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Have you ever wondered what would happen if a 'Cinemax After Dark' special, a James Bond movie, the Guy On Hollywood Boulevard Whose Whole Body Is Covered In Gold Paint, and the gnawing emptiness of late-stage capitalism screwed in the backseat of a very high-end car and then gave birth to a three-minute Red Band trailer for, um, a house? Well, WONDER NO MORE, for this has happened:
Yes, the above is a "trailer" for Opus, a $100 million "state of the art dream home" currently for sale in Los Angeles. We "wanted to do something really high art," a spokesperson for the home told LAist in reference to the short film. The house has Roberto Cavalli flooring, a 15-seat curved screen theater with JBL Synthesis Audio, two massive bars—one of which has a “Winestation” that preserves and dispenses glasses with the exact amount and temperature desired—a gourmet show kitchen with an iPad-controlled coffee machine, Longhi doors in suede and embossed leather, and a separate catering/event kitchen.
The video begins with a shot of the giant, looming "O" that stands in front of the house, presumably in reference to Opus, the home's name—though it could also stand for "ogle," (which is how the camera treats the women's bodies we are about to see), "oligarch" (the kind of person who will probably buy this home), "omen" (of the future, and surely not a good one), "ostentatious" (pretty self-explanatory), "oblivious" (to the current state of affairs in the world), or "occupy" (if anyone ever wants to bring back the #Occupy movement, this whole video could be used as a selling point!).
JK! The "O" irrefutably stands for "orgasm," which is what a human being would have every minute of every day if they had $100 million to spare on a sex home.
From there on out, things get pretty sexual. Girls coated in gold paint writhe about and smear more gold paint on each other, a woman in black lingerie and inexplicable black VR goggles pantomimes sexy-time from a white bed, more nubile ladies in masks appear to seduce each other with views of the skyline in the background, etc.
According to BuzzFeed , the house also comes with all the furniture, cars and art pictured in the video. The art collection is estimated to be worth $2 million, including paintings by British sensation Damien Hirst, whose extremely spensy work nicely encapsulates All That Is Terrible About The Art World™.
The video was created by the Society Group—a luxury public relations firm whose "mission is to spark authentic conversations in society by intersecting the worlds of art + architecture + lifestyle"—along with a "celebrity developer," a high-end realtor, and "a french director who specializes in marketing luxury brands." We spoke to the Society Group's Alexander Ali over email for some more information.
LAist: Who came up with the concept? The concept was created in a collaborative effort between Nile, the realtor Drew Fenton, the director, and us, the PR team. Drew and Nile had final approval on every element of the video from the score of the music, the styling and the concept.
Who is Nile? Nile Niami - look him up he's a celebrity developer here in LA who is building the country's most expensive mansion.
How were the actresses cast? The Society Group (us) cast the actresses with approval from Drew and Nile.
What were the cinematic inspirations? I'm sensing Vanilla Sky James Bond, and Fifty Shades, are any of those accurate? [ED: I actually switched up my T. Cruise movies and meant Eyes Wide Shut when I wrote Vanilla Sky in the email; I'm sorry, dear readers] Cinematic inspirations - David Lynch, Eyes Wide Shut, Beyonce's visual albums.
What are the masks supposed to convey? We were inspired by Beyonce's visual albums and wanted to do something really high art so the masks are up to your interpretation.
What is the meaning of the gold paint? The gold paint in the film was inspired by the gold accents in and around the home.
Is there any connection between the house and sex? Like do you think that if you buy it you will be more likely to have sex? I don't understand how this question is relevant.
It is relevant because of all the half-naked girls in the video who appear to be pantomiming sex acts :-) It's a sexy house with incredible views that exudes a alluring vibe which is what we wanted to capture with the video. Here is Nile's quote:
"This is the last opportunity to own a turn-key property in this celebrated neighborhood. We took a darker approach to the styling and direction of the trailer because as night falls on Opus, the house has a very alluring and undeniably sexy vibe that needed to be captured. I kept telling the director ‘Go darker... go sexier....’ and was thrilled to see the results---a woman who is transformed and empowered by the beauty of Opus,” explains Mr. Niami.
Thanks so much, I really appreciate you taking the time to provide insight into the process behind the video.
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On a related note, according to their website, the
Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America
🌹🌹🌹 will be holding
their next training this Sunday, May 7 in Koreatown
.
