How Selling A Car Became Making A Blockbuster

Thanks to the proliferation of social media and selling sites, peddling your used wares is now easier than ever. However, such simplicity comes at a cost, as the challenge become how to make your mark in an over-saturated market. For one car seller in Israel, the solution was simple - go EPIC!

Eugene Romanovsky is no stranger to film - his day job is as a Creative Director / VFX Supervisor for Tel Aviv/LA Post house Gravity - but even he couldn’t have anticipated the overwhelming response to a video he made to sell his trusty old Suzuki Vitara '96. Diving into blockbuster movies and grandiose stock footage, the film sees the vehicle experience the kind of adventure that would make James Bond reach for a second vodka martini. 

The online response was staggering - the video picking up 2.5 million views in a month and garnering the kind of press coverage most brands would kill for. We loved Eugene’s chutzpah, so tracked him down and quizzed him on movie motors, blockbuster adventures and whether he actually sold the darn thing. 

When did you first have the idea to sell your car in such an extravagant manner?

One day I decided to move on and sell my car. I thought, ‘OK, you love it, but you know you’ve gotta move on’. I opened Photoshop to make a poster for the sale - telephone number and things like that. Then I thought that I have to add a logo of Suzuki to get a more elegant look. I opened Google to search for it and... some hours later I finished rough cut of the ad! You could call it the final cut, because I didn't change anything.

Once you’d had the idea, what was next? How much did you actually need to shoot?

I put inside shots from trailers of movies I love and from other sources that excited me. I realized that I have to shoot some more shots by myself because I couldn’t find everything I wanted. My friend and my girlfriend helped me and we shot it all on a mobile phone - the Galaxy S7. I knew exactly what I needed and it took less than one day. 

How was it shooting your own car ad? What were your influences?

I didn’t think about it like shooting an ad. I find that when you create you don’t think. It was like being in a dream - something just happened.

When I started to edit I did a little research and found some similar videos - one for the Opel Barina and one for a Volvo. They are masterpieces! I was also influenced to put in the hashtag #buymysuzuki, because of ‘Buy My Barina'. It is my tribute to Barina.

The ad features a lot of scenes from Blockbusters and (we’re guessing) stock footage. How long did that take to assemble? At what stage did you think ‘This needs dinosaurs’?

Usually things like these take time, a week, a month… I did the editing in one evening! I simply downloaded things and put them on the timeline. However, there is subtext in every scene - for example, dinosaurs are ancient just like the car is old. 

I wanted to show that the car saw everything, the history of nature and so on. When you edit, you must tell stories otherwise it will be chaos. Even if the viewer doesn’t realize there is a story, you must put one in to make things flow.

How was it all put together? What software did you use?

Mainly I used my brain. It doesn’t matter on which software you do it. 

Professionally I deal with a lot of systems like Flame, Nuke, After, Maya, Cinema 4d, Avid, Photoshop and many more. You simply choose what is best for a particular task.

Were there any unforeseen complications/complexities that slowed down the process? How did you overcome them?

Well, the main thing that slowed me down was the absence of free time. When I asked for help, people said I was crazy, so at the end I did everything by myself (except shooting).

How long did the whole project take you?

3 weeks. Two-to-four hours a day.

How did you initially seed it? Did purchase (or job) offers come in instantly? 

Actually I mostly did it for fun - For the memories and nostalgia. I had a lot of memories linked to that car - adventures, sex and so on... 

To begin with, I only put it on a local Facebook closed group of 4x4 owners, but somehow it got out so I posted a link to my page.

People were very much excited about the video, but the bad thing was that everybody thought that the price for the car would be very high! :)

Did you have any idea that it would get the recognition and view count it did?  What were your views on the reaction?

No I had no idea. I know it will trend for some time and disappear like any other trend. It won’t change anything for me - it doesn’t earn me money or anything like that. I am happy it makes people smile and maybe inspires them. That`s all. 

I need to research for myself why it trended, so I can understand what it touched in people. To be honest, I think I do understand these things, but need to prove it to myself. 

Most important question – did you end up selling the car?!

Yes, I sold it. To a guy that never saw the video! Funny karma.

What’s up next for you?

I think next time I decide to change something in my life - sell or buy a house, change work place, have a baby - I will make a video about it.