Jim Tozzi via THEM Media directed this trailer spoof for CBS Films to promote the feature film Seven Psychopaths. The offbeat tongue-firmly-in-cheek trailer has cats standing in for the movie’s stars Christopher Walken, Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Tom Wait and others. The real movie’s dog-napping bad guy theme lends itself perfectly to felines prowling about in the screwball trailer which re-creates scenes from the actual trailer for the movie.
“I was sold on the idea at the word ‘cats’,” recalled Tozzi. “Add to that cats in wigs and costumes with puppet arms and I’m thinking this is one of those rare dream jobs.” Despite a daunting turnaround (three weeks), Tozzi was confident the “Psychocats” team–which included THEM owner/EP Tony Harding, DP Fortunato Procopio and editorial/VFX director Matthew Lincoln–could pull it off. “The creatives didn’t want a slick CGI style cat vid, they wanted a more handmade (two guys in a basement) type of look, so it was a good match,” Tozzi explained. “I was very familiar with what they wanted, most of my career has been spent making things look crappy and my experience as a puppeteer on (MTV’s) Wonder Showzen came in handy.”
“Jim and I love to work up practical solutions for comedic FX spots,” Harding said. “We were in Miami shooting a Florida Lottery spot when this project popped up–blasting actors with compressed air and fake dollars for a spot where the agency had fully intended on doing the FX in post. We love puppets jobs, costume jobs…and we are not afraid of tackling something that is budget challenged, especially if it’s going to be creatively fun. So we were all over this when the call came in.”
After a few cuts back and forth with the agency and client weighing in to see which elements of the actual trailer would be funniest in re-creation, the team arrived at a cut with about 45 seconds of cat footage they would need to capture shot for shot.
“We descended on LA from NY, Seattle, Miami, like we were putting together an Ocean’s 11 heist,” Harding laughed, “a traveling team of creative gypsy knucklehead friends trying to figure out what Chris Walken and Woody Harrelson would look like as cats. What could be more fun than that?”
Agency is Ignition Interactive, Santa Monica, Calif.
“A Complete Unknown,” “The Brutalist,” “Gladiator II,” “Wicked” Among ADG Excellence in Production Design Award Nominees
The Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800) has unveiled the nominees for its 29th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards. The ceremony, hosted by actress and comedian Rachael Harris, will take place on Feb. 15, at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.
Among the motion picture nominees are the production designers on A Complete Unknown, The Brutalist, Gladiator II, Nosferatu and Saturday Night in the Period Feature Film category; and Alien: Romulus, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Dune: Part Two, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Wicked in the Fantasy Feature Film category.
Television nominations span the likes of Bridgerton, Fallout, House of the Dragon, The Lord of the Rings: Pachinko, Rings of Power, Ripley and Shogun.
The ADG Awards celebrate excellence in production design across theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials, music videos, and animated feature films. The 2025 Cinematic Imagery Award will be presented to Academy Awardยฎ-nominated director and filmmaker Jason Reitman, whose body of work includes Juno, Up in the Airย and Saturday Night.
โThis yearโs nominees showcase the incredible artistry and vision that define our craft and our industry. Weโre thrilled to bring the Guild together to celebrate the achievements of these incredible production designers and their art departments,โ shared award show producers Michael Allen Glover, ADG, and Megan Elizabeth Bell, ADG, in a joint statement.
In addition, the ADG will honor Lisa Frazza, Barbara Mesney, Dan Sweetman, and J. Dennis Washington with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Legendary production designer Carl Jules Weyl will be inducted into the ADG Hall of Fame as part of the... Read More