Well, the second ad has been put up, the one I wrote about the other day. The one involving the cat; the one that was supposed to be ever so simple and wound up… being… not so. The part that’s kind of tough about people seeing it, is it’s supposed to look quick and cheap – on a fine line between real footage caught on camera and something outrageous that was staged. And making something look like that takes a surprising amount of editing and crafting so people can say, “Cute. Shoot that on your phone? Looks kinda real. Mostly not.” Ahhhh. Rewarding.
Yep... they are on a boat, aaaaand saying 'mother-fucker' a lot... sigh... I am very old.
I’m still not totally clear on the long-term strategy the people who wanted the ad are going for, but they hired me to make their ad, so I’m assuming they must be very, very smart and know exactly what they’re doing. Besides, I thought “I’m On A Boat” song was just so boring after the first twenty-five seconds, so clearly I know nothing about what will grab the public’s attention.
So far, though, the only response I’ve heard was someone saying to a friend of mine, “Funny. What’s it for?” “It’s an ad. There’s a link at the end.” “There is? Oh.”
I was finally able to get a few seconds of cooperation from the cat – something I will be using on future resumes (“If you need someone who can work with animals, you should know that I once got a cat to do what I wanted it to for almost 6 seconds”), resulting in the whiz-by he gets. His moment of fame.
In any case, here’s the second ad. It’s, well, it’s not high art. Please don’t judge me. But do click on it 50 or 60 times. Because, you know what? It is high art. Anyone who says it’s a low-brow gag and looks cheap? They’re missing the nuances, the subtext. It’s like a Kurosawa film. A Kurosawa film about people falling down because a cat hit them. Watch it enough times to get the metaphor. To start thinking, “You know what? Aren’t we all, in our own way, stumbling around and getting hit in the face with a cat?” And if, as part of your repeated viewings, and contemplating existence, and sending the link to friends, this happens to run up the Youtube hit count? And this convinces the people who hired me that I’m awesome? Well, that’d be nice, too.
The Byronic Man 
February 23, 2012 at 3:30 am
Kurosawa’s early work included a lot of work with cats. And ninjas. And ninja cats… right?
February 23, 2012 at 6:11 am
Oh, sure. Everybody points to Kurosawa’s later works, but “Ninja Cat Goes To Bikini Beach” is a classic
February 23, 2012 at 4:44 am
I loved every second. I’ve already clicked on it four times. My kids are begging to see it over and over. So your hits should climb into the thousands after this school vacation week is over.
February 23, 2012 at 6:12 am
Excellent. I don’t suppose your kids are restaurant owners interested in purchasing a table-side credit card system?
February 23, 2012 at 6:19 am
well as luck would have it!…no. But they really, really like cats.
February 23, 2012 at 5:59 am
Well it’s no “I’m On a Boat”…and thank god for that!!! Are you sure you won’t consider working exclusively with cats?
I give this two paws up.
February 23, 2012 at 6:13 am
Since I’ve met my wife I work with cats a lot of the time. There’s one sitting 15 inches in front of me staring at me right now.
February 23, 2012 at 6:25 am
I’m definitely not a cat person, but there is something so joyful about seeing a cat launched through the air only to wind up clinging to a human. I also love a good, “Mother–” only to be cut off pre-expletive. Brava!
February 23, 2012 at 1:01 pm
You should here the source audio, with the actor rattling off variations on “Mother fucker” over and over and over.
February 23, 2012 at 8:16 am
That’s some CAT! Hahaha!
February 23, 2012 at 1:00 pm
The original title was “bad-ass cat,” which I preferred.
February 23, 2012 at 1:12 pm
Hahaha!
February 23, 2012 at 10:35 am
I’m thinking by Kurosawa you meant Eisenstein?
As usual, I’m being a PITA.
February 23, 2012 at 12:59 pm
Well, it’s true that the initial cut involved the cat hitting the guy, then he falls down an enormous flight of stairs, and then there’s a montage of chaos and travesty and lion statues watching over it all… but then we simplified.
February 23, 2012 at 1:42 pm
Wishing my cat Sophie would attack SOMETHING. She catches mice that are unfortunate enough to winter in our building. Had one Maggie the Cat from Hell who hated my sister and bit her every time she tried to pet her. She tried every day. No learning curve.
February 23, 2012 at 2:52 pm
We have a cat who loves to catches mice. She also loves to eat their heads. Only the heads. She may have mental problems.
February 23, 2012 at 5:54 pm
Sophie keeps them alive long enough so I can catch them and turn them loose. Maggie left the head behind.
February 23, 2012 at 1:53 pm
This is awesome. I could watch cats attacking people all day!
February 23, 2012 at 2:55 pm
Well, the Internet is here to meet your needs. Enter “cat attack” in to Youtube and you will discover hundreds upon hundreds of videos.
February 23, 2012 at 5:44 pm
Our cat controls our pitbull…the dog steps back to allow cat access to waterdish, etc.
None of us are sure how or why cat gained such control over a larger animal that could easily take her out with one chomp. Our theory is kinda a mix of Casino & The Godfather…but their ability to fling through the air as you have captured on film sheds some light !
February 24, 2012 at 5:24 am
We have the same situation. Our bigger dog is 145 pounds and will not come in the room if a cat is sitting in the doorway. He’ll just stand there and whimper.