadly failed) Kickstarter campaign. I took a much needed vacation, both physically from Los Angeles and mentally from the project.
As we ramp back up, the first order of business was to put some finishing touches on the JAIL sequence, and I’m excited to present it...
August 2012
4 posts
5 tags
The Stiltwalker!
Part of the clan of carnies that engage in fisticuffs with Two-Headed Cop, although this fella doesn’t fare too well due to some obvious fighting handicaps.
Check out the super creepy image I sent our designer as reference:
Not so much the stiltwalker, but that inflated guy lurching after him. What the hell is that?! It’s awesome is what it is!
Here are some earlier sketches...
4 tags
Fat City Supplies!
So, the bad news is, we didn’t meet our Kickstarter goal, which is disappointing. We didn’t want all that money anyway! (Actually we did.)
The good news is, not reaching that goal will in no way stop us from proceeding apace with the film. The better news, perhaps, is that we did receive a lot of enthusiasm for the project, which is quite heartening.
And perhaps the best news of all...
2 tags
Nerdtastic!
Are you into movies, video games, animation, or other nerd-ish pursuits?
Then you’ll love “Nerdtastic in 3D”! It’s a group of animation industry vets who get together once a week to do a podcast discussing various nerd topics. It’s quite entertaining!
They were kind enough to invite me onto the show to discuss Two-Headed Cop, and we digressed into many other...
5 tags
The Three-Legged Walk!
A common question at Comic-Con was “how does he walk with three legs?”, and I realized that you don’t really see below his waist in the Jail sequence so you can’t really see how it works. So here he is, with a little progression showing the cloth sim and lighting added just for kicks.
Abbondanza!
July 2012
8 posts
7 tags
The Little Carny!
Again, I can’t reiterate enough, you really don’t want to mess around with carnies, because you never, ever, wanted to find yourself on the receiving end of what is known as “Carny Justice.” Don’t even ask what Carny Justice is.
You don’t. Want. To know.
The Little Carny has become a bit of a favorite design amongst some of the folks at 2HC headquarters,...
11 tags
Comic-Con Conclusion-Con!
We had an amazing time at the San Diego Comic-Con. As someone who’s been living with this concept in isolation for many years, it was a real thrill to watch people mouth the words “Two-Headed Cop” as they spotted our giant backdrop from afar, and smile and head over to get a closer look. We also got a lotta laughs and head shakes from the tag line “Half Asian. Half...
11 tags
Kickstarter!
Exiting news for you Two-Headed Cop aficionados. In tandem with our presence at Comic-Con, Two-Headed Cop has officially launched it’s KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN!
What’s ‘Kickstarter’ you ask? Kickstarter is an online platform that let’s independent artists raise money to help fund their projects. It’s a great way to narrow the gap between creator and audience and...
6 tags
Late Night Crazy Clown!
As we make our way through the process of lighting shots, every once in a while one of them grabs our attention, like this one.
The Clown Carny does not like it when people take his red clown nose away.
And yes, that is a key plot point. Click the pic to see it bigger and widescreen.
Now, back to work!
9 tags
The Mystery Revealed!
Kick! Pow!
Awesome, right? We got this sweet maquette made for Comic-Con, and we’ll ultimately be offering him for purchase to those who want something dramatic, inspiring, perhaps even cautionary for the mantel. Move over family photo, Two-Headed Cop has to kick some ass!
Look at C-Ray chomp his cigar:
Come by booth #2445 to see this fine item in person!
6 tags
The T-Shirts Are Here! Plus A Mystery!
Behold! And these aren’t photoshop fakeries like before, you can actually wear these down to your local grocer. (By the way, that shag rug is as luxurious as it looks.)
We’ll be selling these at our booth at Comic-Con as well as offering them in another exciting venue, which we’ll be announcing shortly.
Also, take a peep at this:
What’s under that black cloth, you...
9 tags
Comic-Con!
We’re gonna be at Comic-Con next week!
Booth #2445, the AnimationRigs.com booth, is the officially sanctioned “Two-Headed Cop” booth this year. Huzzah! Your dreams have been realized!
Come to our booth and you can watch our first fully animated sequence, the “Jail Sequence” in which a wrongly-accused Two-Headed Cop is dragged down into the bowels of the Fat City...
4 tags
Two-Headed Cop, Strolling Through Jail!
At last, a semi-finished version of this shot. As I always like to point out, there are still some things that need fixing (yes, I see that some buttons are floating), and I actually have some thoughts about tweaking the overall look, but it finally feels like there’s a world that exists here.
And now, once again, back to work!
June 2012
9 posts
5 tags
Ka-ZOW!
I’ve been a bit lax in my blogging efforts, as things have become wildly busy around 2hc Headquarters. But we’ve just finished a nice piece of promotional artwork that I’m excited to share.
If you’re interested in seeing this thing really huge (like a RAM-destroying, 24,000 pixels wide type of huge) then you must go to Comic-Con. If you’d like to see it a just a...
5 tags
Lighting Has Begun!
Kind of. It’s definitely still a work in progress as you can see in the above still. There’s actually no cloth sim in that image, and the character’s irises and pupils have gone missing, and the environment actually has no lighting at all on it, but I’m still pretty pleased with how it’s coming along. I’m hoping to have an actual movie with the lighting in it...
4 tags
Two-Headed Cop in Motion!
And he’s in the slammer! Wait’ll you see how he gets out!
If you’ve just tuned in, “Two-Headed Cop” has recently gone into production, and the above clip is one of our first shots to (almost) be completed in animation. I say “almost” because it’s still a bit of a work in progress, as there are little things here and there that need polish. But I...
9 tags
The Big House!
The Can! The Pen! The Cooler!
No self-respecting citizen of Fat City wants to find themselves there, but that’s exactly what happens to Two-Headed Cop.
The jail sequence is the first to go into production, and I’m very excited to be able to show off some views of the jail set that was recently completed by the talented environmental modeler Lyra Ulangca. (You can see more of...
6 tags
Featured Carny: Gypsy Carny Smoking Lady!
At this point we call her the Gypsy Carny, but she’s also been referred to as the Carny Lady, the Smoking Woman Carny, and the Gypsy Woman Carny. Our inability to settle on a name is due mostly to the fact that she has only one significant scene in the film, in which she’s breastfeeding and smoking at the same time. And then she joins a major brawl.
Never mess with carnies.
We thought having a...
5 tags
Ka-Blooey! Ka-CHOW
I’ve been working on a generic action pose of Two Headed Cop for promotional purposes, and here’s a turntable of him frozen in a state of kicking ass - times two!
This is just a simple maya playblast, no fancy lighting or anything, but I think it shows off the character’s design nicely.
By the way, I’m posting this from an airplane at thirty thousand feet! Thanks,...
5 tags
And the Winner Is...
In case you missed it, we decided to have you all help us select our t-shirt design from a group of choices over on our Facebook page. The kicker being that we’d also randomly pick a name from all those who liked any of the designs, and that person would get one of the resulting t-shirts. For FREE!
First, the t-shirt. Since it ended up being a real horse-race between design #1 and design...
6 tags
Featured Carny: Baby Carny!
Okay, so he’s not really a baby. But he’s definitely a carny. And he’s more than willing to enact his own special brand of Carny Justice at the drop of a bonnet.
What is “Carny Justice”, you may wonder? You don’t even want to know, my friend.
There are actually several little people amongst the pack of carnies that Two-Headed Cop battles, and it was...
5 tags
Who Wants a FREE Two-Headed Tee!
That’s right, I said free. We plan on making some t-shirts and here are our first set of designs:
If you’d like to see a mock-up of each one on a tee, just click any of the above pics and they’ll take you to the Two-Headed Cop Facebook page, where they’re posted.
And that’s how you could possibly get a free t-shirt. While you’re at the Facebook page,...
May 2012
9 posts
8 tags
Featured Carny: The Strongman!
No circus sideshow or carnival is complete without one! The Strongman is one of many carnies who do battle with Two-Headed Cop at the beginning of our film, and probably the most physically imposing (he is literally referred to as “the strong man”, so I guess that goes without saying.)
When considering the look for the Strongman, I kept thinking back not to old fashioned carnival...
5 tags
Who's The Man With The Orange Face?!
Who indeed! The above is a lighting turntable of the model for Harry, one of the many odd characters who play a part in the mystery that Two-Headed Cop must solve. But who is he? And where’s his head?! Well, that’s what 2HC must eventually discover.
Here’s one of Anna’s drawings for Harry’s design:
It was important to me for his design, as it has been for all...
5 tags
Lousy With Carnies!
At the beginning of our story, Two-Headed Cop gets tangled up with a group C-Ray describes as “a pack of hopped up clowns!” He’s referring to a large herd of carnies who they discover pilfering top hats from a haberdasher. The small pic above is a small section I grabbed of a larger illustration from our original pitch bible. (Once again, 2HC is way off-model there, but I still...
7 tags
Why I Oughta!
Cappy is approximately two feet tall and works at the same Fat City precinct as Two-Headed Cop, but doesn’t seem to do any actual police work. His main function is as The Chief’s yes man, and, as a result, he and The Chief have formed a sort of symbiotic relationship, not unlike the remora fish and the shark. Sometimes he’ll even sit on one of The Chief’s giant shoulders...
8 tags
The Fat Guy Frame Up!
It’s Happy Fat Guy, the toast of the town, Fat City’s most beloved entertainer! Happy performs nightly at the Happy Fat Guy Club, and people turn out in droves to watch this ever-smiling butterball dance around to swinging jazz tunes.
It’s a bit of a film noir convention where a voluptuous siren croons at a popular night club. She’s the femme fatale, and usually figures...
7 tags
The Heavy.
If you’re looking for muscle-for-hire, there’s none more intimidating than Tsunami Tommy. He’s the biggest goon in town and strikes fear into the soul of anyone in his shadow. And since he’s literally fifteen feet tall, that’s a pretty long shadow. He walks through walls like they were made of cotton candy. He never talks, because he never has to. Holy crap he’s...
6 tags
Animation has begun! Huzzah!
I’m incredibly jazzed about the fact that we’ve stared animating the “Jail” sequence of the film. Fortunately, I have several highly experienced and skilled friends within the animation industry who have stepped up and volunteered to help me get this sequence created in a timely manner, and I am, of course, eternally grateful. These guys have animated for Pixar, Disney,...
10 tags
The Clown and the Look!
This is the clown carny, one of many formidable foes that Two-Headed Cop goes toe-to-toe with:
2hc discovers a whole troupe of carnies, including this clown, attempting to pilfer a few boxloads of top hats from the central haberdasher. As you may have guessed, it’s all action from that point forward.
The vid above was created to test out the look we’re going for, which is more...
8 tags
The Guard Walks!
I haven’t had a chance to show any real animation yet, so I thought I’d put up this walk cycle for the Guard character. This is the burly fellow that pushes Two-Headed Cop around when he’s getting taken to his jail cell. (Two-Headed Cop in jail! What?!)
This is just a simple playblast right out of Maya with no bells or whistles, but I gotta say, it’s a thrill to see...
April 2012
7 posts
5 tags
Head Like A Ham! Fists Like Anvils!
Fury like you’ve never seen!!
It’s The Chief, Two-Headed Cop’s riddled-with-rage boss. We decided to take the stereotype of the ornery police captain and push it to an extreme, to the point where he stands and behaves like an extremely confrontational silverback ape. He’s always screaming, occasionally flips tables, and the sweat on his temples usually boils away from...
5 tags
Slippery Joe
Slippery Joe has become one of my favorite characters in our story. He’s a pickpocket who can slip and ooze through a crowd with ease. But while he’s a petty criminal - and a snitch - he’s still an all-around amiable fellow. Here’s a description from our original pitch bible:
“Joe’s a pickpocket with a gift for the lift, and he’d sell out his own...
5 tags
More Two-Headed Designs
A few posts ago I showed some early designs of 2HC, so I thought I’d follow up with some more to show a little of his evolution. Once again, these were drawn by the inimitable Anna Wilkenfeld.
We wanted to get Anna to do our designs not just because she’s incredibly inventive and a talented draughtswoman, but also because of her unique sense of humor.
I think all those qualities come out...
2 tags
Film Noir Fest at the American Cinematheque!
Every year the Cinematheque puts on a great program of both classic and fringe noir films at the Egyptian theater in Hollywood, and this year’s fest starts tomorrow, April 20th. If you’re a fan of noir or film in general, or are looking to broaden your horizons, you can’t go wrong.
American Cinematheque is a class operation, and often has well-informed moderators and interesting guest panels...
7 tags
Crazy Cartoons and Hard Boiled Badasses
When we created a pitch bible for “Two-Headed Cop”, back when the intention was to make it a television series, the first two-page spread you saw was what we called the “Flavor” page. It’s a collage of stills from some great animated shorts from the ‘40s combined with shots from some super cool film noirs. (Or films noir?) I loved looking at it because it’s essentially a great visual...
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A Brief History of "Two-Headed Cop"
The idea for this short originated almost twenty years ago when I was a senior at RISD. My good friend Brian Ormiston and I conceived of it as an entry to a Hanna-Barbera shorts contest called “What A Cartoon!”.
The way it worked was that they’d pick out about fifty pitches they liked, and hire the creators to direct the films in-house. For a young wanna-be animator/film-maker it was a great way...
7 tags
Did someone say "two heads"?!
Yes, that was me.
Welcome to the Two-Headed Cop production blog!
I’m the director, Derek Friesenborg, and over the next year or so I’ll be giving you the inside skinny on our progress as we create this complex, almost half-hour animated short. Currently, we are still in pre-production, but are nearing the start of animation. The film has almost thirty unique character designs, of which we have...
