The Work That Made Me: Renée Mao
Having lived in Australia, China and the United States, Renée Mao is a writer and director who brings a unique global perspective and visual power to her narrative driven stories.
A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for Film and TV production, Mao has directed emotional anthem spots for Woman’s Hospital of Texas, March of Dimes, Meals on Wheels, and Make-A-Wish.
Mao’s short films have been featured in the Huffington Post, The Hammer Museum, and have been awarded with Vimeo Staff Picks. Mao’s short film, The Making of Panthera, investigates the strength and creativity of a talented drag performer and the film has been featured in the Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival and has been a Webby Award Honouree.
The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me...
Renée> Fiona Apple’s Across the Universe, directed by PTA. In film school I tried to recreate a scene from this video by smashing a sugar glass plate over my best friend’s head and filming it in super slow motion. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry...
Renée> I wrote my high school senior thesis on ‘The narrative of the Vietnam war film’. So yes, instead of watching MTV like a normal kid, I was studying Apocalypse Now. If I’m being true to my inner film nerd, I’d say it was Wong Kar-Wai that made me want to get into the industry. A specific favourite scene you ask? Maybe this one.
The creative work that I keep revisiting...
Renée> I love movie soundtracks. My first CD was the soundtrack from Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet. It was the first time I was really moved by music in a film and it made me want to do the same thing in my films, to make people feel something like that. Also, there’s this really small, obscure musical called Hamilton you might not have heard of that I might know all the words to.
My first professional project...
Renée> I remember it very well because it was a big leap from the scrappy, DIY ‘passion projects’ I’d been making up until then. It was an anthemic spot for the incredible organisation March of Dimes and it really kickstarted my commercial directing career. It also sparked my interest in working with more brands like this that combine creativity with purpose and have a positive social impact.
The piece of work that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*...
Renée> I am very sensitive about how serious subject matter is treated on screen, so I get quite riled up when I see any work that is forcing emotion for the wrong reasons.
The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform...) that still makes me jealous...
Renée> Ciao, Kendall. The wistful, romantic Italian undertones, the effortless way Kendall puts on a wig, the fact that she turns into a mermaid at the end... what more could you want!
The creative project that changed my career...
Renée> The work that I did for the Woman's Hospital of Texas was a big moment for me. I worked with the most incredibly supportive and down to earth creative team and crew who helped me scour Texas to find these amazing personalities for the campaign. And, we had the wrap party on a party bus with a giant disco ball. 10/10 job.
The work that I’m proudest of...
Renée> I’m proud of my work for Disney. Up until then I had really only done nimble, docu-style commercials, so standing in Disneyland, directing technocrane shots of Chewbacca manically waving at excited extras in front of a life-size Millennium Falcon was epic. I loved it!
I was involved in this and it makes me cringe...
Renée> I nearly directed an ad for a pest control brand about real people living with bed bugs... I actually interviewed all these people from around the country with bed bug stories that would give you nightmares. Unfortunately (?) that one never went to production.
The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most...
Renée> I just finished a commercial for Johnnie Walker about the trailblazers who paved the way for the AFLW (Women’s Aussie Rules Football League). I also directed a documentary series last year about professional women’s cycling which explored a lot of the same themes; like sacrifice, passion, resilience. In making these films, I’ve been so personally inspired - literally, I’ve been imagining myself in an alternate universe where I’d embraced my swimmer’s shoulders in high school - but I’ve also seen how these films have influenced others. Whether it’s young girls who now want to be footy players when they grow up, or anyone who has gained a new understanding and respect for these women and what they’re capable of. This work has an important purpose and it excites me to be a part of that.
