This spec viral spot–conceived, directed, produced, shot and edited by Nir Bashan, who recently signed with BeachHouse Films, Santa Monica, for representation–is an inspired departure from the automotive advertising norm. Bashan effectively extols the virtues of a car without showing us its exterior and only revealing a portion of its interior, which is not romanced by the camera or even differentiated visually from the inside feel of other makes and models.
The commercial opens as a quirky slice of life set in a car’s interior with a guy driving and talking to the front seat passenger alongside him, who is off-camera. The driver boasts of his latest online buy and then the camera takes us to the backseat to show us his prized purchase: a stuffed animal Alf, the furry alien wiseguy character from the primetime NBC-TV series ALF (1986-’90).
The duly impressed passenger reacts with a “Whoa, dude,” upon seeing Alf. Gloating, the driver tells his buddy how he went on automatic bid to beat out another prospective buyer–whose email ID is “Cat Lover 403”–for this cool piece of merchandise. However, the driver’s sense of accomplishment is short lived when he pulls down the car’s sun visor and then the vehicle stops. The driver is infuriated–at first we assume because his car has stalled out. He gets out of the car and stomps about, venting his anger. All the while our vantage points are looking through the driver’s side window and windshield.
He then gets back behind the wheel, feeling snakebit. “There’s karma coming back to get me,” he says, adding that this is “the first [bad] thing to happen” to the “brand new car,” which he has been treating so “gently.” But his language suggests that something is a bit incongruous as he refers to his “brand new car” as one he’s been “driving for years.”
At that point we realize the car still runs well. It turns out he’s upset because the clasp on the sun visor broke off in his hand. He finds this “mechanical failure” to be unbelievable in that this is a brand new car. Sounding perplexed, the passenger asks how old the “brand new car” actually is. The response: 13 years old.
The passenger then notes that the car isn’t new.
Forever young
“Do you own a Honda?” yells the driver, who clearly regards his rhetorical question as explanation enough. “No, you don’t know.”
The passenger asks, “How many miles have you got on this car?”
The reply: 216,437 miles, a figure the driver rattles off without even looking at the odometer.
The car’s age and its mileage lead the passenger to conclude that the broken clasp is no big deal. The car “is not new,” affirms the passenger.
“Brand new,” retorts the driver. “Shut up.”
A Honda logo then appears on screen, accompanied by the slogan, “Always brand new.”
The commercial then returns to the car’s interior as the driver suspects and then confirms in his own mind that his passenger is really “Cat Lover 403” and has a hidden agenda. “I knew it,” exclaims the driver.
Brand new spotmaker
Titled “Brand New,” this spec piece has generated ad community buzz even though it’s been screened sparingly thus far in industry circles. After seeing the viral spot, a number of production houses expressed interest in director Bashan, who graduated last year from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif. But despite several suitors, he clicked with BeachHouse and so he decided to join the shop, which is headed by executive producers/founders David and Patti Coulter.
Bashan’s filmography includes not only several spec spots–with another viral in the works–but also three short films (including The Good Book which was honored at the White Sands International Film Festival, New Mexico, in ’05) and a feature-length documentary The Kitchen. The latter is a behind-the-scenes look at the trials and tribulations of the chefs at work in the noted Santa Monica-based Michael’s Restaurant. Bashan wrote, produced and directed The Kitchen, which gained exposure on Italy’s equivalent of HGTV; a DVD release of the film will soon be available in stores.
BeachHouse is looking into prospects for “Brand New” gaining on-air or sponsored online exposure with possibly a client or agency willing to embrace and adopt the spot.
Bashan brings a musical influence to his directing. He studied classical music at USC and has been in rock ‘n roll bands since he was 14 years old. He plays bass, guitar and keyboards, and is no stranger to lead vocals. He composed the music for his aforementioned documentary, The Kitchen.
