Cat Herders

Last updated

Cat Herders is a commercial made by Fallon for Electronic Data Systems (EDS). Alluding to the management-speak idiom "It's like herding cats" that refers to the impossibility of controlling the uncontrollable, it posits an analogy between herding cats and the solution of seemingly impossible problems by EDS.

Contents

Using a "giant Western metaphor", it features "grizzled cowboys" [1] herding thousands of cats across the Montana prairie, [2] terminating in the satisfactory resolution "EDSolved". The commercial was shown on 30 January 2000 at the Super Bowl XXXIV [3] and was cited by then-President Bill Clinton as his favorite commercial. [1]

Title and Cat Herders campaign

EDS retained Fallon in 1999 to create a campaign with strong brand awareness with a dual purpose: to change the company's image for present and future growth and also to improve the morale and self-image of its employees. [3] Fulfilling this remit, the advertisement "gave EDS employees an image that was serious, despite the humor of the commercial, and it highlighted EDS’s problem-solving capabilities for its customers." [3]

The title "Cat Herders" applied to both the initial advertisement and the campaign, which was presented as a trilogy. [3] The two sequels, "Airplane" and "Running with Squirrels", had visual impact but did not replicate the success of "Cat Herders". [3]

Cast

Authentic cowboys were required, and a casting call was put out across Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and California. [2] Some of the cast had never acted previously but others were SAG-accredited. [2]

Actor Tony Becker points out that many of the actors were "real-life cowboys", [4] and gives a comprehensive cast list:

Actors/cowboys

Notwithstanding the listing of only two participants as stunt performers, many of the actors are skilled cowboy professionals, with credits as horse trainers, wranglers, doubles, trick-roper and also as stunt performers. A few operate ranches or rodeo or stunt performing services, as per the citations given above.

For the shoot, some actors wore their own clothes, but their faces were made up to look cat-scratched, tanned or weatherbeaten. [2]

Cats

Numbers of cats used to create the illusion of thousands running wild vary from 50 [2] to 60. [4] According to Becker, "only about 60 cats were used in the actual filming (with about 1 trainer per 5 cats). The rest were computer-generated". [4]

Filming

Location and conditions

Cat Herders was filmed during December 1999 at Tejon Ranch, about 70 miles north of Los Angeles. [2] Established in 1843, [19] it is, at nearly 270,000 acres, the largest continuous expanse of private land in California. [20] The landscape features a "dramatic tapestry of rugged mountains, steep canyons, oak-covered rolling hills, and broad valleys" [19] and cowboys on horseback still herd cattle along the open grazing land. [19]

Filming was accomplished over five days of wintry conditions, workers in goggles and full face masks battling through rain, snow, fog, sleet, blowing sand and fierce 40mph winds. [2] As one worker recalls: "Shooting this spot was the most cold and miserable shooting days I've ever had. Out in the plains, freezing cold, wind so strong it would catch your car door and bend it back." [21] On set, the cats were housed in individual cages in "trucks filled with movie cats". [21] At night, "interspecies bonding" occurred with crew members bringing cats back to their hotels: [2]

"we actually snuck a cat into our motel room because he had had surgery and needed to recuperate. So he lived under the bed". [21]

Script

The copywriter was Greg Hahn, [22] but "the script came largely out of the improvised quips of the cowboys, replacing cattle with cats". [23]

Cat training and filming

The commercial called for differing feline skills, including running, water scenes, or staying motionless. [2] To prepare for filming, 50 cats and their trainers travelled to Tejon Ranch a week before the crew. [2]

For the dramatic river-crossing, Art Director Dean Hanson told Adweek,

Trainers taught the cats to swim by starting them out in one-quarter inch of water, then gradually building the pool to swimming depth. . . . Since we were shooting in nippy weather, our 'river' was actually a small pool warmed by a portable heater, like a little cat Jacuzzi. [2]

Cats worked in shifts to film the herding scenes, with head trainer Karin McElhatton hiding in tumbleweeds to issue verbal directions. [2]

The illusion of cats stampeding was achieved by using clickers normally associated with food. During filming, clickers prompted the felines to run downhill, towards food which was out of shot. [21] At other times, cats were lured by "strategically smeared tuna". [2]

Animal welfare

Monitored by the American Humane Association, horses and cats were filmed separately in order to prevent "accidental tramplings". [2]

For scenes where both are required, a computer-operated motion-control camera is used to film the same shot over and over with each animal. The horses, background and layers of kitties are filmed separately, and each will be stripped in during post-production to create the illusion of an elaborate cat drive. [2]

Agency and creative credits

Awards and accolades

Among others, Cat Herders won the First Boards Award (2000), a Cannes Silver Lion (2000), a bronze Clio (2001), Advertising Age’s Best Visual Effects Award (2001), and a silver EFFIE Award (2001). [3]

It received a nomination for an Emmy for Outstanding Commercial (2000). [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodeo</span> Competitive sport

Rodeo is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States, western Canada, and northern Mexico. Today, it is a sporting event that involves horses and other livestock, designed to test the skill and speed of the cowboys and cowgirls. American-style professional rodeos generally comprise the following events: tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, Steer roping, saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, bull riding and barrel racing. The events are divided into two basic categories: the rough stock events and the timed events. Depending on sanctioning organization and region, other events such as breakaway roping, goat tying, and pole bending may also be a part of some rodeos. The "world's first public cowboy contest" was held on July 4, 1883, in Pecos, Texas, between cattle driver Trav Windham and roper Morg Livingston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowboy</span> Traditional ranch worker in North America

A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. Cattle drives ensure the herds health in finding pasture and bring them to market. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of special significance and legend. A subtype, called a wrangler, specifically tends the horses used to work cattle. In addition to ranch work, some cowboys work for or participate in rodeos. Cowgirls, first defined as such in the late 19th century, had a less well-documented historical role, but in the modern world work at identical tasks and have obtained considerable respect for their achievements. Cattle handlers in many other parts of the world, particularly in South America and stockmen and jackaroos in Australia, perform work similar to the cowboy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stunt performer</span> Person who performs stunts

A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed to a daredevil, who performs for a live audience. When they take the place of another actor, they are known as stunt doubles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Johnson (actor)</span> American actor and stuntman (1918–1996)

Francis Benjamin Johnson Jr. was an American film and television actor, stuntman, and world-champion rodeo cowboy. Johnson brought authenticity to many roles in Westerns with his droll manner and expert horsemanship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Pickett</span> African American cowboy, rodeo performer and actor (1870–1932)

Willie M. Pickett was an African American cowboy, rodeo performer, and actor. In 1989, Pickett was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yakima Canutt</span> American rodeo rider, actor and stuntman (1895–1986)

Enos Edward "Yakima" Canutt was an American champion rodeo rider, actor, stuntman, and action director. He developed many stunts for films and the techniques and technology to protect stuntmen in performing them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrangler (profession)</span> Animal (especially horse) handler

In North America, a wrangler is someone employed to professionally handle animals, especially livestock, but sometimes other types of animals including bears, wolf packs, big cats, primates and reptiles. The word "wrangler" is derived from the Low German "wrangeln" meaning "to dispute" or "to wrestle". It was first documented in 1377. Its use as a noun was first recorded in 1547. Its reference to a "person in charge of horses or cattle" or "herder" was first recorded in 1888.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoot Gibson</span> American actor (1892–1962)

Edmund Richard "Hoot" Gibson was an American rodeo champion, film actor, film director, and producer. While acting and stunt work began as a sideline to Gibson's focus on rodeo, he successfully transitioned from silent films to become a leading performer in Hollywood's growing cowboy film industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Gibson</span> American actress

Helen Gibson was an American film actress, vaudeville performer, radio performer, film producer, trick rider, and rodeo performer; and is considered to be the first American professional stunt woman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowboy culture</span>

Cowboy culture is the set of behaviors, preferences, and appearances associated with the attitudes, ethics, and history of the American cowboy. The term can describe the content or stylistic appearance of an artistic representation, often built on romanticized impressions of the wild west, or certain aspects of people's lifestyle, such as their choices in recreation, apparel, and western or southwestern cuisine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl W. Bascom</span> American-Canadian painter and cowboy (1906–1995)

Earl Wesley Bascom was an American-Canadian painter, printmaker, sculptor, cowboy, rodeo performer, inventor, and Hollywood actor. Raised in Canada, he portrayed in works of fine art his own experiences of cowboying and rodeoing across the American and Canadian West. Bascom was awarded the Pioneer Award by the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2016 and inducted into several halls of fame including the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1984. Bascom was called the "Cowboy of Cowboy Artists," the "Dean of Rodeo Cowboy Sculpture" and the "Father of Modern Rodeo." He was a participant member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cattle drives in the United States</span> Movement of cattle by herding over land

Cattle drives were a major economic activity in the 19th and early 20th century American West, particularly between 1850s and 1910s. In this period, 27 million cattle were driven from Texas to railheads in Kansas, for shipment to stockyards in St. Louis and points east, and direct to Chicago. The long distances covered, the need for periodic rests by riders and animals, and the establishment of railheads led to the development of "cow towns" across the frontier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey Tibbs</span> American rodeo cowboy and film actor (1929–1990)

Casey Duane Tibbs was an American professional rodeo cowboy, and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stock horse</span> Type of horse

A stock horse is a horse of a type that is well suited for working with livestock, particularly cattle. The related cow pony or cow horse is a historic phrase, still used colloquially today, referring to a particularly small agile cattle-herding horse; the term dates to 1874. The word "pony" in this context has little to do with the animal's size, though the traditional cow pony could be as small as 700 to 900 pounds and less than 14 hands high.

<i>Corral</i> (film) 1954 Canadian film

Corral is a 1954 National Film Board of Canada (NFB) short film documentary about the life of a cowboy, directed by Colin Low and produced by Tom Daly. It featured cinematography by Wolf Koenig and a musical score by Eldon Rathburn, and was produced as part of the NFB's postwar Canada Carries On series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stock contractor</span>

A stock contractor is an individual or business that provides animals for rodeo competition. Stock contractors supply rough stock - bucking horses for saddle bronc and bareback bronc riding and bucking bulls for bull riding, plus steers for steer wrestling and team roping, plus calves for calf roping and breakaway roping events. The use of stock contractors who specialize in providing these animals has produced a more uniform range of bucking stock which is also quieter to handle.

<i>Melody Trail</i> 1935 film by Joseph Kane

Melody Trail is a 1935 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and starring Gene Autry, Ann Rutherford, and Smiley Burnette. Written by Sherman L. Lowe and Betty Burbridge, the film is about a singing cowboy who goes after the men who kidnapped the baby he should have been babysitting. The film features the songs "On the Melody Trail", "A Lone Cowboy on the Lone Prairie", and "Western Lullaby".

Jack Williams was an American stunt performer and actor specialising in horse stunts and Western films and television shows.

Fallon Taylor is an American professional rodeo cowgirl who specializes in barrel racing. She is the 2014 Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) Barrel Racing World Champion. She qualified for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) seven times between 1995–1998 and 2013–2015. She made her first NFR debut when she was 13 years old in 1995. Her horse BabyFlo was named the Women's Professional Rodeo Association/American Quarter Horse Association WPRA/AQHA Barrel Racing Horse of the Year in 2013.

Alice Greenough Orr, was an internationally known rodeo performer and rodeo organizer who was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, and the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame. She has been described as "hands down the first rodeo queen."

References

  1. 1 2 James Fox on "EDS' Herding Cats" (2000) on Momentology, "The Most Memorable Super Bowl Ads of All Time". Accessed 7 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Becky Ebenkamp, "Creative: On Location: Kitty Slickers", AdWeek, January 17, 2000. Accessed 9 April 2016
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Marketing Case Studies blogspot, "Cat Herders Campaign", Wednesday, September 17, 2008. Accessed 7 April 2016
  4. 1 2 3 4 Tony Becker page on website for The Hunters (Human productions, 2009). Accessed 9 April 2016. He states that details were supplied by Brenna Brelie, Global Communications Coordinator (from 2003-2007) at Fallon ad agency, who produced the commercial.
  5. ↑ Biography on tv.com. Accessed 11 April 2016. This bio states "Mark's most memorable performance so far may have been as the actor and voiceover artist in the classic EDS Cat Herders Super Bowl commercial."
  6. ↑ Biography with photo. Accessed 11 April 2016
  7. ↑ IMDb entry on Tim Carroll. Accessed 11 April 2016
  8. ↑ Horse tamer, Jeremy Cluff. Accessed 11 April 2016
  9. ↑ IMDb entry on Kent Wakefield Smith. Accessed 11 April 2016
  10. ↑ Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi, The Time of my Life, (New York: Atria Books, 2009), p. 124, mentions a Gene McLaughlin who was a "world champion trick-roper" who also performed in rodeos.
  11. ↑ David Kelly, "The Life of a Cowboy is Knowing the Ropes", Los Angeles Times, May 29, 2001. Accessed 11 April 2016
  12. ↑ Inducted into Senior Rodeo Hall of Fame, 2003 Archived 2016-07-31 at the Wayback Machine . Accessed 11 April 2016 2016
  13. ↑ "Rockin Chair Cowboy", tribute to Gene McLaughlin by Terry Brown. Accessed 11 April 2016
  14. ↑ Photo of Clif Stokes. Accessed 11 April 2016
  15. ↑ IMDb entry on Clif Stokes. Accessed 11 April 2016
  16. ↑ IMDb entry on David Jean Thomas. Accessed 11 April 2016
  17. ↑ Glory Ann Kurtz, Horse City website, "A starlight is a star bright", 30 October 2000 [ permanent dead link ] Revised article states: "His company has also been responsible for some of the best commercials, including the one for Electronic Data Systems with cowboys herding cats that was first shown during last year's Super Bowl".
  18. ↑ IMDb entry on Brian Burrows. Accessed 11 April 2016
  19. 1 2 3 Tejon Ranch website, Ranch page. Accessed 9 April 2016
  20. ↑ Knapp, J.J. and D.J. Knapp. 2010. Tejon Ranch Weed Management Strategy. Unpublished Report submitted to The Tejon Ranch Conservancy, Frazier Park, California. 62 pp. Page 5. Accessed 9 April 2016
  21. 1 2 3 4 Friends in Film website, page write by an unidentified author who worked on the film. Accessed 15 April 2016
  22. ↑ Campaign website bio for Greg Hahn. Accessed 11 April 2016
  23. 1 2 Duncan Macleod, "EDS Cat Herders Herding Cats", The Inspiration Room, May 26, 2005. Macleod supplies the agency and creative credits in this post. For his revised details on Bob Wendt, see Bob Wendt, Cat Herders Producer, July 31 2005. Accessed 10 April 2016
  24. ↑ Sound Design credit appears in Clio Awards: 42nd Annual Awards Competition (Gloucester, Mass: Rockport Publishers, 2002), p. 37.
  25. ↑ Emmy website. Accessed 7 April 2016
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.