but also to those lesser known,air force offerta, up until now they have at least been a necessary evil. it should come as little surprise that Spin noted of the album,scarpa da trail,“The elitism the narcissism the relentless capitalism [and] the smug yet undeniable greatness” Perhaps the greatest display of Jay Z and Kanye West’s devil-may-care attitudes came when they delivered the Spike Jonze-directed visuals for “Otis” Although the video itself felt decidedly more cin?ma v?rit? when viewed against hip-hop music video aesthetics of the early 2000s the duo’s inclusion and subsequent deconstruction of a 2004 Maybach 57 felt both like we were in on an inside joke and that the joke was also on us as well When one purchases a $350000 USD Maybach they’re promised certain amenities for a livery vehicle unmatched by peers like Rolls-Royce and Bentley – including a 55-liter twin-turbo V12 0 to 60 mph acceleration in about 51 seconds (despite weighing 6000 pounds) front and rear seat massage 21-speaker premium sound system and night vision
From the outset of the Spike Jonze video the viewer understood that the visual appeal of such a car was much more impactful if the layers of elitism were literally stripped away while Otis Redding ironically crooned lines from “Try a Little Tenderness”
Armed with a blowtorch and Sawzall the Maybach is instantaneously transformed into a Frankenstein-esque muscle car indicative of something that would have been suitable for the terrain in Mad Max phillipscom “Otis” was shot in between two locations; with the car fabrication occurring at Shelly Ward Industries in North Hollywood while the stunt sequences were shot at Downey Studios in Downey California
“Just another day at the office” said Jayson Dumenigo the Stunt Coordinator for the music video whose notable credits include Furious 7 and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides “Kanye and Jay Z were great to work with and the models were very happy to be a part of things” phillipscom While car modifications are certainly not a new or underutilized aspect of Hollywood theatrics Dumenigo did note certain unique aspects of the music video shoot saying “The doors were removed For a stunt coordinator that is going to have ‘sensitive cargo’ that defiantly was something that stood out We were planning on doing a 360 with the car as well as sliding it Finding a way to keep everyone in and safe was the on going challenge We also had a fire element that was being used as an ‘after burner’ turbo effect The lack of protection was an issue we had to address We brought in the very qualified Samuel Hubinette to do the 360 with Jay and the girls Everything else Kanye did himself Due to insurance concerns we had to bring in the very best driver in the world to accomplish this Samuel was that guy Spike wanted to have a single camera in the car and wanted to see Jay during the spin Those cars aren’t designed to break traction so it meant we had to disable the computers” neogafcom Shelly Ward Industries was tasked with delivering a car that satisfied the visual tastesof Spike Jonze Kanye West and Jay Z Notable and varied works completed by SWE in the past included crafting “Kit” in the Nightrider series and builds for the BMW Short Film Series Jeff Gordon and more during their several decades specializing in Hollywood-centric fare
Due to a number of creative changes that severely altered the timeline SWE was only given 48 hours to source purchase and modify the Maybachwhich would be seen in “Otis”
Kimberlee Augustine a spokesperson for SWE recalls the music video in detail saying “The vehicle’s design was a collaborative effort between the director (Jonze) and Shelly Ward The director created a verbal picture of what he wanted the vehicle to look like and Shelly began to build his interpretation of the design During the fabrication process there were four ‘design meetings’ where the director would check in on he progress and provide additional input” phillipscom When asked about the difficulties they encountered Augustine replied “The extreme shortage of time in which to complete the fabrication [was the greatest challenge] Another challenge was the work stoppage during the ‘design meetings’ We had a fabrication crew of eight standing idle during the meetings only to be rushed back to full speed implementing changes resulting from the design meeting”
In March 2012 the heavily modified Maybach was put up for auction at Phillips de Pury & Company and marketed as a piece of contemporary art rather than an automobile with aftermarket modifications phillipscom “Jay Z and Kanye West are towering figures in contemporary culture” said Simon de Pury Chairman Phillips de Pury & Company “They have greatly contributed to the artificial barriers between art music fashion and cinema to come