Matt Ogens
Wildaid “Defense”
Agency: JWT, New York
Production: Headquarters, bicoastal
DP: Stephen St. John
Editorial: Fluid, New York
Editor: Scott Philbrook
Ping “Ticket”
Agency: The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va.
Production: Headquarters
DP: Charlie Gruet
Editorial: Cosmo Street Editorial, bicoastal
Editor: Aaron Langley
Affiliation: Headquarters Films, bicoastal (U.S.); Partners Film Company (Canada)
How did you get into directing? While living in New Orleans I decided I wanted to express myself creatively. I didn’t know directing was an option. I thought it was something you were born into and had to be living in Los Angeles to do. Then I noticed so many low budget independent films being made: Clerks, Reservoir Dogs, Sex Lies and Videotape, et cetera. And I decided I could do this as well. I started searching for ideas. One night I was held up at gunpoint, a 9 mm to the back of my head, and a cracked-out fella asking me for my money. I decided the next morning to make a documentary about violent crime and within weeks I was shooting in the housing projects of New Orleans and at Louisiana State Penitentiary. This was my first directing gig–I had no idea what I was doing. Trial by fire.
Why do you want to direct commercials? I love the idea of telling a story in 30 and 60 seconds. It’s the perfect amount of time to set a scenario up and have a payoff. Also, making spots are short-term jobs so I can develop my feature and television work, meet and collaborate with new people more often, and most importantly, hone my skills.
What’s your most recent spot project? Two more spots for the Ping Golf campaign with The Martin Agency I’ve been working on all year, and a PSA with JWT for Wild Aid, an endangered species organization, starring NBA star Carmello Anthony of the Denver Nuggets.
Do you have plans to work in other areas–e.g. shorts films or features or TV? Have you ever done any of that in the past? I just completed three shows shot on HD for the ESPN Original Entertainment show ESPN Timeless. I came to commercials from longer form work, directing television documentaries for ESPN, MTV, and VH1; segments for The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which aired on CBS. I am writing and developing several feature films and scripted television series. I will continue to move back and forth between commercials and these other mediums. Through my manager, I have several projects being developed. Right now, I’m directing a new documentary and writing a television pilot and a feature film.
What do you think is the best part about being a director? The best part of directing is telling people what to do. I love having production assistants fetching me cappuccinos and giving me foot massages as I yell “action” and “cut” through my custom bullhorn. Honestly, when I see it coming together in an edit and watch the finished product for the first time–this is the most rewarding part of the process for me. I say to myself, “It worked!”
What’s the worst part? The worst part is that all of this–commercials, film, television have become more business than art. It can be hard to execute the wishes of the agency, the client, network executive, let alone my vision without watering down the finished product, especially if their ideas are not about making the spot better, but just second guessing the audience or the client. This happens in television and film as well. Playing it safe does not result in great work. It’s just the nature of the beast. It’s great when the collaboration works and everyone is making the same commercial, film, or television show.
Who is (are) your mentor(s)? I find role models whenever I see a great TV show, a moving film, and an effective spot, even a photograph or a painting. The creators of every great piece of entertainment and art are my mentors. I study their work and try to learn something from them, whether it be a camera technique, style, casting.
Not counting your own work, what’s your favorite recent ad? Why? There are a lot of recent ads I like. The Geico spots [from The Martin Agency]–“I just saved a bunch of money on car insurance–” I love those ads. They’re hilarious. I tend to be moved by either comedy with quirky characters or situations (i.e. Geico) or darker more serious work like the Adidas “Impossible is Nothing” campaign and Nike “Masks.”
