Ford Upset by Web Ad Showing Decapitation

AP ^ | 04/19/04 | AP

[Pikamax]

Ford Upset by Web Ad Showing Decapitation

Sun Apr 18, 7:14 PM ET Add Technology - AP to My Yahoo!

DEARBORN, Mich. - Ford Motor Co. is upset by the release of an Internet advertisement that depicts the decapitation of a computer-animated cat by a power moonroof hatch, saying it didn't authorize the clip.

The ad for the Sportka, a hatchback sold in Europe, shows the realistic-looking orange cat climbing on top of the car and poking its head into the open moonroof, The Detroit News reported Sunday. The hatch slides closed, the cat struggles briefly and its headless body slides to the ground.

Ford says the clip was conceived without its approval by ad agency Ogilvy & Mather as part of a "viral marketing" campaign for the Sportka. "Viral marketing," a type of e-mail marketing, is the electronic version of word of mouth, usually inviting recipients to forward an e-mail to others.

"We find this unauthorized ad totally unacceptable and reprehensible and deplore the fact that it has been unofficially issued," Ford spokesman Oscar Suris said.

Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide issued a statement saying it also didn't sanction the commercial, which was leaked onto the Internet on April 1.

"Both companies find this unofficial advertisement totally unacceptable and reprehensible," the statement said. "The action in the video clip was totally computer generated, and we would like to assure you that no animal was harmed in its making."

[hookman]

LOL to post #73, sounds like fox to me!

RIP ex-parrot!

[spatzie]

Could I please have one, and one for my sister? She got bit by a cheese once...

[spatzie]

sick, sick, sick...

[Constitution Day]

Links are in mhking's post #13.

[Dr. Zoo]

I would like to post to this thread, but I have to take my cat for a ride...

I am not too good at Computer Graphics that is why the cat doesn't look real.

[Conservomax]

nuconvert,

I have a question - and I am not being sarcastic here. How do you think they went about making that ad?

You seem to think they really did stick its head into a sunroof. I can almost guarantee you that they did not.

Do you have a cat? Do you know how difficult it would be to trap a cat's head in a mechanical sunroof? the cat would be out of there as soon as the thing started to move.

Furthermore, the "dead" cat is extremely fake. I'm sure this would be even more evident if you saw the ad on tv as opposed to watching a lower-quality mpeg version of it.

They aren't going to waste expensive feet of film waiting to get a cat to jump up on a parked car and stick it's head into a sunroof long enough for it to close on him.

Even if they used a high quality video camera, they wouldn't want to waste all the takes when you are paying professional crew a lot of money per hour.

They probably used some type of cheap in-studio green-screen set, having the cat run up some type of platform to some food. Someone then grabbed it by the collar so it struggled (arguable cruel, yes - but he probably got a yummy treat when all was said and done).

They then probably used After Effects or a similar program to sync the footage of the cat onto the car.

The "dead" cat was probably a photoshopped image of the real cat lying down (its head having been digitally removed).This could easily be added into the editing software as well.

I can guarantee you that the cat is still alive and well and it's owners are probably $500 dollars richer

I've been doing multimedia nad video development for 5 years - trust me faking an ad like that is easy with the right tools.

I understand where you are coming from - I have a cat and I love it - but come on - lighten up.

[archy]

LOL to post #73, sounds like fox to me!

I shall examine that possibility in the greatest detain, probe the issue at hand fully and let no detail escape my closest possible scrutiny. I know, I know, a rough job, and a demanding one, to be sure. But I will do my very best, no matter how many times I have to go over the same subject again.

Don't wait up for me.

[Conservomax]

This is fake too - and It is a hell of alot more real looking than the cat killing:

http://www.thatwasrandom.com/video/pizzamanhit.php

[warning this may shock you to see]

Here's how it's done:

http://filmmaker.com/postt4355.html

[Liberatio]

Thank you for pointing me into the right direction.

[af_vet_rr]

Budweiser beat their marketing company to the punch though..they launched a small dog up through a moonroof, and then had it slam down on the roof. I believe it was a poodle. Funny how one company's "cruelty" to an animal is another's punch line.

[Constitution Day]

Glad to be of assistance.

[Marie Antoinette]

Icky Kitty Vid Ping ;-)

[hookman]

A bratty, whiney fat kid, in a *Kerry for President* T-shirt...

indeed!

[fortunecookie]

These are hysterical!! Roflmao!! But seriously, who is confusing the cat and the bird for real animals?

[hookman]

...and again
and again
and again...

[Conservomax]

I don't get the samatha fox thing. Not her looks - the pics.

[archy]

...and again and again and again...

Yep. Appears I shall be occupied for a very long and interesting time. BTW, she can cook too.

Here's one of her you've likely not seen before, a bit different from the usual.

[socal_parrot]

WOW! I haven't seen such animal cruelty since...

Of course, nobody expected it.

[hookman]

nobody ever does,

In fact, those who do expect...

[JLO]

"To: nuconvert
Lighten up...geez. Its a computer generated decapitation. There is no way a firm could get away with really killing a cat for a commercial...think people!

43 posted on 04/22/2004 12:20:13 PM CDT by smith288"

Geez, nuconvert - how many people have to tell you this whole ad is computer generated before you understand? How do you think movies changed over the years (granted, they did use to use real animals years ago in suffering situations, but no more because of outrage). NO ONE here would stand for a real LIVE animal being tortured.

I think you need to read around a bit more (I see you're rather new here) before being outraged (unnecessarily, LOL).