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Watch the Elaborate Short Films One Broker Uses to Show Off Homes

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When a simple video tour just doesn't do the trick

Real estate broker Ben Bacal is bringing a little bit (well, actually a lot) of the Hollywood touch to some of his latest listings. Not content with a straightforward video tour, Bacal has produced short narrative films that give some of his listings an intriguing fictional backstory.

According to the Los Angeles Business Journal, Bacal spent $20,000 producing a video promoting 6654 Emmet Terrace, a $4.5 million home in the Hollywood Hills. The short film, written and directed by Ori Ayonmike, one of the house's current owners, tells a story of loneliness and heartbreak set amid the sleek interior of the modern style home. Ayonmike and his wife Nafisa are the stars of the film, portraying a divorcing couple going through spells of brooding and melancholy while taking advantage of the house's many amenities--including a spacious master bedroom, a personal theatre, and a wine storage system with computerized doors.

The film gives the house an unusually depressing backstory, but evidently it hasn't deterred buyers. Bacal says he has received plenty of inquiries about the house, including one from pop phenom and terrible neighbor Justin Bieber.

Another video shows what happens when two kids play sick in a $48.5 million Bel Air estate: they swim in the massive pool with views of the city below, they try on clothes in the sizable walk in closets, and eventually they take the Ferrari out for a spin.

The videos have apparently been successful enough that Bacal is now starting a new company called Roofshoot, which will help to promote high quality promotional videos from Bacal and other brokers.