It should come as no surprise that director Christopher Bean of bicoastal MacGuffin Films had to compete for the opportunity to direct a series of Avis commercials. After all, the car rental company’s slogan declares, "We try harder." But it is surprising that Bean, who collaborated on the campaign with creatives at McCann-Erickson, New York, is such an easygoing guy.
Reflecting on his job, Bean says, "To me, a director is just a guy who makes sure everyone’s OK, to some degree." A helmer hires people he thinks are appropriate, gets them together, and, "if everyone’s OK, then good stuff happens."
Although he describes his approach as low-key, Bean clearly has a better work ethic than the characters in the Avis campaign. In "Pain in the Gas," a man pulls into a gas station in the pouring rain, and the scruffy attendant detaches himself from the TV just long enough to change the "Full Service" sign to "Self Service." Other ads feature a nurse who devotes about half a brain cell to taking a patient’s history ("Nurse"), and a clown at a boy’s birthday party who suggests that the kids all take naps ("Uncle Clowny"). Each slacker scenario is meant to contrast with the attitude at Avis, whose "We try harder" button spins onto the screen at the conclusion of each spot.
In fact, everyone working on "Uncle Clowny" had to try a little harder, after the main camera went down midway through the one-day shoot. While arrangements for a replacement were made, Bean and crew entertained the six-year-olds who were portraying the party guests. It wasn’t easy. "They were a grab-assy bunch of kids," says Bean. By the time the new camera arrived, daylight was fading, so Bean had to light the exterior of the house where they were shooting, to simulate midday.
Bean calls the Avis campaign "a big launch that has continued to pay dividends," as the success of the first round of ads led to a second round this year, which included the aforementioned "Uncle Clowny" and another spot called "Security Guard." It also led to jobs helming comedy spots for Burger King—including "Community Property" and "Horoscope—via McCann-Erickson, and Taco Bell’s "My Chalupa" and "Boom Boom Crunch," out of FCB San Francisco.
Funny Stuff
Bean acknowledges that he is generally seen as a comedy director, but he doesn’t seem bothered by it. He says he’s comfortable working with humor, particularly the everyday irony that so many people relate to. Casting is integral to his comedy-of-the-familiar approach, so he involves himself heavily in the process. "I try to get all the pressure off me," he explains, "by hiring really smart folks," both to perform and to work behind the camera.
Bean notes that any good director is able to quickly discern which actors have experience, but that he sometimes wants to cast those who look "scared to death" in auditions because he feels they can play more realistically. He points out that advertising can quickly devolve into self-parody, and the antidote is to "stay more humble, take your cues from real life." For example, he recalls going to a museum to see a photo exhibit for inspiration, but ending up being inspired by a couple arguing over what items to check at the coat-check counter.
Overall, he feels lucky that agencies often involve him in story development. But even when they don’t, Bean says, he attempts to make both client and agency comfortable immediately—which frequently makes it easier for him to do things his way further along in the project.
Bean took the same approach with the stunt people working on the client-direct BMW ad "Motorman," for the 1200c motorcycle. He acted as director/DP on that project, and it’s a departure from his other work. The ad features shots of a motorcyclist in black leather, riding through New York City with flames trailing from his back while bystanders gawk. When the rider comes to a stop and runs into a building, a crowd gathers around the motorcycle as a voiceover states, "It’s not the man, it’s the machine."
Bean says he wanted to forgo CGI and work with real fire, since he thought the practical effect would be "more juicy." At the outset, he was told that the stunt man could only be in flames for 25 seconds at a time. Bean made it clear to everyone on the crew that he respected their way of doing things and that he would not try to push the boundaries—he wanted them to be comfortable. The director set up shots in which the stunt man would be out of the camera’s view at the beginning, when he was ignited, and the end, when the flames were smothered. By the end of the day, Bean says, the stunt people were coming to him and asking, "Do you want to burn him longer?"
Bean grew up surrounded by the commercial industry—his father is director/cameraman Bob Bean, formerly of now defunct Bean-Kahn Films. Christopher did not go to film school, but moved to New York after college and worked as a production assistant for several companies before joining MacGuffin as a stage manager.
"I’m an advocate of the apprenticeship," the younger Bean relates. He knew right from the start that he wanted to direct, but he didn’t want to rush the process. He rose through the ranks in the camera department at MacGuffin, an experience he calls humbling. Bean admits that he was always looking at what everyone else was doing instead of what he was supposed to be doing. He singles out Bruce Van Dusen, now of Pfeifer Van Dusen, New York, and James Collins of MacGuffin as directors who gave him a great deal of practical knowledge. For several years Bean took "table scraps" (product shots, etc.) from other directors, then found himself at the helm for the first time three years ago, on a Benjamin Moore Paints spot called "Bare Bottom" via Gianettino & Meredith, Short Hills, N.J.
Bean’s major non-commercial project these days is a labor of love: a documentary with the working title Hip-Hop Project, about the hip-hop program at an organization called Art Start, which gives "at risk" kids in New York exposure to artists, as well as opportunities to create their own work. He says he found out about the program through his friend, freelance art director Darrell Wilks, who volunteers for Art Start. Bean and Wilks have made a trailer, comprising the kids’ performances and personal interviews, in an attempt to find funding for the film.
Bean says that he would like to be more involved in features, since he likes what he sees in the independent film world. But characteristically, he’s not stressing the timing. "I know that there’s room out there for smart folks who go about their business with care," he observes. "And I want to make sure that’s who I am."
