In commercials, actors don’t really get a chance to do much," says Martin Granger. "They arrive on the set, and [the director] says, ‘Just say, "Crunchy-licious," then smile, then pet the dog. Thanks for coming.’ "
Not in his commercials, however. A true actor’s director, Granger has become known for the dead-on comic performances he elicits from his talent—and for the marathon casting sessions he uses to find that talent in the first place. "Twelve hours of casting is absolutely exhausting," says the Canadian director, who helms stateside out of bicoastal Moxie Pictures; in Europe out of Bikini Films, London; and in Canada out of Avion Films, Toronto. "Sometimes the last thing you want to say at the end of that is, ‘We’ve got to keep looking.’ But I know that if we don’t keep looking, we’re going to be on-set or in the editing room kicking ourselves."
For the latest Burger King package Granger directed out of Moxie via the fast food chain’s new agency, Crispin Porter+Bogusky (CP+B), Miami, the director looked far and wide to find a credible ensemble to portray a group of hungry office workers in five separate spots. "We knew from the word go that it was important to find five really strong actors with some improv ability," Granger says. "I think for the callbacks, we saw one hundred and fifty-nine people in twelve hours of casting."
Granger and the producers then narrowed the talent pool to 10 actors who they worked with in "almost an improv workshop," recalls Granger. "A lot of the actors spoke to me later and said, ‘That was the most fun audition we’ve ever had, and it really helped us to get our heads around the characters.’ "
It shows. The three ads that have aired—"Copy," "Champion" and "Wrapper"—boast natural, well-timed performances that drive home both the subtle humor of the scripts and the spots’ classic tag line, "Have It Your Way."
In "Copy," one worker hands out customized Whoppers to four others in a dreary office setting. A standoff ensues after it’s revealed that one employee has requested the exact same special order as another. "Champion" features a worker so proud of his "no-lettuce, extra ketchup, double-bacon, double-mayo, two extra beef patty" burger that he declares himself "the champion" and does a victory lap around the break-room. In "Wrapper"—which was actually conceived during an audition improv—a female employee is disgusted when she catches one of the men inhaling the delicious scent of her Whopper wrapper.
The production schedule was tight; Burger King officially joined the CP+B account roster on Feb.1, and the spots were scheduled to air about 18 days later. Yet, Granger says, "even though we were really under the gun time-wise, we knew that the diligence in casting would pay off, and it really did. There’s stuff on the cutting room floor that would make you fall off your chair."
When he was shooting the spots, the director urged his ensemble to stay in character at all times. "One of my few notes to the actors was, ‘Even if you know the camera’s not on you, be there. And don’t stop being your character until you hear "cut," because you never know when the camera’s going to drift over to you.’ "
In looking for a DP, Granger says he searched "for someone who could really shoot improv," and Arlene Donnelly, who had served as cinematographer on A Mighty Wind, fit the bill. "She knows how to shoot hand-held and 16mm," Granger relates. "And she can also work with actors and anticipate where the joke’s going to be. The natural instinct for camera people is to be on whomever’s talking, but I’ve found that in the Burger King stuff particularly, more than half the interesting moments were reactions."
More reminiscent of the popular BBC comedy series The Office than of typical fast food ads, the Burger King spots have already received quite a bit of praise. Granger attributes their success to the fact that the CP+B creatives trusted him. "When you’re given a certain latitude, you appreciate it, and I think you step up to it," he comments.
Acting out
Though he’s a self-described film buff who loves the work of Woody Allen, Christopher Guest and the Coen Brothers, Granger started out in the talent pool as an understudy in Toronto’s Second City comedy troupe. "I was a very shitty actor surrounded by very good actors," laughs Granger, who soon left to study moviemaking at the Vancouver Film School.
After graduation, he got a job as a PA on the classic comedy show The Kids in the Hall, and began making short films during his spare time. Granger tried for representation, but had little luck. "I would just look up production companies in the phone book and walk into people’s offices with an assortment of VHS tapes of my films," he recalls. "I think they were baffled by me."
After many rejections, Granger was finally signed by Avion in 1995, and began directing several acclaimed comedy-driven spots. Last year, his work on the hilarious Bud Light Institute campaign, out of Downtown Partners DDB, Toronto, earned a slew of awards. Two of the spots, "Greeting Cards" and "History," scored a campaign Gold Lion at the Cannes International Advertising Festival. "It was wonderful to win on a world platform," Granger observes, "particularly because [the spots were] Canadian and a very small market."
After stints with Crossroads, bicoastal and Chicago; bicoastal/ international Hungry Man; and most recently A Band Apart, Los Angeles, Granger shifted his U.S. roost to Moxie last November. "I was looking for a company that [has a solid New York office] with a strong comedy element," explains the director, who also found an affinity with Moxie partner/executive producer Robert Fernandez. "I was interviewing at a lot of places, and in the business we’re in, people delight in taking pot-shots at other companies. But across the board, when I mentioned Moxie, people would say, ‘To be honest, Robert’s a great guy.’ "
The Burger King spots were Granger’s first project with his new roost. "It’s just so fortuitous that the Burger King turned out so well, and was so well thought of," shares the helmer, who’ll soon begin work on a package for Miller Lite.
"Working with top-notch creative teams like on Bud Light, or with the Crispin guys, it’s just so effortless," Granger says. "A film by its very nature is collaborative. We’re all there trying to get the best commercial at the end of the day. There’s no need to get precious about it."
He takes a perfectly timed pause. "Unless someone sits in my chair. Then I freak out and storm off."
