Call it an opus for Opus, but don’t hold out for the Ebert review.
To promote his $100 million Beverly Hills spec home, dubbed Opus, developer Nile Niami teamed up with Hilton & Hyland’s Drew Fenton to create 2017’s most provocative listing video yet.
Centering on a “modern day Cleopatra,” the video was designed as a “high art concept,” Alexander Ali, a spokesperson for the property, told The Real Deal.
“We were going for a David Lynch, Twin Peaks vibe,” he said. “But you can interpret it how you want to.”
In the video, a woman in lingerie wakes up to find a topless and masked lady, painted in gold, lingering at the foot of her bed. Outside, there’s another handful of house guests, also half-naked and adorned by gold paint and accessories.
As far as plot goes, it’s unclear if there is one. At one point, the “golden ladies-in-waiting” pose next to a gold Lamborghini, which is included in the 20,500-square-foot mansion’s asking price. In another shot, a veiled and harnessed blonde stands inside the wine cellar, decked out with 170 bottles of Cristal champagne — also part of the $100 million package.
“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,” Niami said in a statement.
Empowerment may be a stretch here, considering the hyper-erotic themes in the complete absence of a storyline. Whether the approach will help sell the Paul McLean-designed abode, which hit the market in February, is questionable — the property itself only gets the spotlight when the actresses are off-camera.
It also comes with $2 million worth of artwork, including three Damien Hirsts.
As for the production of the so-called “movie trailer” listing video, the developer declined to comment on the details of the budget and the names of the filmmakers.
According to Ali, the score is completely original and the entire video took about 17 hours to shoot. Fenton and Niami, a former Hollywood producer himself, were involved in every element of the production, he added.
Opus may be the first luxury property this year to get sexed up in a racy listing video (so racy, in fact, that Niami and his team released a shorter, PG version), but the tactic certainly isn’t new.
The Agency’s Billy Rose went the “sex sells” route with his listing video for 1709 Glen Rising Road. In it, the home’s attractive owner lounges around in the 6,051-square-foot house, and at one point, she steps into the shower naked. The big surprise? Her partner returns home, and she’s another attractive lady.
The home did sell, but only after another nine months on the market.
Perhaps the sex appeal will be a bit more effective for Niami. His listing is among a flurry of outrageous spec homes that have hit the market in recent months, asking record prices, as TRD explored in our April issue. See the full video below.