On Set for CarMax’s ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Blockbuster

It’s not every article where you fear saying the campaign title three times, worried you’ll spend the rest of your life haunted by a grotesque, machiavellian ghost. This, of course, comes with the territory when covering anything ‘Beetlejuice’, or for that matter, the latest addition to Tim Burton’s horror-comedy franchise: ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’...

Oops. Already did it.

Well, before the foul-mouthed demon arrives to ruin my life, let’s discuss the latest campaign for America’s largest used car retailer, CarMax, created by The Martin Agency. 

A partnership between CarMax and Warner Bros., the campaign ‘BeetleMax | The Way it Shouldn’t Be’ showcases how the retailer has standardised the second-hand car buying process by comparing it to a nightmarish dealership experience in the world of ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’. During production, I went on set at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden to find out more.

Plunged into darkness from the sun-soaked backlot, the cavernous sound stage greeted me with two main sets - one life-sized reproduction of a ‘BeetleMax’ car dealership, and on the other side a miniature town perfectly replicating the model village used in the films.

The ‘BeetleMax’ car garage, with its ramshackle scrapyard design, wonky chequered floor and cemetery surroundings, exuded Tim Burton's quintessentially off-kilter ‘Beetlejuice’ aesthetic. The filthy, decrepit building was overlooked by the deranged eyes of Beetlejuice himself, staring maniacally out from both a towering billboard and an inflatable ‘tube man’, whose outstretched arms and mop of green hair flailed from the notorious striped suit.

The masterfully detailed miniature set was a faithful replica, except for the addition of the mini ‘BeetleMax’ and CarMax dealerships. A bustling crew led by director Ulf Johansson surrounded the model like bees around a hive, pouring over every detail as each shot was prepared. Miniature cars were pulled along wires and the robotic arm with the camera and specially selected lenses glided across the horizon, as an earthquake was simulated with the table shaking, smoke billowing and debris falling into a crevasse - tiny in real life, but gargantuan on the monitors in video village.

As the meticulous craft continued, I took a tour with Yujin Heo, vice president of creative for CarMax, and Anne Marie Hite, SVP and group creative director at The Martin Agency. 

Exploring the set, the pair shared they were equally excited and honoured to work with such a talented production team, an iconic IP, and with Warner Bros., who provided props, costuming, music from the official library and more to help the ad exist authentically in the ‘Beetlejuice’ universe.

“We presented the idea last fall and started talks with Warner Bros. around late February/early March,” said Anne Marie. “It was just a quick elevator pitch but we all literally fell in love with the idea: ‘BeetleMax, the way car buying shouldn't be’. We were all like, yes, that's the perfect partner. Those are the best ideas.”

CarMax is no stranger to brand partnerships, especially in the entertainment space, having been a sponsor for both the NBA and WNBA, and previously partnering with Universal Pictures for ‘Minions’. However, despite being offered similar opportunities since that 2015 film, the brand has been selective.

“[Being] family-friendly is very important - we’re a very family-friendly company, and I do believe the car buying process is a family process,” explained Yujin. “Kids have a lot more input nowadays and [buying a car] is a big thing in the family… so we chose the films based on that. ‘Minions’ was more of a partnership, using their footage to create a story. This one is our first custom story that we're developing.”

“The through-line is that whoever we partner with and whatever we do, authenticity is important for us,” she added. “So who actually has that in their own narrative and structure? That's very important. So we're very selective, but we're very proud and honoured that the ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ team is working with us.”

For Anne Marie, it's been “the perfect partnership” on all fronts. “It just felt so natural, not just a partnership for the sake of a partnership - one that was truly intentional. It was a really good match, both creatively and from a brand standpoint.”

The creative juxtaposes CarMax’s ‘The Way It Should Be’ tagline and its dedication to radically changing the used car industry with the disastrous fictional ‘BeetleMax’ dealership (‘the way it shouldn’t be’). The inhabitants of the dealership are, unsurprisingly, undead and unenthused about the situation, including some recognisable characters like the small-brained ‘Shrinkers’ acting as salespeople. That is, until ‘BeetleMax’ is said three times, and the family is possessed and dances to a reworded version of Harry Belafonte’s ‘Banana Boat (Day-O)’ song.

Much like the films the campaign is based on, there is a humorous and almost lovable quality to the characters involved - a friendliness within the weirdness and ineptitude of BeetleMax’s employees - which Yujin said was an important reflection of CarMax’s people-first attitude.

“It’s that story of people thinking that ghosts are scary and bad, but they actually are friendly - except Beetlejuice! Everybody's friendly, and there's something lovable about it. We fell in love with the Shrinkers because there's something very cute about them. Even though they’re kind of scary and crazy, they’re very fun and dance together.” 

“It's almost like the Shrinkers are trying so hard to compete with CarMax, but they don't quite get it and it's kind of endearing in that way,” added Anne Marie.

And Shrinkers aren’t the only familiar face either. Besides the Beetlejuice inflatable and billboard, the other dead characters waiting in the dealership queue is a nod to the characters queuing for the afterlife in the film series, and the zookeeper stood outside, wrapped up in a python’s death squeeze, is a character from ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’, even played by the same actor in the same costume as the upcoming film.

“I love that all the characters have a backstory - why they’re dead,” said Yujin. “Those in-depth stories make the storytelling even richer.”

“It's not just a film partnership, it’s a story unto itself,” Anne Marie agreed. “It’s not just taking the characters and combining them; we’ve created our own story and mini film. And we worked closely with the filmmakers to have references and really cool little easter eggs throughout, both from the new film and from the old film.” 

“So it's really fun to watch,” said Yujin. “I wouldn't call it just an advertisement, I would call it a very short film.”

Working so closely with the filmmakers meant that The Martin Agency’s script had to be approved ahead of time - a somewhat nervous but exciting process. This is where the main creative challenge emerged, as the team discovered they were not allowed to write any dialogue for the mute Shrinker characters.

Instead, the creatives came up with a clever workaround, utilising the ‘Day-O’ song and a set of rewritten lyrics to tell the story, accompanying a choreographed dance and the surprisingly expressive grunts and puppeteering of the Shrinkers.

“We love that scene in the original movie where the family becomes possessed,” said Anne Marie. “We just think it's so funny! The Shrinkers can't talk, so we had to really make the story work in that way… We have a sign on the wall which says, ‘Special Discount: Just Say BeetleMax three times’, so the Shrinker points to it, and the family accidentally does it.”

To bring the idea to life at Warner Bros. Studios, they partnered with Smith and Jones Films, and director Ulf Johansson, an experienced commercial director who was previously a member of the Traktor collective.

The Martin Agency wanted someone who could add a touch of humanity and create an immersive world that connected with both the audience and the source material. “And I think we've all felt it,” said Anne Marie. “We've been watching it come to life, and it's definitely there in spades.”

A ‘Beetlejuice’ fan himself, Ulf had worked with some of the creative team before and had done a lot of research prior to being awarded the job. Combined with his impressive reel, his general creative process, and familiarity with some of the people behind ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’, the decision was a natural fit.

“We realised immediately that he had the same excitement about it that we did, and it's been evident throughout this process,” said Anne Marie. “It’s not everyday that the people who are helping you bring things to life care as much as you do. It's been a passion throughout the process for all of us.”

Ulf and executive producer Philippa Smith also brought with them some of the Warner Bros. production crew who worked on ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’, as well as a host of other industry experts, to dial-in the Hollywood standard of craft, and accuracy to the ‘Beetlejuice’ films. To list just a few, the production designer was Warner Bros. Pictures’ Steve Smithwick; the director of photography was Andrejz Sekula, known for his work on ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘Reservoir Dogs’; and the Oscar-winning animatronic and special makeup effects supervisor for ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’, Neal Scanlan, helped bring the Shrinkers to life. 

Looking around at the spooky scenery on set, the fastidious approach to the production was evident - from the tongue-in-cheek ‘Flood Damage Guaranteed’ signage to the knock-off version of CarMax’s signature blue roof design and the full-scale cemetery taken straight from the films’ model town. 

“There's just so many little details around, it’s amazing,” said Yujin. “Another thing I was mesmerised by was the checkerboard floor, it's actually curved - there's no straight lines - and that’s all inspired by the original film and ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’. Nothing is perfectly straight, so it feels very much like you're in that world. That's something I really appreciate.”

“You see moments [in the spot] where the background is actually houses from the miniature,” added Anne Marie. “It hurts my head to even think about it, the amount of attention that they put into just linking that up - the larger scale world with the smaller scale world. They even did the cars a certain size because you could only get so small and still have headlights, and with the car that's driving to the dealership, the little miniature car has mini smoke!” 

“It’s a dream… a bucket list production,” she added, reflecting on the campaign. “It's a writer’s and art director’s dream - the lyrics are fun, and the art direction is off the charts. Everybody is jealous that we're doing this, it's really special.” 

“People just kept saying, ‘Oh, I forgot that this is an advertisement set’,” added Yujin. “The people were really paying attention to details that much. That's what I love about the craft, that appreciation that sometimes isn’t shown elsewhere. Most people want to get there faster, and while these teams have been so efficient, I have never seen such craft and attention to detail. It's just art.”