Lots of companies use action sequences in their commercials, but few do so as well as Pennzoil.
Car manufacturers use this type of footage, along with voice-overs, as a way to convince viewers to purchase the vehicle shown on screen. Pennzoil, however, uses it to persuade them to buy the oil inside the car on the screen that helps it perform at its best. As a result, it doesn’t use any voice-overs to get its point across; what it does use — or rather, who — is Rhys Millen.
Millen is a racing driver as well as a stunt driver, and while non-race fans might not know his name, they’ve likely seen him at work in any number of commercials. His most recent project with Pennzoil, dubbed “The Last Viper,” is a thrilling short film that pays tribute to Dodge’s iconic V-10 sports car, which is in its last year of production.
As much as we love Ken Block’s Gymkhana videos, we can’t help but think Millen’s work with Pennzoil is just as, if not more impressive. Block might choreograph more elaborate stunts, but Millen pulls off high-speed drifts in a street car on public roads, and that takes a special kind of commitment.
Thumbnail photo via Pennzoil
