Toronto film grad is providing vintage cars for movies and music video shoots
27-year-old Sasha Fatsevych is a Toronto film studies graduate with a passion for classic cars that he's successfully turned into a full-time business.
Known as, Sasha's Picture Cars, the vintage and classic car rental service caters to film and media projects and has been used by countless Toronto artists.
It all started when Fatsevych purchased his first car at 19— a 1984 Oldsmobile Coupe. As the son of immigrant parents, he explained that there had never been a classic car in his family, but he had always loved old cars in cinema, so he knew he wanted his first car to be something really special.
As it happened, he wasn't the only one who thought the Coupe was unique.
While Fatsevych attended film school at York University, friends began asking to borrow it for film shoots. At the time he didn't think too much of it, focusing his attention on directing and producing work for school.
When he graduated just a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the film industry had partly shut down. As it started opening back up, production teams were navigating restrictions for how many people could be on a set.
Instead of a crowd of extras, one eye-catching classic car could fill a scene nicely. Needless to say, Fatsevych began receiving requests to use his car.
Though the original Coupe eventually broke down, he did have another classic ready to replace it. Word began to spread that Fatsevych’s car was available for booking and he quickly realized that there was serious demand for his service.
In order to turn it into a full-on business though, he needed more cars, so he started to think about what kind of vehicles would look good on screen.
After doing his research, he began travelling all over the province to check out cars for sale, aiming to find vintage and classic vehicles that really stood out.
Each time a car was selected for a project, Fatsevych personally drove the vehicle to the set. Since he was familiar with the logistics of a film set, he would stick around to offer assistance positioning the car in a certain way or helping set up angles.
"Being on set is one of my favourite parts of working in the industry," he says. "It's a pleasure meeting and working alongside all the creatives that make the project come together."
One of his earliest successes was one of his vehicles being featured in the r u ok music video by Canadian artist, Tate Mcrae.
Now, three years since he began his efforts, Fatsevych has seven vintage cars in his fleet, all of which are specifically selected for film.
His keeps running through the winter too, as the cars are stored in a heated garage and transported to studios in a trailer.
The list of available cars is posted on his Instagram account.
Recently, they've been used in the music videos of popular artists like Roy Woods, RealestK, Jerryxfour, and Jayd Ink.
Though the car in each video was selected by the artist or the creative director, Fatsevych says he knows exactly why. "Each car has its own character," he explains. "There's a feeling when you look at them. When you drive them, they have a presence."
For Roy Wood's Insecure music video, the team chose a Dark Blue on Blue 1988 Chevrolet Caprice.
"The Chevy's deep blue paint and sharp chrome accents carry an intensity, as does Roy Woods, when he drives off from the climactic bar shootout, his guitar case of guns resting on the velvet seats," says Fatsevych.
For Jerry's, Goddamn, the black on red 1980 Chevrolet Camaro is bold on screen as Jerry speeds through the winding roads, culminating in a reckless crash.
In these close ups you get to see the red interior glowing next to the passion in the artist's performance.
The white 1985 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible used by Jayd Ink is elegant and unmistakable.
"It's a showstopper you can't ignore," says, Fatsevych, "just as you can't ignore Jayd Ink cruising down Queen Street in the heart of Downtown Toronto."
Realest K's Toxic takes place on a lonely, rainy night in Toronto and deals with an unhealthy relationship.
The Caprice used here isn't flashy. Instead its understated, dark, nearly ghostly presence is felt, similar to the relationship Realest K describes.
While the vehicles mostly find themselves starring as a main prop on film/television sets and music videos, Fatsevych also gets a lot of requests for wedding and event photo shoots.
"Old cars are hidden gems, and they're getting really hard to find," he says, "but there's something timeless about them and that's why they're classic."
Fatsevych says it's particularly rewarding to be on set and then see the final product, especially when the car is a main feature in someone's video.
"I'm happy that I'm able to combine my passion for film and storytelling by giving these old cars a new life," he says, "I think there's something special about them."
Sasha Fatsevych
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