Documentary-Style Video Touts Luxury Condos

"If L.A. had a Main Street, it would be Wilshire Boulevard," says the video for The Californian on Wilshire, a 23-story luxury condominium project scheduled to open in 2005. The continuous-loop production plays on one of three plasma televisions in a theater-style room in the 3,500-square-foot sales pavilion, which opened in March. The video touts the exclusive location, where residents will live within walking distance of Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and The Four Seasons.

"The documentary-style video is unusual as a sales tool," says Dave Robbins, vice president of developer Fifield Companies. Interviews with the developer, architect, interior designer and landscape architect portray the history of the high-rise's making. Another TV features an interactive plasma presentation in which visitors can preview their choice of floors, rooms and views.

A full-scale kitchen and bath vignette, full of upgrades, shows the opulence of the interior design. In the kitchen vignette, faux windows show prospects what the actual view would be like from a typical unit. The showroom is in a building near the project site.

A full-run section in the weekend Los Angeles Times announced the opening of the sales pavilion, and sales representatives already have secured 25 reservations. The condos start at $1.5 million.