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".
[1] 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.
[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.
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.
[23] The commercial called for differing feline skills, including running, water scenes, or staying motionless.
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] Monitored by the American Humane Association, horses and cats were filmed separately in order to prevent "accidental tramplings".
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.