The Directors: MAPP
MAPP makes moving pictures. He makes them beautiful and he makes them funny, in that order. He loves his job, but what he really wants to do is write bios in the third person.
MAPP began his career as an art director and later creative director, developing a nontraditional approach to advertising at agencies including Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Leagas Delaney, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, and BSSP. He won numerous awards for his work with clients such as adidas, eBay, Ace Hardware, IKEA (“Lamp”), Netflix, and Priceline.
MAPP began directing with a spot for MINI called “Ahhhhhh!” and never looked back. Since then, he’s honed his filmmaking craft by tackling a wide variety of projects, all with a cinematic approach. His greatest passions are for visual storytelling, comedy dialogue, and cars – and he cannot resist a good period piece. He lives his best life near multiple bodies of water in California with his wife and something like two or possibly five kids, it’s a blur sometimes.
LBB> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?
MAPP> The first thing I look for is a budget page, with timing and deliverables.
I KID!
Relatability is a major draw. Not necessarily realistic - I love a surreal or heightened reality script too, but even in those scripts I want to find relatability. I like it when a script zeros in on some shared experience or emotion in an unexpected way. When something seems absolutely ridiculous or absurd at face value, but when you go to its core, it’s totally empathizable. Is that a word? In my heightened reality it is.
I love a good rug pull. Twists, reversals, reveals, that stuff is always going to be fun.
I always think “What will the first five seconds look like on camera?” Attention spans run short these days, I want to grab your eyeballs and earballs right away. Also, I ask myself “How can I elevate the work?” There’s got to be some personal element or approach that I specifically can bring to the job.
I also look for something in the script that I don’t have on my reel, which is always a weird one - it’s easy to hire the guy/gal that has done what you’re looking for, but my feeling is that the director that hasn’t done that sort of work is gonna work twice as hard. Unless you hire me. Because I’ll work three times as hard.
LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?
MAPP> Painstakingly! I never want to lose a job or feel unprepared because of a half-assed treatment. So I generally overdo it. Which is another issue…
I approach the pitch process like I would approach dating: I highlight my best traits, repress my flaws, and by the time they realise I’m crazy, we’re already sharing a bowl of spaghetti at The Olive Garden! But really, like dating (if I wasn’t married… and if I was ever good at dating in the first place) I like to think I’m the guy who’s put-together, shows up with flowers, smells nice. But more importantly, I ask thoughtful questions, I’m an active listener, and I try to forge a connection.
As far as the PROCESS for creating the perfect treatment goes, it’s a secret. If you’re a director reading this, please skip to the next question.
It’s important to remember the two types of people that will be receiving your treatment: 1) The skimmers that look at the pretty pictures and the design and maybe read some headers for the general gist of things. 2) The deep divers that read every syllable and grade for grammatical errors and misspelled words. These sticklers don’t scare me.
My treatments are very visual and dynamic, reflecting my cinematic approach for the spot. I take what I learn in the initial call and make sure I deliver what they want, and moreover what they don’t know they want. I find imagery to match tone, make sure everything is polished, but give it some personality so it doesn’t feel too clinical. The goal is to be able to flip through without reading and know what I'm going for, the feel. The reward for actually reading it is sharp insight, clarity, specifics, and my hilarious-yet-charming prose. I also plant some secret messages and easter eggs.
Ultimately I want to present my own point of view, something that stands out as unique.
LBB> If the script is for a brand that you're not familiar with/ don’t have a big affinity with or a market you're new to, how important is it for you to do research and understand that strategic and contextual side of the ad? If it’s important to you, how do you do it?
MAPP> If it’s a brand I haven’t heard of, chances are the audience hasn’t either! It’s always important to understand the brand, and most importantly its voice. I’m not sure many other directors scour the internet for Brand Design Guidelines and past work, but I do. As a filmmaker, I consider it my job to take on the persona of the brand, rather than apply some 'signature look' to all brands I work on.
LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?
MAPP> Besides the creatives (with whom I’m always a huge collaborator), I feel the most important working relationship is the one with the editor. Because that can seriously fuck shit up!
Editors are our partners in storytelling, and the edit can sink the spot or make it sing. We’ve gotta be on the same page. I often run boards by the editor prior to the shoot to make sure I get them the pieces they need. And while I may have a clear edit in my head, I need someone who can bake my brain’s ingredients into a delicious goulash.
LBB> What type of work are you most passionate about - is there a particular genre or subject matter or style you are most drawn to?
MAPP> High paying work? That’s my favourite genre. But I find myself mostly working on visually compelling, creatively comedic stories.
LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?
MAPP> “He’s a comedy director. He must be hilarious!” I’m not. Just ask my wife and kids. My taste differs from my style. The content I personally watch and write are all pretty dark and dramatic. I LOOOVE the Fargo TV series on Hulu. But not so much four (Sorry, Chris Rock!).
One day someone referred to me as a comedy director. I had never really thought of myself that way. But I looked long and hard at my reel at the time and sonofabitch… it was FILLED with comedy work.
LBB> Have you ever worked with a cost consultant and if so how have your experiences been?
MAPP> Oh, you bet I have! And I find German cost consultants to be the most 'immalleable.' No, this isn’t meant to be a challenge for all of you American or French consultants out there. You guys are tough too. Jeez, now I’ve done it, haven’t I?
Fact is, Procurement and shrinking budgets have become the norm. It’s fine, I never had the massive budgets of the '80s with plenty of 'lumber' (read: cocaine) built into the bids anyway. My team and I just have to be extra creative to make sure you never feel it on camera. Parameters help the creative process – we get creative. That’s why they pay us the medium bucks!
LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?
MAPP> PROBLEM: It turns out six-eight year-old pageant queens get tired on night shoots.
SOLUTION: Mountain Dew and powdered donuts.
LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?
MAPP> Collaboration is communication; when everyone is on the same page, there are no surprises. I make sure to be very clear in expressing my own thoughts and listening to their contributions. If I don’t explicitly incorporate their notes, I search for the intention behind them and try to satisfy that objective while making them feel involved in the creative process. People will rally around an idea they feel a part of. My First AD calls me the Client Whisperer for my preternatural ability to sooth client angst.
I’m not too precious with my offerings. If you fall on every sword, you’ll die quickly. If you fall on one (maybe two!), you can get away with just a flesh wound.
Lastly, I always shoot the product shot first because it puts everyone at ease. Then, if I want to play the actors and get extra takes, it’s not at the expense of a product shot. You have to treat the product with respect and not as an afterthought.
LBB> What are your thoughts on opening up the production world to a more diverse pool of talent? Are you open to mentoring and apprenticeships on set?
MAPP> No one’s career should be impeded by any aspect of their identity. Talent comes first, always. Moreover, I believe diverse voices make for the most honest, relatable content.
I’m totally open to apprenticeships. Relatedly, is anyone willing to be MY mentor? The Coen Brothers? I’m not greedy, maybe just one of them?
LBB> How do you feel the pandemic is going to influence the way you work into the longer term? Have you picked up new habits that you feel will stick around for a long time?
MAPP> First off, I’ve always been a hand washer. So that hasn’t changed.
I directed a few things remotely during lockdown. It really taught me to focus on what’s happening on screen versus on set. It’s a good habit to be in.
Casting is the challenge. I don’t mind initial casting happening over zoom or video submissions, that actually broadens the net, allowing us to see more people. But call backs are the bummer. There’s nothing better than getting your talent in a room and blocking out shots and allowing them to interact with one another. Call backs over Zoom are exhausting and often feel like a game of charades.
LBB> Your work is now presented in so many different formats - to what extent do you keep each in mind while you're working (and, equally, to what degree is it possible to do so)?
MAPP> I’d prefer to make it perfect for at least one format versus 'meh' for every format.
The big one is when our beloved 16x9 also needs to work as 9x16. That’s when I shoot wide masters (a little wider than normal) or I offer one or two shots in both horizontal and vertical format. The rest of the footage can be repositioned and cropped as needed. Shooting variations of EVERY setup isn’t realistic.
LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work (e.g. virtual production, interactive storytelling, AI/data-driven visuals etc)?
MAPP> I’m not the type of director that hangs his hat on slick technology. For me THE IDEA comes first. And the latest new thing is NOT the idea. Now, when the latest tech just so happens to be the most engaging, unique way to support the idea… Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto!
LBB> Which pieces of work do you feel really show off what you do best – and why?
MAPP> I take great pride in my casting as well as art direction/craft.
CASTING
I like to use casting to test the concept. To see what else is there. Is there anything I’m missing? How else can we play this? What blocking is best, coolest, funniest, most clever? Who do I like working with? Who scares me most? And is it good scary or bad scary? I also like to be respectful to actors that have taken time to audition. This translates into some long days of casting but it’s worth it in the end.
CRAFT
I’ve been in the ad business for a long time. When I started, we had all the time in the world for craft. And lots of money to afford it. Now, we have neither of those things, but I REFUSE to stop sweating the details. Luckily, through years of meticulous training, I have honed my SpeedCrafting™ skills. Because that is what makes all the difference. I have a saying on set: “Perfect is good enough.”
WORK
I love the centre, football-shaped part of the venn diagram where craft meets absurdity. This spot sits firmly in that space. As a testament to my passion for detail and nuance, we filmed our actor on a giant, fur-covered “breathing” beanbag. And the casting, I feel, was spot on. Jaegen, our actor, has such a great look in his retro gold tracksuit, and, like the rest of our story, when he speaks his deep friendly voice is completely unexpected.
Poligrip “Dracula”
Think of the most mundane product you could do an ad for. Toilet paper, correct. Now think of the SECOND most mundane. Denture glue! Nothing excites me more than a challenge. So when this script was delivered to my office by carrier bat, featuring a young-looking really old guy with prominent teeth, I couldn’t resist. Plus, I knew how much FUN the art direction and casting was going to be. We filmed this one in Bucharest, Dracula’s doorstep.
Western Canada Lottery “The Gift”
I love the human truth here - when you get a good gift in a gift exchange, you ALWAYS play it down so it doesn’t get stolen. And some people take this game very seriously. This one was fun to cast and more fun to shoot. We hired a couple stunt people and made a giant mess, toppling over a Christmas tree.
Peelz “John Birk”
This spot features the hapless John Birk who has a thankless grocery store job as a Peelz mandarin demonstration specialist. You see, he went to college for this, and he actually likes his job. Or so he says. He’s clawed his way up from middle management to get here, and he takes it very seriously. That’s why he can peel a mandarin with one hand in 15.6 seconds. But who’s counting? John Birk is!
Our actor Regan Burns was a great find and fantastic to riff with. Plus, we custom designed and crafted his realistic, oversized mandarin suit (complete with leaf tie to give a professional look). The derisive chorus of original music from Starecrazy in Berlin brought the whole thing to the next level.
